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Latest news and stories
$6.6 million investment into early detection of anal cancer
The National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) is investing $6.6 million to help prevent, diagnose and treat anal cancer.
Prestigious award recognises lead paramedic-scientist for life saving research
The 2025 Commonwealth Health Minister's Award for Excellence in Health and Medical Research has been awarded to Dr Ziad Nehme from Monash University and Ambulance Victoria.
Speaking of Science: Acting now against antimicrobial resistance
Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) occurs when bacteria, viruses, fungi and parasites no longer respond to antimicrobial agents. As a result of this drug resistance, antibiotics and other antimicrobial agents become ineffective and infections become difficult or impossible to treat, increasing the risk of disease spread, severe illness and death.
Embedding sex and gender considerations in research for better medical outcomes
The National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) and the Department of Health, Disability and Ageing (responsible for the Medical Research Future Fund (MRFF)) have today launched a new requirement for applicants for funding from their grant programs.
Updated scientific progress report for NHMRC funded (MREA) grants
NHMRC has revised its MREA progress report template to gather more information to support evaluation of achievements against identified aims and collect data on clinical trials registration information that will contribute to NHMRC’s policy and evaluation processes.
CEO Statement on Global Health Research and International Collaboration
NHMRC is committed to global health research and international collaboration.
The health and wellbeing of Australians is connected to the health of our neighbours and the world. Global health challenges, including pandemic preparedness, antimicrobial resistance and climate-related health threats, cannot be solved in isolation. They require coordinated international research responses and contribution to global scientific networks.
NHMRC Statement on Sustainability Working Group Membership
The National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) acknowledges recent public interest regarding the resignation of Dr Brad Ridoutt from the Dietary Guidelines Sustainability Working Group.
Over $9 million for health and medical research partnerships
The National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) is committed to strengthening collaborative partnerships with a combined investment of over $9 million towards health and medical research.
Speaking of Science: Genetics of depression: risk and response to treatment with Dr Brittany Mitchell
Depression is the most common psychiatric disorder and the largest contributor to global disability and yet one third of people diagnosed with depression are refractory to treatment.
$4 million funding boost to advance oral health care research
NHMRC is investing nearly $4 million to drive groundbreaking oral health research that will benefit all Australians.
Global collaborative trials lead to better outcomes for young women with breast cancer
Professor Prudence Francis's dedication to young women with breast cancer is transforming treatment and saving lives. Her global trials of hormone therapy are a game changer in the fight against high-risk breast cancer.
Recognising excellence in improving clinical outcomes for cardiogenic shock
Dr Riley Batchelor is a fellow in interventional cardiology at The Royal Melbourne Hospital and The Alfred Hospital and is a PhD candidate at Monash University’s School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine. An early career clinician researcher, Dr Batchelor's research explores the management of cardiac emergencies, including acute coronary syndrome, cardiogenic shock, and extends to extracorporeal life support and advanced heart failure.
Recognising excellence in transforming evidence based, patient centred, sustainable healthcare
Professor Tammy Hoffmann is a Professor of Clinical Epidemiology, specialising in clinical epidemiology and health services research. Her research career has focused on enabling evidence based healthcare so that patients receive effective and patient centred care. This includes enhancing the generation, synthesis, and reporting of rigorous evidence, improving evidence useability and implementation, and promoting shared decision making between clinicals and patients.
Engineering and medical research combined in the fight against Alzheimer's
Dr Prashant Bharadwaj's innovative research and work is paving the way for new treatments and offering hope to families affected by dementia.
We stand on the shoulders of giants
Yvette Roe is a proud Njikena Jawuru woman from the West Kimberley and Professor of Indigenous Health at Charles Darwin University. Yvette is also Director of the Molly Wardaguga Research Institute for First Nations Birth Rights. With a career spanning over 35 years in Indigenous health, Yvette has dedicated her life’s work to amplifying Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander voices in efforts to achieve their aspirations. Here is where she has seen the impact that research can have, driving her motivation to make more change for the generations moving forward.
Speaking of Science: Achieving better outcomes in women's sexual and reproductive health: The SPHERE CRE journey
Initiated by a NHMRC Project Grant in 2014, Professor Danielle Mazza’s (Monash University) journey towards creating the SPHERE Centre of Research Excellence (CRE) has gone from strength to strength in the years following. SPHERE’s mission, focused on fundamental reproductive rights, aims to drive better sexual and reproductive health outcomes for Australian women through primary care.
Recognising excellence in the global control of meningococcal disease and gonorrhoea
Professor Helen Marshall AM is the Professor of Vaccinology and an NHMRC Leadership Fellow at The University of Adelaide, and the Clinical Research Director at the Women’s and Children’s Health Network in South Australia. Professor Marshall’s research area focuses on preventing life threatening infections in children and young people through improving immunisation effectiveness, safety and impact. Her main focus throughout her extensive research career has been the prevention of meningococcal disease, leading national clinical trials to assess the safety and effectiveness of a meningococcal B vaccine.
$72 million for Australian Centres of Research Excellence
NHMRC will provide $72 million for Centres of Research Excellence that will lead to better health outcomes in Australia and our region.
Recognising excellence in improving the quality of survival after critical illness
Recipient of the 2024 NHMRC Elizabeth Blackburn Investigator Grant Award for Leadership in Clinical Medicine and Science, Professor Carol Hodgson, is a specialist intensive care physiotherapist and clinical trialist. With expertise in long term outcomes after critical illness, Professor Hodgson heads the Division of Clinical Trials and Cohort Studies in the School of Public Health and Preventative Medicine at Monash University, researching how we can improve the quality of survival after critical illness.
