Latest news and stories
Tracker - 14 March 2023
Welcome to Tracker, NHMRC’s fortnightly newsletter with the latest information on major activities and funding opportunities.
Communities driving health care research
“It’s about coming with an open mind and heart, and willingness to deeply listen to community… to have any preconceptions challenged and re-learn ways of doing research.”
– Dr Veronica Matthews , co-lead investigator, STRengthening systems for InDigenous healthcare Equity (STRIDE)
Tracker - 27 February 2023
Welcome to Tracker, NHMRC’s fortnightly newsletter with the latest information on major activities and funding opportunities.
$5 million for Indigenous-led Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander maternal and child health research project
A research team led by clinical psychologist Associate Professor Yvonne Clark will receive almost $5 million in NHMRC-administered funding for a project to improve Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health and wellbeing during pregnancy, birth and the early years.
Improving carer wellbeing and empowering Indigenous communities
Associate Professor Dina LoGiudice is a geriatrician and clinical researcher with a special interest in dementia and ageing well. For close to two decades, she has been studying the impacts of ageing and dementia in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.
See also 10 of the Best
Smiles saved with a major improvement in dental health of young Aboriginal children
For much of his professional life in the United Kingdom, Professor Anthony Blinkhorn has focussed on improving the oral health of children in poorer communities through collaborative approaches with government agencies. This work saw him appointed as Chair of Population Oral Health at the University of Sydney in 2007, funded by the NSW Health Centre for Oral Health Strategy.
See also 10 of the Best
Tracker – 13 February 2023
Welcome to Tracker, NHMRC’s fortnightly newsletter with the latest information on major activities and funding opportunities.
Mind the gap – Filling in the missing evidence for massive blood transfusion policy
Professor Jamie Cooper AO is Sir John Monash Distinguished Professor in the School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine at Monash University, and Senior Specialist in Intensive Care at The Alfred Hospital in Melbourne.
See also 10 of the Best
Developing immunity to cancer
Immunologist Dr Jason Waithman leads the Cancer Immunotherapy Group at the Telethon Kids Institute in Western Australia.
See also: 10 of the Best
Tracker – 30 January 2023
Welcome to Tracker, NHMRC’s fortnightly newsletter with the latest information on major activities and funding opportunities.
Healthier hearts in the tropical north
Professor Anna Ralph is a practicing medical specialist and leads the Global and Tropical Health division at Menzies School of Health Research in Darwin.
See also 10 of the Best
Tracker - 16 January 2023
Welcome to Tracker, NHMRC’s fortnightly newsletter with the latest information on major activities and funding opportunities.
Unravelling genomes to find an answer
Autoimmune diseases account for one of the largest burdens of chronic disease on our health system. According to Professor Chris Goodnow FAA FRS, there are more than 100 autoimmune diseases that collectively affect 10% of people.
See also 10 of the Best
Lessons from the best to improve Indigenous health services: a collaborative learning approach
Professor Sarah Larkins has focused on improving equity in health care services in rural, remote and Indigenous populations since a medical education placement in the Northern Territory highlighted the tremendous inequities in health care access in the region.
See also 10 of the Best
10 of the Best - Harnessing the power of science to understand and overcome today’s health challenges
Welcome to National Health and Medical Research Council's (NHMRC) 10 of the Best – Thirteenth Edition, a tribute to the researchers and their teams around Australia who are tackling the health challenges that we face from birth to later life.
$241 million invested to support outstanding Australian research
Projects to investigate new therapeutic targets for epilepsy, improve chronic back pain management and develop new treatments for diabetes are among 232 projects that will share in $241 million through National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) Ideas Grants announced today.
$8.1 million for international research collaborations in human health
International collaborative grants in health and medical research with partners in Canada and the European Union, Japan, the Philippines, Thailand and the United States will share in a total of $8.1 million, announced by the Australian Government today.
