For the most up to date information on COVID-19 please visit the Department of Health and Aged Care.
Latest news and stories
$50 million boost for collaborative health and medical research
The Australian Government is investing $50 million through this year’s National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) Synergy Grants in 10 research projects where experts from different disciplines will collaborate to solve health problems.
Tracker - 21 November 2022
Welcome to Tracker, NHMRC’s fortnightly newsletter with the latest information on major activities and funding opportunities.
$7 million for NHMRC Postgraduate Scholars
Sixty-two outstanding health and medical graduates will share in more than $7 million of funding to support their research training through this year’s National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) Postgraduate Scholarship Scheme.
Tracker – 7 November 2022
Welcome to Tracker, NHMRC’s fortnightly newsletter with the latest information on major activities and funding opportunities.
2023 NHMRC & MRFF grant opportunity dates
This is an indicative list of current and upcoming NHMRC and MRFF grant opportunities with closing dates in 2023.
2022-23 October Budget
Support for excellent health and medical research in Australia continues in the 2022-23 October Budget handed down on 25 October 2022.
Tracker - 24 October 2022
Welcome to Tracker, NHMRC’s fortnightly newsletter with the latest information on major activities and funding opportunities.
$7.5 million for hearing health
NHMRC welcomes the announcement from the Australian Government of almost $7.5 million in funding to support research focusing on improving hearing health outcomes and the wellbeing of those with a hearing impairment.
Improving long-term health outcomes for people with intellectual disability
NHMRC welcomes the announcement from the Australian Government of more than $5 million for four research projects to improve the long-term health outcomes of people with intellectual disability.
Working towards gender equity in Investigator Grants
The National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) has introduced new special measures under the Sex Discrimination Act 1984 to address systemic disadvantage faced by female and non-binary applicants to its Investigator Grant scheme.
2022 Investigator Grant outcomes and future initiative on gender equity in the scheme
NHMRC welcomes the announcement from the Australian Government of the outcomes of this year's round of Investigator Grants. More than $375 million has been awarded to support 225 emerging and established leaders in health and medical research across Australia to tackle our greatest health challenges.
Tracker - 10 October 2022
Welcome to Tracker, NHMRC’s fortnightly newsletter with the latest information on major activities and funding opportunities.
Tracker - 26 September 2022
Welcome to Tracker, NHMRC’s fortnightly newsletter with the latest information on major activities and funding opportunities.
Tracker - NHMRC’s revised Open Access Policy released
The National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) is the first Australian funding agency to introduce the requirement that scholarly publications arising from the research it funds be made freely available and accessible.
NHMRC’s revised Open Access Policy released
The National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) is the first Australian funding agency to introduce the requirement that scholarly publications arising from the research it funds be made freely available and accessible.
$39 million for research partnerships to improve delivery of healthcare
NHMRC welcomes today’s announcement by the Australian Government of 12 Partnership Projects.
Tracker - 12 September 2022
Welcome to Tracker, NHMRC’s fortnightly newsletter with the latest information on major activities and funding opportunities.
$6.9 million for international research collaborations in human health
Studies of indoor air quality and its impact on health in Australian homes and schools are among international research collaborations funded by the Australian Government.
$35 million for new Centres of Research Excellence in health and medical research
NHMRC welcomes today’s announcement by the Australian Government of outcomes of the 2022 Centres of Research Excellence scheme.
Tracker - 29 August 2022
Welcome to Tracker, NHMRC's fortnightly newsletter with the latest information on major activities and funding opportunities.
Research Excellence: Modernising cardiac rehabilitation
Professor Julie Redfern is a clinician-researcher and Research Academic Director (Researcher Development, Output and Impact) in the Faculty of Medicine and Health, University of Sydney and a practicing physiotherapist. She received the 2021 Elizabeth Blackburn Investigator Grant Award - Health Services (Leadership) for her work transforming post-discharge care for people with heart disease and modernising the delivery of cardiac rehabilitation.
Tracker - 15 August 2022
Welcome to Tracker, NHMRC’s fortnightly newsletter with the latest information on major activities and funding opportunities.
Funding increase builds expertise in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health research
On International Day of the World's Indigenous Peoples, Australia’s National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) has released its annual report card on funding for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health research.
NHMRC consultation on options to reach gender equity in the Investigator Grant scheme: Consultation period now closed
The National Health and Medical Research Council’s (NHMRC) vision is a gender diverse and inclusive health and medical research workforce to take advantage of the full range of talent needed to build a healthy Australia.
