UNSW unveils new teaching and research facility at Prince of Wales Hospital

Students and researchers will work side-by-side with doctors, nurses and allied health teams in the unique space.

UNSW Sydney has opened its new $100 million Integrated Acute Services Building (IASB) at Prince of Wales Hospital, marking a significant milestone in healthcare collaboration.

A landmark development for New South Wales, it’s the first time a public hospital has featured an integrated university space. The state-of-the-art facility seamlessly connects UNSW and the hospital across 10 floors, fostering deep connections between students, researchers, educators and clinical care teams.

Located along the eastern side of Randwick’s Prince of Wales Hospital Acute Services Building and within the Randwick Health & Innovation Precinct, the IASB features cutting-edge research laboratories, health engineering facilities, and flexible teaching and research spaces.

UNSW’s Vice-Chancellor and President, Professor Attila Brungs, believes unique opportunities will come from this integrated space.

“Being together on every single hospital floor means researchers and clinicians can share insights into current healthcare practice. Ultimately, it means patient health care will improve, and the improvements will happen faster.

“Our researchers and students will be working side-by-side with clinicians, nurses, and allied health teams. This innovative approach is designed to ensure that research and teaching activities are closely aligned with hospital work,” he said.

The IASB includes four floors dedicated to clinical education, teaching, and general research space, three PC2 laboratories, and three floors for health engineering and clinical prototyping. The facility is the culmination of more than 60 years of teaching and research partnership between UNSW and the Randwick Health Campus.

General Manager for Prince of Wales Hospital, Jennie Barry, said the partnership with UNSW will strengthen and improve health outcomes for the community.

“The integration of research and education into our acute clinical environment will lead to the development of new models of care, opportunities for patients to help co-design research, and enhanced education and interprofessional learning for staff,” she said.

“As a proud partner of the Randwick Health & Innovation Precinct, we are excited to see what can be achieved within this community of world-class education, health care, clinical research and innovation.”

The IASB is one of two new UNSW facilities in the Randwick Health & Innovation Precinct, supported by a $500 million commitment from UNSW over the next decade.

The second facility, the UNSW Health Translation Hub (UNSW HTH), is a 15-storey, 35,600 square metre clinical education and research building currently under construction. Due to open in late 2025, it will integrate health education, training, and research with clinical healthcare services.

UNSW’s investment complements the NSW Government’s commitment of more than $1 billion to the wider Randwick Health & Innovation Precinct, which delivers more than 1.8 million patient interactions, educates more than 58,000 students and supports a workforce of 22,000.