Today

Welcome to Tracker, the National Health and Medical Research Council’s (NHMRC) fortnightly newsletter with the latest information on major activities and funding opportunities.

Speaking of Science – from concept to worldwide clinical use: developing an optimal surgical treatment for glaucoma

Glaucoma is the leading cause of irreversible blindness worldwide, with an estimated 80 million people affected including more than 200,000 Australians.

Ahead of World Glaucoma Week (March 8-14, 2026), NHMRC is hosting head of the Physiology and Pharmacology Research Centre within the Lions Eye Institute and the University of Western Australia, Professor Dao-Yi Yu AM for our Speaking of Science series.

Professor Yu will discuss the story behind more than 3 decades of NHMRC supported research that advanced treatment for glaucoma and ultimately led to the development of the XEN® Glaucoma gel stent, a minimally invasive device that has reshaped glaucoma surgery worldwide. 

There will be a Q&A session at the end, so we encourage you to attend and ask questions!  

This webinar will take place on Monday 16 February 2026 from 11:00AM-12:00PM (AEDT).

Register on Eventbrite now.
 

NHMRC Development Grants announcement

NHMRC’s grant program offers a diverse portfolio of schemes, supporting the full spectrum of health and medical research. The Development Grants scheme was initially established to increase the rates of translation of health and medical research into commercial outcomes. NHMRC remains committed to fostering innovation and translation as part of our strategic vision. In 2026 this commitment will be renewed with a focus on developing strategic, impactful commercialisation support that is aligned with the needs of the sector today. The Development Grants scheme will not proceed in 2026 while this strategic redevelopment of support in the research commercialisation space is being explored.

Further information is provided in the NHMRC CEO Statement released on our website today. 

Please contact help@nhmrc.gov.au for any queries.
 

Joint Open Science Policy released by NHMRC and DoHDA

NHMRC and the Department of Health, Disability and Ageing, responsible for implementation of the Medical Research Future Fund (MRFF), have released a joint Open Science Policy. This reflects their commitment to high quality research that is rigorous, transparent and reproducible to maximise the opportunity for improving health and wellbeing. 

NHMRC grant holders will be required to comply with the policy from today, 2 February 2026. The requirement will apply to MRFF grant opportunities opening from 1 January 2026, noting a small number of grant opportunities may be exempted. To determine if the new requirement applies in a particular grant opportunity, refer to the grant opportunity guidelines on GrantConnect.

For more details, read the full Open Science Policy on NHMRC's website.

For enquiries, contact NHMRC at openscience@nhmrc.gov.au or MRFF at MRFF@Health.gov.au. 
 

Report on the draft Consumer Statement consultation now available

Between July and September 2025, the Kids Research Institute Australia facilitated Australia wide roundtables to discuss the draft Statement on Consumer and Community Involvement in Health and Medical Research (the Statement), co-authored by NHMRC and the Consumers Health Forum of Australia.

The roundtables were attended by nearly 500 people, and an additional 117 written responses were received from stakeholders. A report on the consultation results is now available on NHMRC’s website. 

Thank you to all who attended the roundtables or provided a written response. These contributions will inform the final Statement, which is currently under development. To be notified when the final Statement is published, please subscribe to the Consumer Statement contact list by visiting NHMRC’s website.
 

Institutional Annual Compliance Report survey

The 2025 Institutional Annual Compliance Report (IACR) survey will open on Tuesday 10 February 2026. 

All Administering Institutions must complete the IACR survey to retain NHMRC Administering Institution status, even if the institution did not administer NHMRC funding during the reporting year.

How the survey works:

  • The survey will be conducted via Citizen Space, an accessible online platform.
  • All responses must be submitted using the official online survey link.

What’s next:

  • NHMRC will email all primary Research Administration Officers and Administering Institution generic mailboxes with details and the link to the survey portal.
  • The survey will close on Friday 20 March 2026 at 17:00 (AEDT).

Further information is available on NHMRC’s website. 

Any questions on the survey should be directed to administering.institutions@nhmrc.gov.au.
 

Survey closing soon – Australian code for the care and use of animals for scientific purposes

NHMRC has released a survey seeking feedback on the utility of the 8th edition of the Australian code for the care and use of animals for scientific purposes (the Code). We are particularly interested in hearing from people who use the Code in their daily work. 

The survey will close on 16 February 2026. For more information, including how you can participate, visit NHMRC’s consultation hub.
 

Medical Research Future Fund – grant opportunities key dates

The following MRFF grant opportunities have close dates approaching:

Details on how to apply for MRFF grant opportunities and all MRFF close dates are available on GrantConnect. Applicants are reminded that only applicants who completed minimum data by the due date can submit an application. It is also the applicant’s responsibility to ensure they meet all eligibility requirements, including limits on the number of times a person can be named as a Chief Investigator on applications submitted to a grant opportunity.

Applicants should ensure:

MRFF grant assessment committee self nomination
Register your interest to become a member of a MRFF grant assessment committee.
 

Key dates

Please see the funding schemes and calendar page.
 

Tracker

See previous editions of Tracker.

Do you know someone who would like to receive this newsletter? They can visit the Newsletter sign up page.

If you have any questions about the newsletter, email communications@nhmrc.gov.au. 

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