NHMRC has completed its consultation on options to reach gender equity in the NHMRC Investigator Grant scheme.
Tracker – 1 August 2022
Welcome to Tracker, National Health and Medical Research Council’s (NHMRC) fortnightly newsletter, with the latest information on major activities and funding opportunities.
Research Excellence: Infection prevention - doing research that matters
Professor Brett Mitchell is the first nurse to receive the Commonwealth Health Minister's Award for Excellence in Health and Medical Research. He is s a Professor Health Services Research and Nursing at Avondale University and also received the 2021 Peter Doherty Investigator Grant Award (Emerging Leadership) for his work providing evidence for practical measures to reduce common infections, as well as improving cleaning in healthcare.
Australia’s national health council delivers assessment on electronic cigarettes
National advice on the use of electronic cigarettes based on the most up-to-date scientific evidence has been delivered by Australia’s health and medical research agency, the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC).
Lipid droplets and our defensive arsenal - killing the bacteria to prevent infection
Lipid droplets are exploited by pathogens that invade cells and then use the cellular lipid droplets as a source of fats. Professor Rob Parton and his team received a Human Frontier Science Program (HFSP) grant to explore the possibility that lipid droplets might also be a crucial form of defence against pathogens. International collaborative networks have allowed access to techniques and expertise. They have also facilitated mentoring and collaboration for students and early career researchers.
A paradigm shift in kidney research
Surprisingly, understanding of organ assembly is extremely limited. Professor Melissa Little and team received an Human Frontier Science Program (HFSP) grant and established the most comprehensive quantitative image-based analysis of any organ ever described. The challenges of bringing together researchers from different fields is one of vocabulary, but the benefit is considerable.
Towards cyborg biology - electrochemical biosensors of everything
There is a long running interest in the idea of machine-organism hybrids, although the integration of electronic and biological systems remains underdeveloped. Professor Kirill Alexandrov and his collaborators received Human Frontier Science Program (HFSP) funding to explore the 'undoable'. Multidisciplinary teams are a must and spur new creative projects.
Forging a farsighted agenda with a novel global way of thinking about science
The Human Frontier Science Program (HFSP) was established in 1990 to promote international collaboration in basic research focused on the elucidation of the sophisticated and complex mechanisms of living organisms. Since then, 1180 research grants have been awarded to more than 7500 researchers representing 71 nationalities, including Australia.
HFSP Secretary-General Professor Pavel Kabat introduces the program and three prominent researchers tell us how their HFSP grants advanced their research.
Tracker - 6 June 2022
Welcome to Tracker, NHMRC’s fortnightly newsletter with the latest information on major activities and funding opportunities.
Making a decision to do the hard research, that’s what discovery is about
Deciding to commit to a research life is brave – so is committing to do the hard research. Professor Cath Chamberlain says with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health, in particular, "we are going to need to take some more risks to do things differently".
Research excellence: Build grit and set out a plan
Doctor Simon Graham is an epidemiologist in the Department of Infectious Diseases at the Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity, University of Melbourne. He received the 2021 Sandra Eades Investigator Grant Award (Emerging Leadership) for his research which aims to increase opportunistic sexually transmitted infections (STI) testing to identify asymptomatic infections early so treatment is provided to prevent poor health outcomes.
$75 million funding supports Australian clinical trials and cohort studies
More than $75.3 million to support 33 clinical trials and cohort studies through the National Health and Medical Research Council has been announced, close to a quarter funding studies to improve the health of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
Internship brings entirely new set of skills
Sharna Motlap has always been interested in creating and implementing evidence-based programs specifically tailored to Indigenous communities.
"I leave not only a more confident worker but also a more confident person."
Emily McDonald’s journey to becoming an intern at NHMRC has not been exactly straightforward.
To solve the healthcare gaps, we need Indigenous problem solvers
Sara Lai found her first Indigenous intern experience with NHMRC in 2017-18 so rewarding that she applied again for the 2021-22 program.
Research Excellence: Answering one of the most important questions in gastrointestinal oncology
Professor Trevor Leong is a Consultant Radiation Oncologist and past Director of Radiation Oncology at Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre and University of Melbourne. He received the David Cooper Clinical Trials and Cohort Studies Award for his work leading a randomised phase II/III trial of preoperative chemoradiotherapy versus preoperative chemotherapy for resectable gastric cancer.
