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.

Sex, gender, variations of sex characteristics and sexual orientation: Requirement in NHMRC and MRFF grant opportunities from 2026

NHMRC and the Department of Health, Disability and Ageing are taking action to reduce long-standing inequities and promoting quality in health and medical research. 

For NHMRC and MRFF grant opportunities opening in 2026, we are embedding the joint Statement on Sex, Gender, Variations in Sex Characteristics and Sexual Orientation in Health and Medical Research in our respective granting processes, noting several grant opportunities may be exempted based on their nature and focus. 

There is a new requirement that applicants consider sex, gender, variations of sex characteristics and sexual orientation (the Variables) in their proposed research and integrate the relevant Variables into their research, where appropriate.

What does this mean for applicants? 
Applicants will respond to a new question in the application form on the integration of the Variables and describe how the Variables are being integrated in their research in the grant proposal.

What does this mean for assessors? 
The Variables are being incorporated into assessment criteria. Assessors will take the information about the Variables in applications into account when scoring against assessment criteria. 

Applicants may choose to include or exclude the Variables in their application, provided they offer a sound, evidence based justification for their decision. Assessors should focus on the strength and validity of the rationale rather than the presence or absence of the Variables.

For further information, see our news item and resources on NHMRC’s website.
 

Public consultation: Nutrient Reference Values (NRVs) iodine recommendations and methodological framework

NHMRC’s public consultation on revised NRV recommendations for iodine and the NRVs methodological framework is now open.

The NRVs are guidelines that describe how much of each nutrient, such as iodine, people need to stay healthy. They help people in Australia and New Zealand to meet their nutritional needs and aim to reduce the risk of health issues from nutrient deficiency or excess.

The methodological framework for developing NRVs and recommendations for iodine have been reviewed and revised to reflect recent evidence.

Public consultation closes on Thursday 11 December 2025 at 11:59PM (AEDT). 

To provide feedback on the proposed changes, visit the NHMRC consultation hub.
 

NHMRC Speaking of Science - Is obesity a disease or a risk factor? Changing paradigms with new definitions

It is estimated that 1 billion people currently live with obesity worldwide and numbers are projected to rise to 1.5 billion by 2035.

For our last Speaking of Science webinar for 2025, NHMRC is hosting leading global health expert Professor Louise Baur AM of the University of Sydney. Join us as Professor Baur discusses whether obesity should be considered as a disease or a risk factor, and how we’re changing paradigms with new definitions for obesity globally. This webinar will take place on Thursday 4 December 2025 from 1:00PM–2:00PM (AEDT).

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

Register on Eventbrite now.

Don't miss out on the chance to learn, engage, and connect! Be the first to know about our upcoming Speaking of Science webinars by subscribing on our website.
 

Have your say! NHMRC 2025 Communications Audience Survey 

NHMRC is looking for your feedback on how we can improve our external communications.

How NHMRC communicates is an important part of our processes. We want to continue to ensure that we meet the needs of our audience and valued stakeholders in the most appropriate and effective way.

We invite you to complete our short audience survey to tell us how you prefer to receive, access, and use information from us.

The survey will close on Friday 19 December 2025 at 11:59PM (AEDT).

To complete the survey, visit the NHMRC consultation hub.
 

Scientific progress report for NHMRC funded grants

NHMRC has released its revised Scientific Progress Report for NHMRC funded (MREA) grants that are required to submit a progress report due late 2025 and 2026 onwards, and any unsubmitted overdue reports.

The updated template includes additional and revised questions for better visibility of achievement against outcomes, to identify grants with clinical trial components and their clinical trial registry details, and support data availability to evaluate NHMRC-funded grants.

The new progress report template is now available in Sapphire to all CIAs from applicable schemes to be completed and submitted.

Please see NHMRC’s website for more information. 

For information on reporting requirements see the Progress, final and additional reporting and Final Report for MREA grants pages on our website.
 

NHMRC is hiring – Executive Director Research Quality and Advice

We are looking for a visionary and collaborative leader to fill the role of Executive Director for NHMRC’s Research Quality and Advice branch. 

This senior role is responsible for driving initiatives that strengthen the research ecosystem and enhance public confidence in health and medical research. You will also lead work to translate the latest research evidence into health policy and clinical practice and ultimately drive improvements in health outcomes for the Australian community.  

This is an opportunity for a motivated individual to be a part of NHMRC’s Executive team and provide strategic leadership to the agency.

The position is at Senior Executive Service (SES) Band 1 level. Applications close on Sunday 7 December 2025 at 11:30PM (AEDT).

For more information including the position description and contact details, please visit the NHMRC careers page.
 

Persistent Identifiers webinar

Join a webinar on Tuesday 9 December 11:30AM – 12:30PM (AEDT) to hear the ARC and the NHMRC discuss the evolving landscape of persistent identifiers, including ORCID.

This session will provide attendees with timely updates on key policy developments currently underway in both ARC and NMHRC. Both funding agencies play a pivotal role in shaping Australia’s research landscape and are members of the Australian ORCID Consortium. As consortium lead, the Australian Access Federation (AAF) will host this conversation to offer members of the Australian ORCID Consortium and the wider research community the opportunity to gain clarity on how these changes may impact current and future research activities. 

  • Who should attend:
  • Australian ORCID Consortium members
  • International ORCID Consortium members
  • Those curious about all things ORCID and persistent identifiers (PIDs)
  • National research infrastructures
  • Researchers
  • Universities
  • Technology specialists
  • Staff responsible for trust and identity
  • AAF project partners and collaborators

Register now on Eventbrite.

Please contact orcid@aaf.edu.au for further information.  
 

Key NHMRC grant program dates

NHMRC grant opportunities are funded through the Medical Research Endowment Account (MREA).

The following opportunity has minimum data due soon:

Targeted Call for Research: Homelessness and Health 2025

  • Minimum data is due by Wednesday 3 December 2025 17:00 (AEDT)
  • Applications will close on Wednesday 17 December 2025 at 17:00 (AEDT).

Applications must complete the required fields with the correct information. Use of placeholder text in applications will be ineligible. For more information on minimum data requirements, refer to Appendix B in the TCR: Homelessness and Health Guidelines 2025 available on GrantConnect.

Failure to meet the minimum data requirements by the deadline will result in the application not proceeding. New applications cannot be started after the minimum data deadline.   

Please contact help@nhmrc.gov.au for further information.  


The following opportunity is closing soon:

Partnership Projects 2025 PRC3 

  • Applications will close on Wednesday 26 November 2025 at 17:00 (AEDT).

We encourage applicants to work closely with their RAOs well in advance of the due date to ensure they can submit applications on time.

Applicants are reminded that:

  • Researchers listed on applications must have a Sapphire account. New account registrations must be submitted at least 72 hours prior to application close. The Research Help Centre will continue to respond to Sapphire related enquiries until Wednesday 26 November 2025 13:00 (AEDT).
  • Only applicants who completed minimum data requirements by the deadline on 12 November 2025 17:00 (AEDT) can submit a full application.
  • Applications submitted after close of round will not be accepted.

Further information can be found on GrantConnect. Please contact help@nhmrc.gov.au for further information.
 

Medical Research Future Fund – grant opportunities key dates

The following MRFF grant opportunity has a close due date approaching:

2025 Maternal Health and Healthy Lifestyles Grant Opportunity (GO7816)

  • Applications close on Wednesday 3 December 2025 at 17:00 (AEDT).

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

Refer to Funding schemes and calendar.
 

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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