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NHMRC Media
Older editions of Tracker, Media releases and RAOs are available on the National Library's Australian Government Web Archive.
Recognising excellence in developing a world-first Indigenous wellbeing index
Ngiyampaa/Wongaibon social epidemiologist and recipient of the 2023 NHMRC David Cooper Clinical Trials and Cohort Studies Award, Professor Raymond Lovett has focused his career on improving Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health. As an Associate Director of Yardhura Walani (Australian National University) and Director of Mayi Kuwayu: The national study of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander wellbeing, Professor Lovett’s research has influenced policy at state and national levels, as well as empowered communities at the local level. He is now aiming to take this to the global stage through the development of a world-first Indigenous wellbeing index.
Remote rehabilitation programs prove excellent option for people with chronic respiratory problems
Learn how dedicated physiotherapists, Professor Anne Holland and Associate Professor Narelle Cox's innovative remote rehabilitation program is transforming lives for those with chronic respiratory conditions. Their groundbreaking work offers accessible, effective care from the comfort of home.
Recognising Excellence in advancing the evidence base in cardiac arrest and resuscitation
Recipient of the 2024 NHMRC Peter Doherty Investigator Grant Award (Emerging Leadership), Dr Ziad Nehme is a paramedic-scientist with expertise in prehospital emergency care and resuscitation research. With a focus on early response to out-of-hospital cardiac arrest patients, Dr Nehme is targeting improvements in early recognition and activation of emergency services, accelerating treatments through community-based care, and enhancing the evidence-base in resuscitation.
Recognising the power of community engagement in health and medical research
Recipient of the 2025 NHMRC Consumer Involvement Award, Professor James St John is a translational neuroscientist specialising in the creation and delivery of therapies to repair injuries and diseases of the nervous system. He has driven the development of a comprehensive consumer involvement program to design and create a cell transplantation therapy for repairing chronic spinal cord injury which is now progressing to a clinical trial.
Tracker - 12 May 2025
Welcome to Tracker, the National Health and Medical Research Council’s (NHMRC) fortnightly newsletter with the latest information on major activities and funding opportunities.
Over $79 million investment towards clinical trials and cohort studies
An investment of over $79 million will support high quality clinical trials and cohort studies that address important gaps in knowledge, with potential for significant health benefits.
Advanced cardiovascular disease risk tests on the horizon
Some genes we inherit from our parents are linked to diseases. Explore how Professors Eric Moses and Peter Meikle are using the Busselton Health Study to uncover genetic risk factors for cardiovascular disease.
Leading through crisis: upholding research integrity in unprecedented times
When Professor Fabienne Mackay stepped into the role of Director and CEO at QIMR Berghofer in late 2020, she expected challenges—navigating a global pandemic, leading a major organisational restructure, and steering a world-class research institute through an evolving funding landscape. What she did not anticipate was facing one of the most significant cases of research misconduct in Australian history.
Preventing and healing painful, chronic wounds through multidisciplinary R&D
Discover how Professor Allison Cowin's innovative stem cell and antibody treatments are transforming chronic wound care. Her groundbreaking work offers hope and improved health outcomes for millions worldwide.
Recognising outstanding contributions to NHMRC’s Principles of Peer Review
Professor Philip Batterham, recipient of the 2025 NHMRC Peer Review Excellence Award (senior/experienced category), exemplifies what it means to be a fair, transparent and enthusiastic peer reviewer. Abiding by our Principles of Peer Review, Professor Batterham has continued to show an unrelenting commitment to providing rigorous assessment of applications for grant funding.
Tracker - 28 April 2025
Welcome to Tracker, the National Health and Medical Research Council’s (NHMRC) fortnightly newsletter with the latest information on major activities and funding opportunities.
Recognising excellence in identifying and overcoming mechanisms of immune evasion in cancer
Recipient of the 2024 NHMRC Fiona Stanley Synergy Grant Award, Professor Marie-Liesse Asselin-Labat is investigating how cancer evades the immune system and how immunotherapies and cancer vaccines can be enhanced to improve treatment outcomes. Professor Asselin-Labat PharmD, PhD, is a Division Head at WEHI, leading a team that studies the interactions between immune and tumour cells in lung cancer, and how external factors can trigger the disease and treatment response.
Speaking of Science: Interrogating the physiology of the human vagus nerve with Professor Vaughan Macefield
A new era of research that promises to uncover novel information on the physiology of the human vagus nerve is unfolding right before our eyes.