3D-printed device for cardiovascular health project to share in $15 million translation of research grant funding
A University of Adelaide research project that will use a novel 3D-printed imaging catheter to improve detection of cardiovascular disease is among 16 projects funded in the 2022 National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) Development Grant round.
Metal complexes for the treatment of age-related diseases of the brain
Dr Jeffrey Liddell from the University of Melbourne is a mid-career neurobiologist, with an interest in neurodegenerative diseases and understanding their underlying causes.
See also 10 of the Best
Tracker - 12 December 2022
Welcome to Tracker, NHMRC’s fortnightly newsletter with the latest information on major activities and funding opportunities.
Born too soon – A better life for preterm babies
A major achievement for Associate Professor Shannon Simpson was the recent establishment of PELICAN (Prematurity’s Effects on the Lungs In Children and Adults Network), which she co-chairs with Dr Jenny Hallberg from the Karolinska Institute in Sweden. See also 10 of the Best
Helping children get the best start to life
Professor Harriet Hiscock is a paediatrician researcher at the Murdoch Children's Research Institute. Her work focuses on keeping children out of hospital, reducing low value care, and improving access to and quality of care – especially mental health care.
See also 10 of the Best
Partnership projects to improve health services and processes share in $8 million
Seven projects where researchers will collaborate with partner organisations so findings can be implemented into policy and practice will share in $8 million through National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) Partnership Project grants announced today.
$50 million boost for collaborative health and medical research
The Australian Government is investing $50 million through this year’s National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) Synergy Grants in 10 research projects where experts from different disciplines will collaborate to solve health problems.
Tracker - 21 November 2022
Welcome to Tracker, NHMRC’s fortnightly newsletter with the latest information on major activities and funding opportunities.
$7 million for NHMRC Postgraduate Scholars
Sixty-two outstanding health and medical graduates will share in more than $7 million of funding to support their research training through this year’s National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) Postgraduate Scholarship Scheme.
Tracker – 7 November 2022
Welcome to Tracker, NHMRC’s fortnightly newsletter with the latest information on major activities and funding opportunities.
2023 NHMRC & MRFF grant opportunity dates
This is an indicative list of current and upcoming NHMRC and MRFF grant opportunities with closing dates in 2023.
2022-23 October Budget
Support for excellent health and medical research in Australia continues in the 2022-23 October Budget handed down on 25 October 2022.
$7.5 million for hearing health
NHMRC welcomes the announcement from the Australian Government of almost $7.5 million in funding to support research focusing on improving hearing health outcomes and the wellbeing of those with a hearing impairment.
Improving long-term health outcomes for people with intellectual disability
NHMRC welcomes the announcement from the Australian Government of more than $5 million for four research projects to improve the long-term health outcomes of people with intellectual disability.
Working towards gender equity in Investigator Grants
The National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) has introduced new special measures under the Sex Discrimination Act 1984 to address systemic disadvantage faced by female and non-binary applicants to its Investigator Grant scheme.
2022 Investigator Grant outcomes and future initiative on gender equity in the scheme
NHMRC welcomes the announcement from the Australian Government of the outcomes of this year's round of Investigator Grants. More than $375 million has been awarded to support 225 emerging and established leaders in health and medical research across Australia to tackle our greatest health challenges.
NHMRC’s revised Open Access Policy released
The National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) is the first Australian funding agency to introduce the requirement that scholarly publications arising from the research it funds be made freely available and accessible.
$39 million for research partnerships to improve delivery of healthcare
NHMRC welcomes today’s announcement by the Australian Government of 12 Partnership Projects.
$6.9 million for international research collaborations in human health
Studies of indoor air quality and its impact on health in Australian homes and schools are among international research collaborations funded by the Australian Government.
$35 million for new Centres of Research Excellence in health and medical research
NHMRC welcomes today’s announcement by the Australian Government of outcomes of the 2022 Centres of Research Excellence scheme.
