Tracker - 6 July 2026

National Health and Medical Research Strategy – webinar recording

On Friday 26 June, NHMRC CEO, Steve Wesselingh, and HMRO Assistant Secretary, Natasha Ploenges presented a webinar on the National Health and Medical Research Strategy 2026–2036 to more than 400 registered attendees.

The Strategy sets out a 10-year vision for strengthening Australia’s health and medical research system and improving outcomes for the community. It provides a national framework to build on Australia’s world‑leading research capability, improve coordination across the sector and support the translation of research into real‑world impact for all Australians.

Learn more and watch the webinar replay on our website.

Speaking of Science - 50 Years of Deadly: Aboriginal science, genomic sovereignty and what precision medicine must do for our mob

This year NAIDOC Week marks an important milestone, 50 Years of Deadly – a tribute to the people who built this movement, the Elders who stood firm, the organisers who made space, the artists who turned resistance into expression and the communities who keep showing up.

Join NHMRC as we host Australia’s first Indigenous bioinformatician, Adam Heterick, of both the Black Ochre Data Labs (The Kids Research Institute Australia) and the National Centre for Indigenous Genomics (ANU) for our Speaking of Science webinar.

Adam will discuss his research into Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander genomics and health equity, Indigenous data sovereignty in practice and strengths-based framing that empowers First Nations researchers and communities to be leaders, not subjects.

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

This webinar is on Wednesday 8 July 2026 from 10:00AM–11:00AM AEST.

Register here on Teams.

Regional, Rural and Remote Capacity Building Grant Opportunity - now open

NHMRC is committed to improving health outcomes for people living in regional, rural and remote (RRR) Australia by supporting health and medical research that benefits local people and communities.

The Regional, Rural and Remote Capacity Building Grant Opportunity 2026 aims to support health and medical researchers in RRR Australia and is now open for applications in Sapphire.

This opportunity provides funding to help established RRR-based researchers lead and mentor early to mid‑career researchers, support emerging researchers (including clinicians) to become future leaders, and fund high‑quality research that benefits RRR communities. Grants of $5 million each will be available, distributed over a 7-year period.

• Minimum data due on Wednesday 19 August 2026 at 17:00 AEST
• Applications close on Wednesday 16 September 2026 at 17:00 AEST.

Further details, including grant guidelines, are available on GrantConnect.

Contact help@nhmrc.gov.au for further assistance.

Building research where it matters most – article with the MJA

In the current issue of the Medical Journal of Australia’s newsletter, NHMRC writes about the new Regional, Rural and Remote Capacity Building Grant Opportunity.

‘By supporting RRR researchers to lead and collaborate, this program shifts the focus from research conducted about communities towards research undertaken with and for them. For clinicians, this creates greater opportunities to contribute to research that reflects their patients, their settings and their realities in care delivery.’

Read more on the MJA’s website.

Human Research Ethics Application form

The Human Research Ethics Application (HREA) form has been updated to v1.6 to align with the revised National Statement on Ethical Conduct in Human Research 2025, which came into effect on 23 June 2026.

The updated version of the HREA is now available, and a transition period for use between HREA v1.5 and v1.6 will be in place until 25 September 2026. Updates on licensed versions of HREA will be implemented as soon as possible.

Visit NHMRC’s HREA webpage or email help@hrea.gov.au for any questions.

NHMRC Council Chair on the MJA podcast

To mark NHMRC’s 90th anniversary, Professor Caroline Homer AO, NHMRC Council Chair, joined the Medical Journal of Australia (MJA) podcast to reflect on our legacy — and where we’re heading next.

From our early beginnings to today, Caroline explores how NHMRC has helped shape Australia’s health and medical research system, supported world-leading discoveries and translated evidence into better health outcomes for the community.

As we celebrate 90 years, the conversation also looks ahead to the future of health and medical research, and the role NHMRC will continue to play in tackling emerging challenges – from discovery to impact.

Find out more on our website.

Partnership Projects 2025 Peer Review Cycle 2 (PRC2) funding announced

On 23 June 2026, the Minister for Health and Ageing, the Hon Mark Butler MP, announced the funding outcomes for 2025 Partnership Project PRC2 grants totalling $13.7 million.

These grants help researchers work with partners to define research questions and undertake research that the partners then translate into improved health services for end users.

Projects funded will be supported by 64 funding partners, which together are contributing a further $17.4 million, bringing the total investment in collaborative research to over $31.1 million.

Find out more about the projects funded in NHMRC's media release.

2026 Partnership Projects key dates

2026 Partnership Projects PRC2:

• Partner waiver requests due by Wednesday 8 July 2026 at 17:00 AEST.
• Minimum data due by Wednesday 22 July 2026 at 17:00 AEST; only applicants that completed minimum data by Wednesday 22 July 2026 17:00 AEST can submit a full application in PRC2.
• Applications close on Wednesday 5 August 2026 at 17:00 AEST.

2026 Partnership Projects PRC3:

• Applications open on Thursday 23 July 2026.

Email help@nhmrc.gov.au for any assistance.

Medical Research Future Fund – grant opportunities key dates

The 2026 Consumer-Led Research Grant Opportunity (GO8270) has a minimum data due date approaching:

• Minimum data due by Wednesday 8 July 2026 at 17:00 AEST
• Applications close on Wednesday 5 August 2026 at 17:00 AEST.

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:

• their Sapphire account is active or access to Sapphire has been requested
• their organisation is an approved MRFF Eligible Organisation before the minimum data due date
• any intended participating institutions are listed in Sapphire or request that a new participating institution be added by emailing help@nhmrc.gov.au, including the institution's website address (URL) and ABN (if applicable).

MRFF grant assessment committee self-nomination

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