Recognising excellence in cancer cachexia research using fruit flies
Associate Professor Louise Cheng, recipient of the 2024 NHMRC Marshall and Warren Ideas Grant Award, is a group leader at the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre and the Department of Anatomy and Physiology at the University of Melbourne. Her lab utilises the fruit fly (Drosophila) to study how tumours grow at the expense of other tissues in cancer cachexia- a metabolic syndrome affecting up to 80% of people with advance cancer.
Recognising excellence in turbocharging treatments for type-2 diabetes
Recipient of the 2024 NHMRC Marshall and Warren Innovation Award, Associate Professor Garron Dodd, is globally acknowledged as a top authority in metabolic neuroscience. His research led out of the Metabolic Neuroscience Laboratory at the University of Melbourne has been pivotal in advancing metabolic health both in Australia and internationally, aiming to create innovative therapies for obesity and type-2 diabetes.
Tracker - 14 April 2025
Welcome to Tracker, the National Health and Medical Research Council’s (NHMRC) fortnightly newsletter with the latest information on major activities and funding opportunities.
Teasing out fact from fiction in global guidelines for iron supplements in children
Discover how Professors Sant-Rayn Pasricha and Beverley-Ann Biggs's extensive research on iron supplementation is reshaping global health recommendations. Their work offers new insights into child development and anaemia treatment.
Recognising outstanding scientific imagery beneath the skin’s surface
Associate Professor Arutha Kulasinghe, recipient of the 2025 NHMRC Science to Art Award, is bringing together the rigour of heath and medical research with aesthetically powerful art. With a focus on cutting edge spatial biology and genomic techniques, Associate Professor Kulasinghe is dedicated to unlocking the secrets of individual cell interactions, leading to personalised treatments for several diseases, including cancer.
Tracker - 31 March 2025
Welcome to Tracker, the National Health and Medical Research Council’s (NHMRC) fortnightly newsletter with the latest information on major activities and funding opportunities.
Surviving melanoma has a new genetic story
Australia has the highest incidence of melanoma in the world with one Aussie diagnosed every 30 minutes.1 Delve into the research led by Dr Sarah Ward aiming to unpack the genetic epidemiology of melanoma.
A night of celebrating health and medical research excellence
A gathering of our nation’s foremost health and medical researchers has taken place this evening, celebrating their excellence, leadership and extraordinary contributions to the sector in our annual Research Excellence Awards dinner. This year, the ceremony included the celebration of our Biennial Awards and the talent making impact in an area of importance to NHMRC.
A celebration of the best health and medical research discoveries
When it comes to health and medical research in Australia, our scientists are pioneering key advances to better understand health conditions and answer fundamental questions. This evening, we had the pleasure of launching the highly anticipated 16th edition of our flagship publication, 10 of the Best.
Speaking of Science: Evaluating 23 years of Dementia and Diabetes research
As of 2025, it is estimated that approximately 433,300 Australians are living with dementia, and approximately 1.3 million Australians were living with diabetes in 2022, which equates to roughly 5.3% of the population.
Tracker - 17 March 2025
Welcome to Tracker, the National Health and Medical Research Council’s (NHMRC) fortnightly newsletter with the latest information on major activities and funding opportunities.
Tracker - 3 March 2025
Welcome to Tracker, the National Health and Medical Research Council’s (NHMRC) fortnightly newsletter with the latest information on major activities and funding opportunities.
$15 million investment to support collaborations in health services research
The Australian Government is investing $15 million to improve health outcomes by supporting health service focussed research projects that foster collaboration between health services and research organisations across both metropolitan and regional, rural and remote areas.
$422 million into research for the future of Australia’s healthcare system
Announced today by the Minister for Health and Aged Care, the Hon Mark Butler MP, are 229 high-performing researchers who will share in an investment of over $422 million under the National Health and Medical Research Council’s (NHMRC) Investigator Grants scheme.
$8.9 million investment into research partnerships to shape our future
NHMRC is committed to supporting new partnership opportunities for researchers and policy makers to work together to shape our future through an $8.9 million funding investment.
Speaking of Science: Discovering a breakthrough in the fight against cancer with Professor Andrew Wilks
World Cancer Day, observed annually on 4 February, raises awareness about cancer, encourages its prevention, and mobilises action to address the global cancer epidemic.
Tracker - 17 February 2025
Welcome to Tracker, the National Health and Medical Research Council’s (NHMRC) fortnightly newsletter with the latest information on major activities and funding opportunities.
