A major clinical trials facility is set to open at a new hospital, expanding access to research and emerging treatments on the Sunshine Coast.
UniSC Clinical Trials will establish its flagship centre within the new Maroochy Private Hospital in the Maroochydore City Centre.
Occupying the majority of Level 5 within the hospital, the purpose-built facility will support a growing pipeline of local and international clinical trials, connecting local patients, clinicians and researchers with new therapies and global pharmaceutical innovation.
Celebrating its 10th anniversary last year, UniSC Clinical Trials has conducted more than 300 trials since its founding, and delivered more than 80 trials focused on community needs in South-East Queensland during 2026.
Supported by a workforce of more than 160 staff, including 19 doctors, the organisation has become one of Australia’s leading clinical trial providers.
UniSC Clinical Trials director Lucas Litewka said the new facility represented a significant milestone for the organisation and the Sunshine Coast’s healthcare sector.
“Opening this flagship clinical trials facility within Maroochy Private Hospital is a fitting way to mark a decade of delivering clinical research on the Sunshine Coast,” he said.
“For 10 years we have connected local participants with global investigational therapies while providing international pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies access to the region’s outstanding clinical expertise.
“This facility reflects everything we have learned during that journey. It has been purpose-designed around participant experience, clinical quality and operational excellence, ensuring the Sunshine Coast can continue to play a meaningful role in advancing healthcare globally.
“Many of today’s standard treatments were once clinical trials. By expanding our capability here on the Sunshine Coast, we’re helping ensure local people can continue to access emerging therapies while contributing to the next generation of medical advancements.”
University of the Sunshine Coast Vice-Chancellor and President, Professor Helen Bartlett, said the trials centre would connect more broadly with the university’s world-class health experts to ensure new knowledge is quickly applied to teaching and research.
“UniSC health experts, researchers and students will have even greater opportunity to be at the forefront of new medical solutions across all phases of development,” she said.
“This will include trials that are of particular interest to our communities, such as potential medications and treatments to address mental health, coeliac disease, dementia, metabolic diseases like diabetes, eye health, osteoarthritis and various trials for neurological conditions.”
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The facility will be one of two UniSC Clinical Trials locations equipped to accommodate participants for overnight and multi-day stays, significantly expanding the organisation’s ability to conduct more complex and early-phase research studies.
One of the first studies to be delivered from the new facility is expected to start this month and will involve healthy volunteers aged between 18 and 65 participating in research supporting future cancer-related therapies. Another innovative trial underway at the facility focuses on knee osteoarthritis for over-40s. Both of these trials are looking for participants.
Fortius Hospitals director Warwick Crosby said the inclusion of UniSC Clinical Trials reinforced the hospital’s position as more than a traditional healthcare facility.
“From the outset, our vision was to create a destination healthcare precinct that combines outstanding patient care with research, innovation and education,” he said.
“When an organisation that has delivered hundreds of clinical trials and built a workforce of more than 160 people chooses to establish its key facility within Maroochy Private Hospital, it speaks to the calibre of infrastructure, technology and ambition being delivered here.
“This partnership means patients, clinicians and researchers will have access to opportunities that have traditionally been concentrated in larger metropolitan centres, while helping establish the Sunshine Coast as a recognised destination for healthcare excellence and medical innovation.”
The partnership is expected to attract clinicians, researchers and support staff to the region while creating opportunities for collaboration between healthcare providers, researchers and industry partners.