Speaking of Science: The Artificial Heart Frontiers Program: engineering the next generation of artificial hearts with Professor Shaun Gregory
Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics are deeply interconnected fields that often work together to solve real world problems and drive innovation. Integration of these different fields is crucial for addressing global health challenges and has also led to Professor Shaun Gregory’s success.
Making room around the table: bringing Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander leadership to research
National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children’s Day is a day all Australians are urged to celebrate Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and learn about the impact that culture, family and community plays in the life of every child.
Health and medical research funders highlight importance of sex, gender, variations of sex characteristics and sexual orientation in science
Addressing research gaps related to the historical lack of consideration of sex, gender, variations of sex characteristics and sexual orientation (the Variables) in health and medical research is central to the joint Statement on Sex, Gender, Variations of Sex Characteristics and Sexual Orientation in Health and Medical Research (the Statement).
$3 million for international collaborations in Indigenous health research
NHMRC is investing $3 million for international collaborations undertaking research that globally advances the field of neurodegeneration among Indigenous populations.
Speaking of Science: New frontiers in brain cancer research with Professor Misty Jenkins AO and Professor Matt Dun
Around 2,000 Australians are diagnosed with brain cancer each year and survival rates remain low.
For researchers Professor Misty Jenkins AO (WEHI and The Brain Cancer Centre) and Professor Matt Dun (University of Newcastle and the Mark Hughes Foundation), they’re just scratching the surface on what's possible in brain cancer research as we collectively move towards finding a cure for this insidious disease.
Recognising high quality health and medical research
The Guunu-maana (Heal) Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Program at The George Institute for Global Health drives meaningful, ethical research and advocacy to transform the health and wellbeing of Indigenous peoples and communities. Recipient of the 2025 NHMRC Research Quality Biennial Award, Guunu-maana is committed to research quality, being led by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander ways of knowing, being and doing to generate evidence that privileges Indigenous knowledges and research quality within the field.
$20 million investment towards health and medical research partnerships
NHMRC is investing almost $20 million towards Australian health and medical research partnerships between researchers, decision makers, policy makers, managers and clinicians.
Culture intrinsic to health for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people
Cultural factors critical to the health and wellbeing of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander adults have been assessed in the largest cohort study ever, conducted by Professor Raymond Lovett, yielding a new resource for health practitioners, policymakers and Indigenous communities.
Better treatment and healing from posttraumatic stress disorder
Professor David Forbes has dedicated his career to helping people heal from trauma and, with Associate Professor Lisa Dell in his team from the University of Melbourne and their project collaborators, they are paving the way to improve the lives of Australians with PTSD.
Speaking of Science: Empowering consumers in health and medical research with Professor James St John and hosted by Ms Ainslie Cahill AM
How do researchers effectively involve consumers and the community in their research?
Updated Australian Drinking Water Guidelines
As Australia’s leading experts on health and medical research, NHMRC develops evidence based advice on priority health topics to prevent disease, improve health and help the states and territories to achieve consistent standards.
Trust your gut: how the microbiome impacts mental health
Commonly referred to as a ‘second brain’, the role of the gut extends beyond being a digestor of food and drink. In fact, research has demonstrated time and time again the profound partnership between the gut and the brain, and the range of actions elicited by the chemical factory that is our gut microbiome. The gut-brain-axis operates through several pathways and chemical signals that have an influence over our mood, stress levels and cognitive function. So, with the support of the 100 trillion microbes that live within the human digestive system, Australian researchers are discovering how we can improve mental health conditions through diet.
$4.8 million to generate new evidence for long-term health conditions
NHMRC is investing $4.8 million into Australian health and medical research to generate new evidence to help people experiencing multiple long-term health conditions across the globe.
Food for thought: Exploring how diet can improve mental health
As nutritional and psychological sciences advance, the evidence grows that diet is not only vital for physical health but also plays a significant role in mental wellbeing. While the burgeoning field of Nutritional Psychiatry shows correlations between not only what we eat and how we feel and behave, there is still so much to explore.
Contact with youth justice system standout marker for risk of premature death and poor health
Discover how Professor Stuart Kinner's world first study on the health of justice-involved young people is uncovering critical insights into the risks and causes of premature death among vulnerable young Australians.
Speaking of Science: Cultural safety and fostering connections to social and emotional wellbeing with Associate Professor Yvonne Clark
'We work a lot with families, babies, pregnancy and young people, and our goal is to see them flourish or to do research that can move them towards that trajectory of flourishing and not just always surviving.'
Recognising outstanding contributions to Australian health and medical research
Professor Emily Banks AM, recipient of the 2025 NHMRC Outstanding Contribution Award, is a public health physician and epidemiologist working towards improving health and healthcare, at an individual and population level. With interests spanning chronic disease, tobacco control, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health and healthy ageing, Professor Banks’s extensive research into population health is changing public behaviours, guiding healthcare professionals and having a significant impact in the community.
Decoding the revolution of AI powered healthcare
Signaling the arrival of the digital revolution, artificial intelligence (AI) technologies are increasingly appearing within Australia’s health system. From diagnostics to clinical practice, digitisation of healthcare is promising to enhance delivery by supporting workforce capability, enabling better patient engagement and promoting health literacy and self-management of health conditions. Yet while our appetite for AI and its potential in being a safe, ethical, equitable and effective tool has improved with time, a lot remains unknown.
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.
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.
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.
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.