NHMRC Principal Committees and NHMRC-MRFF Committees announced
NHMRC Principal Committees and NHMRC-MRFF Committees announced
Over $8 million boost to Australia-Japan innovative research projects
The Australian Government is contributing more than $8 million for groundbreaking research projects between Australia and Japan under the Adopting Sustainable Partnerships for Innovative Research Ecosystem (ASPIRE) program.
Tracker - 3 February 2025
Welcome to Tracker, the National Health and Medical Research Council’s (NHMRC) fortnightly newsletter with the latest information on major activities and funding opportunities.
$11 million to build and grow on Australian research in climate change and health
The Australian Government is investing almost $11 million to build Australian research capacity in climate change and related health impacts under the National Health and Medical Research Council’s (NHMRC) 2024 Targeted Call for Research (TCR) into climate-related health impacts and effective interventions to improve health outcomes.
$1.5 million investment to fuel Australian researchers form collaborations with EU partners
The National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) is investing $1.5 million to support Australian researchers to form international collaborations and strengthen the impact of research innovation while tackling global health challenges.
Over $16 million invested into innovative health and medical research commercialisation
Innovative health and medical research that supports commercialisation as it progresses from proof of concept through to clinical implementation will receive a funding investment under the National Health and Medical Research Council’s (NHMRC) Development Grants scheme.
$10 million boost to support the next generation of health and medical researchers
A $10 million funding boost will support the next generation of health and medical researchers to increase research capacity within Australia through the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) Postgraduate Scholarship scheme.
$274 million invested to boost innovative research
Two hundred and twenty-three innovative and creative projects will share in $274 million to address specific questions in health and medical research from discovery to implementation through the National Health and Medical Research Council’s (NHMRC) Ideas Grants scheme.
Speaking of science: International Day of Persons with Disabilities
The United Nations (UN) International Day of Persons with Disabilities promotes community awareness, understanding and acceptance of the estimated 1.3 billion people with disability worldwide and to celebrate their achievements.
Almost $6 million to support Australian participation in international collaborative research
The National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) is investing almost $6 million to support Australian participation in leading international collaborative research that focuses on health issues that span Australia and the East Asian region.
New NHMRC Council to work closely with Australian Medical Research Advisory Board
The Australian Government has announced the membership of the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) Council for the 2024–2027 triennium.
Speaking of science: Emerging international trends in sex and gender science with Dr Cara Tannenbaum
When it comes to individual health and wellbeing, differences between sex and gender matter and the more consideration that we give to these differences, the more we can improve health outcomes for everyone.
Over $3 million investment to tackle global antimicrobial resistance
The National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) is taking strides to address significant global health threats by investing over $3 million into international collaborative research aiming to tackle antimicrobial resistance.
Centering Indigenous research excellence now and into the future
NHMRC is committed to improving the health of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples through funding research of the highest quality, integrity and excellence. We also encourage applications across our grant funding program that address Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health.
Speaking of Science: Breast Cancer Awareness Month with Professor Belinda Parker
Did you know that breast cancer is the second most common cancer to cause death in women? In Australia, 1 in 7 women will be diagnosed with breast cancer in their lifetime.
Australian Drinking Water Guidelines: Public consultation now open
NHMRC is an independent statutory agency and Australia’s leading experts on health and medical research and providing the Australian community with health advice based on the best available scientific evidence.
At the intersection of science and art
There’s an area of health and medical research, where scientific discoveries are made and are accompanied by artistic imagery that holds both aesthetic power and major promise for further breakthroughs. This area lies at the intersection of science and art.
Speaking of Science: SOLVEing Coronary Heart Disease with Professor Julie Redfern
Cardiovascular disease is the world’s number one killer.
On a national scale, coronary heart disease is the leading single cause of disease burden in Australia and causes 11% of all deaths, sparking a real need to make transformative improvements in cardiovascular health management for all Australians.
$50 million for transformative multidisciplinary health and medical research
Ten outstanding and versatile research teams have collectively been awarded $50 million to support them in working together to address major problems in human health under the NHMRC’s 2024 Synergy Grants scheme.
Final Report for MREA grants
NHMRC has revised the questions in its Final Report for Medical Research Endowment Account (MREA) grants to obtain better visibility of the personnel supported by, and research outputs, outcomes and impacts generated from, NHMRC grants. Please see the Download section for an example of the Final Report.