A philanthropist is donating around $171.4 million (AUD250 million) over 20 years to fund research meant to guard against future pandemics, the University of Melbourne announced in a release Wednesday.

Geoffrey Cumming, a Canadian and New Zealand citizen living in Melbourne made the donation to establish the new Cumming Global Centre for Pandemic Therapeutics. The center is being established as part of a new $445 million (AUD650 million) Australian Institute for Infectious Disease, in partnership with the university and the Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity.

The gesture is the largest philanthropic donation to medical research in Australia's history. The state government also contributed an additional $51 million (AUD75 million) toward the center.

Its goal is to develop technologies to quickly create antiviral treatments like monoclonal antibodies when new infectious diseases emerge. It is expected to open its doors in 2027.

Enduring strict lockdowns at his home in New Zealand during the COVID-19 pandemic first inspired Cumming to make the donation.

"Many people may not appreciate just how significant the medical research community is here," he told The Age.

"The whole purpose here is to build resilience for the world community to build a second shield of protection."

Cumming said he chose Melbourne over two other candidates for the medical hub, Boston and London.

The center will focus on being able to rapidly respond to future pandemics.

"It will enable the rapid design and testing of new therapeutics, and their delivery to the community within months of a pandemic outbreak," the university said in its statement.

"The development of new treatments has the potential to transform how the next outbreak is managed, but progress has traditionally lagged when compared to vaccines. Experience from other pandemics, including COVID-19, have shown that therapeutics are critically important in preventing the progression of infections to severe disease, and ultimately in saving lives."

Born in Ontario, Cumming made his fortune in the oil and gas sector. He previously made a $76 million donation (CAD100 million) to the University of Calgary, one of the largest in Canadian history.

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