Research Excellence: Modernising cardiac rehabilitation
Professor Julie Redfern is a clinician-researcher and Research Academic Director (Researcher Development, Output and Impact) in the Faculty of Medicine and Health, University of Sydney and a practicing physiotherapist. She received the 2021 Elizabeth Blackburn Investigator Grant Award - Health Services (Leadership) for her work transforming post-discharge care for people with heart disease and modernising the delivery of cardiac rehabilitation.
Funding increase builds expertise in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health research
On International Day of the World's Indigenous Peoples, Australia’s National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) has released its annual report card on funding for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health research.
NHMRC consultation on options to reach gender equity in the Investigator Grant scheme: Consultation closed
The National Health and Medical Research Council’s (NHMRC) vision is a gender diverse and inclusive health and medical research workforce to take advantage of the full range of talent needed to build a healthy Australia.
NHMRC has completed its consultation on options to reach gender equity in the NHMRC Investigator Grant scheme.
Research Excellence: Infection prevention - doing research that matters
Professor Brett Mitchell is the first nurse to receive the Commonwealth Health Minister's Award for Excellence in Health and Medical Research. He is s a Professor Health Services Research and Nursing at Avondale University and also received the 2021 Peter Doherty Investigator Grant Award (Emerging Leadership) for his work providing evidence for practical measures to reduce common infections, as well as improving cleaning in healthcare.
Australia’s national health council delivers assessment on electronic cigarettes
National advice on the use of electronic cigarettes based on the most up-to-date scientific evidence has been delivered by Australia’s health and medical research agency, the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC).
Lipid droplets and our defensive arsenal - killing the bacteria to prevent infection
Lipid droplets are exploited by pathogens that invade cells and then use the cellular lipid droplets as a source of fats. Professor Rob Parton and his team received a Human Frontier Science Program (HFSP) grant to explore the possibility that lipid droplets might also be a crucial form of defence against pathogens. International collaborative networks have allowed access to techniques and expertise. They have also facilitated mentoring and collaboration for students and early career researchers.
A paradigm shift in kidney research
Surprisingly, understanding of organ assembly is extremely limited. Professor Melissa Little and team received an Human Frontier Science Program (HFSP) grant and established the most comprehensive quantitative image-based analysis of any organ ever described. The challenges of bringing together researchers from different fields is one of vocabulary, but the benefit is considerable.
Towards cyborg biology - electrochemical biosensors of everything
There is a long running interest in the idea of machine-organism hybrids, although the integration of electronic and biological systems remains underdeveloped. Professor Kirill Alexandrov and his collaborators received Human Frontier Science Program (HFSP) funding to explore the 'undoable'. Multidisciplinary teams are a must and spur new creative projects.
Forging a farsighted agenda with a novel global way of thinking about science
The Human Frontier Science Program (HFSP) was established in 1990 to promote international collaboration in basic research focused on the elucidation of the sophisticated and complex mechanisms of living organisms. Since then, 1180 research grants have been awarded to more than 7500 researchers representing 71 nationalities, including Australia.
HFSP Secretary-General Professor Pavel Kabat introduces the program and three prominent researchers tell us how their HFSP grants advanced their research.
Tracker - 6 June 2022
Welcome to Tracker, NHMRC’s fortnightly newsletter with the latest information on major activities and funding opportunities.
Making a decision to do the hard research, that’s what discovery is about
Deciding to commit to a research life is brave – so is committing to do the hard research. Professor Cath Chamberlain says with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health, in particular, "we are going to need to take some more risks to do things differently".
Research excellence: Build grit and set out a plan
Doctor Simon Graham is an epidemiologist in the Department of Infectious Diseases at the Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity, University of Melbourne. He received the 2021 Sandra Eades Investigator Grant Award (Emerging Leadership) for his research which aims to increase opportunistic sexually transmitted infections (STI) testing to identify asymptomatic infections early so treatment is provided to prevent poor health outcomes.
$75 million funding supports Australian clinical trials and cohort studies
More than $75.3 million to support 33 clinical trials and cohort studies through the National Health and Medical Research Council has been announced, close to a quarter funding studies to improve the health of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.