Research Excellence: Advancing precision nutrition to improve health and wellbeing
Laureate Professor Clare Collins is an Accredited Practising Dietitian and nutrition researcher specialising in eHealth at the University of Newcastle (UON). She received the 2021 Elizabeth Blackburn Investigator Grant Award - Clinical Medicine and Science (Leadership) for her work on nutrition technologies and methods to support personalised medical nutrition therapy, including dietary biomarkers and telehealth models of care.
Research excellence: Sharing data and ideas for the largest impact for patients with ovarian cancer
Professor Susan Ramus is Professor of Molecular Oncology in the School of Clinical Medicine at the University of New South Wales. She received the 2021 Elizabeth Blackburn Investigator Grants Award - Basic Science (Leadership) for her work improving the prognosis of women diagnosed with ovarian cancer.
Research Excellence: Transforming the prevention and treatment of child and adolescent obesity
Professor Louise Baur holds the Chair of Child & Adolescent Health at the University of Sydney and is a consultant paediatrician at the Sydney Children’s Hospitals Network. She received the 2021 NHMRC Elizabeth Blackburn Investigator Award – Public Health (Leadership) for her work leading an interdisciplinary program of research in preventing obesity in childhood and providing safe, effective treatments to children and adolescents living with obesity.
Regional research collaborations fighting dengue fever
The spread of Japanese encephalitis virus in south eastern Australia is a reminder that mosquito-borne viruses pose an ongoing threat to lives and livelihoods, particularly in our region. That includes dengue fever spread by the Aedes aegypti mosquito. Australian researchers are collaborating closely with colleagues on two fronts – to eradicate the virus and find biomarkers that will lead to better diagnosis and treatment.
A passion project to make the heart sing: Urban planning for healthier lives
Professor Billie Giles-Corti was a “lone wolf”, she says, when she started her research career. In 2022, the time has come for public discourse about the direct links between city planning and health. She is part of a global network making the connections between liveability and health outcomes.
HEAL national research network addressing the health effects of environmental change
The Healthy Environments and Lives National Research Network (HEAL) was announced at the end of 2021 with a grant of $10 million over five years, as an NHMRC Special Initiative to provide national and international leadership in environmental change and health research. HEAL formally starts in May 2022; a lot of groundwork has been done to create the foundations for a large and diverse collaboration to deliver its ambitious work plan over the next five years and beyond.
Research Excellence: Developing biological mosquito control tools to prevent vector-borne disease
Associate Professor Nigel Beebe works in the School of Biological Sciences at the University of Queensland with a joint appointment at CSIRO. He received the Marshall and Warren Ideas Grant Award (Innovation) for his work on the role of mosquitos in vector-borne disease, answering fundamental questions about which species transmit pathogens, where they exist and why – and developing a species-specific biocontrol for Australia and beyond.
NHMRC Research Excellence Award named to honour Australian immunologist Professor David Cooper
At the 2021 NHMRC Research Excellence Awards presentation in Canberra on 30 March 2022, NHMRC CEO Professor Anne Kelso AO introduced the newly named NHMRC David Cooper Clinical Trials and Cohort Studies Award, honouring Australian HIV/AIDS clinical researcher and immunologist Professor David Cooper AC. Professor Kelso spoke about the significance of Professor Cooper’s legacy and his humanity in placing patients at the centre of his clinical research.
NHMRC annual awards celebrate excellence in Australian health and medical research
National Health and Medical Research Council's (NHMRC) annual awards recognising excellence in health and medical research were announced this evening in Canberra at a ceremony attended by NHMRC's Council Chair Professor Caroline Homer AO and members of NHMRC's Council, including leading Australian researchers and chief health officers from across the nation.
Budget 2022-23
Support for excellent health and medical research in Australia continues in the 2022-23 Budget handed down on 29 March 2022.
Research Excellence: Making the impossible possible - engineering transplantable kidney tissue
Professor Melissa Little leads the Kidney Regeneration Laboratory at the Murdoch Children’s Research Institute where she holds an NHMRC Senior Principal Research Fellowship and CEO of the Novo Nordisk Foundation Centre for Stem Cell Medicine (reNEW). She received the 2021 Marshall and Warren Ideas Grant Award for her work generating kidney organoids from human pluripotent stem cells and developing novel engineering approaches to integrate transplanted tissue to the host kidney.