International businessman and philanthropist Mr Geoffrey Cumming has been honoured as a Fellow of the University of Melbourne.
Mr Cumming’s Fellowship recognises his extraordinary and visionary philanthropic generosity over many years, including his support of medical research projects around the world and many international charitable organisations.
In August 2022, Mr Cumming and his wife, Anna, gifted $250 million to the Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity at the University of Melbourne to establish the Cumming Global Centre for Pandemic Therapeutics. It is the largest philanthropic donation to medical research, and one of the largest gifts, in Australia’s history.
Mr Cumming’s donation underpins the Centre, which will address a critical need for future pandemic preparedness. The Centre promises to enable rapid design, testing and delivery of potentially life-saving new therapeutics within months of an outbreak.
Originally from Canada but now living in Melbourne, Mr Cumming chose to locate the Centre within the city’s world class biomedical precinct. Eventually, the Centre will be based in the new Australian Institute for Infectious Disease (AIID), a partnership between the University of Melbourne, the Doherty Institute, the Burnet Institute and the Victorian Government.
Mr Cumming’s Fellowship was presented by University of Melbourne Chancellor Jane Hansen AO at a ceremony on Friday afternoon.
“On behalf of the University of Melbourne, it gives me great pleasure to bestow this Fellowship on Mr Geoff Cumming,” Ms Hansen said.
“It is a richly deserved accolade for a man who has spent his life supporting many causes and enabling research that has helped thousands of people around the world.
“It also indicates a great show of faith in the capability of our world-class biomedical precinct to deliver on Geoff’s grand ambition.”
University of Melbourne Vice-Chancellor Professor Duncan Maskell also congratulated Mr Cumming.
“With one extraordinary donation, Geoff ensured Australia and the rest of the world will be better prepared to withstand future pandemics, as well as to fight current diseases,” Professor Maskell said.
“We have been very fortunate to call Geoff a friend of the University and I am delighted that now we can call him a Fellow too.”
