Health, education and all our futures

Posted 7 February 2018

Let’s consider some of the issues that are so important to many people, especially in our Wellington region – the future of our innovation economy, the talented young people who are helping drive it and the role good health plays in all our lives.

Bill Gates is much admired for his business acumen and his ground-breaking philanthropy. A hallmark of both activities is his desire to invest where people benefit from the activity and where the returns on investment are high. That’s why the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation supports activities that puts the “ambulance at the top-of-the-cliff” such as the prevention and eradication of diseases. In all these cases the investments maybe large, but every small dollar works hard in making big differences for incredible numbers of people.

While there are many worthy causes in the world, most tend to have high costs attached to low levels of benefit, and seek to fix problems after they’ve happened – “the ambulance at the bottom-of-the-cliff.”

This is why Research For Life is asking citizens to consider how they might support our significant ambitions for medical and biomedical research in the Wellington region. We seek the following:

1. To double the funds Research For Life annually makes available, to medical and biomedical research.

2. For Wellington to build on strong foundations and become a recognised global leader in medical and biomedical research.

3. For Wellington’s medical and biomedical research to be a jewel-in-the-crown, within a booming technology and science community of thriving businesses and institutions.

 

Why is Research For Life driven by these ambitions?

Because, just like the causes that Bill and Melinda Gates supports, Research For Life is the classic “ambulance at the top-of-the-cliff.” Every dollar is targeted at highly worthwhile outcomes that are crucial to all our futures.

Right now in the Wellington region, significant medical research is taking place that promises to make real advances. Important discoveries are being made in areas such as improving outcomes for preterm babies, and management of multiple sclerosis, cardiovascular disease, kidney disease, obesity, stroke and conditions of particular concern in the Wellington region, such as asthma.

This kind of fundamental medical research is extremely powerful, yet relatively inexpensive. It is by far the best pathway to creating treatments that transform people’s lives, as well as strategies that prevent diseases from taking hold in the first place.

Best of all, the unique focus of Research For Life’s work is on funding researchers in the early stages of their careers. That’s making an important investment in exceptional talent for the future – which is good for education, the wellbeing of people and Wellington’s growing innovation economy.

Young talented researchers are passionate about advancing understandings that promise to uncover discoveries that will really help people. That’s a powerful force when combined with the supervision of experienced medical research professionals in Wellington-based institutions such as at the University of Otago’s Wellington School of Medicine, Victoria University of Wellington, Massey University, ESR and the Malaghan Institute of Medical Research.

Is this something you would like to support? You might consider a tax deductable donation (maybe one-off or regular payments), or there might be other ways you could help, perhaps through supporting our ambitions with your influence with others?