Harry Perkins Institute Of Medical Research
History
The Western Australian Institute for Medical Research (WAIMR) was established in 1998 as a collaboration between the University of Western Australia (UWA), Royal Perth Hospital, and Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital. Fremantle Hospital became a partner in 2003. The institute was an initiative of two UWA professors, Peter Klinken and Peter Leedman, with Klinken becoming its first director. Harry Perkins, the chairman of Wesfarmers, played a key role in its establishment and was appointed as the institute's first chairman, a position he held until his death in 2002. Wesfarmers provided an initial donation of $5 million, and has been the institute's major sponsor ever since. In October 2013, WAIMR changed its name to honour Perkins' legacy.
Facilities
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d1/QEII_Medical_Centre_Buildings.jpg/220px-QEII_Medical_Centre_Buildings.jpg)
The institute was originally housed in existing space at the Queen Elizabeth II Medical Centre. In March 2014, the institute moved into a new purpose-built 10-storey building at 31°58′05″S 115°48′50″E / 31.968115°S 115.813933°E on the same site, which cost $122 million and was funded by the state and federal governments and private-sector contributions. The new building (known as Perkins North) has a capacity of 750 researchers. In late 2014, a second facility (known as Perkins South) was opened at 32°04′16″S 115°50′40″E / 32.070978°S 115.844555°E on the new Fiona Stanley Hospital site, a six-storey building costing $63.5 million. It will accommodate up to 400 researchers.