Latest news and stories

$5 million to achieve equity in cancer screening for First Nations People

Research into improving First Nations health and wellbeing by achieving equity across cancer screenings is one of ten projects sharing in over $50 million in NHMRC Synergy Grant funding.

  • Media release
  • 22 November 2023

Research Excellence: Supporting healing and recovery for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander survivors of childhood sexual abuse

Dr Graham Gee is an Aboriginal-Chinese man, also with Celtic heritage, originally from Darwin. His Aboriginal-Chinese grandfather was born near Belyuen on Larrakia Country. Dr Gee is a clinical psychologist and has worked at the Victorian Aboriginal Health Service for 11 years before taking up a research position at the Murdoch Children’s Research Institute. His early career research focused on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander mental health, social and emotional wellbeing, resilience and complex trauma. In 2022, Dr Gee commenced working in partnership with several Victorian Aboriginal services dedicated to healing child sexual abuse. Read more to find out more about Dr Gee’s research, in his own words.

  • InFocus
  • 18 November 2023

Tracker - 9 October 2023

Welcome to Tracker, NHMRC’s fortnightly newsletter with the latest information on major activities and funding opportunities.

  • Tracker
  • 9 October 2023
Abstract image of shining white light surrounded by lights of different colours

$1.5 million for research collaboration to develop a Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder screening tool

A project in partnership with community organisations to explore the national expansion of a Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) screening program is one of eight research collaborations sharing in over $10.5 million in NHMRC partnership funding.

  • Media release
  • 7 September 2023

Tracker - 28 August 2023

Welcome to Tracker, NHMRC’s fortnightly newsletter with the latest information on major activities and funding opportunities.

  • Tracker
  • 28 August 2023

Tracker - 14 August 2023

Welcome to Tracker, NHMRC’s fortnightly newsletter with the latest information on major activities and funding opportunities.

  • Tracker
  • 14 August 2023

Tracker – 31 July 2023

Welcome to Tracker, NHMRC’s fortnightly newsletter with the latest information on major activities and funding opportunities.

  • Tracker
  • 31 July 2023
Professor Jose Polo

Research excellence: understanding the first few weeks of pregnancy

Professor Jose Polo’s work in epigenetics spans diverse fields, including cellular reprogramming, embryogenesis, neurobiology, immunology and cancer. His Synergy Grant brings together a multidisciplinary team who will combine the latest advances in models of early development, genetics and molecular biology to determine how the early placenta produced by the embryo burrows into the uterus and keeps developing during the entire pregnancy.

  • InFocus
  • 20 July 2023

Tracker – 17 July 2023

Welcome to Tracker, NHMRC’s fortnightly newsletter with the latest information on major activities and funding opportunities.

  • Tracker
  • 17 July 2023

Tracker – 3 July 2023

Welcome to Tracker, NHMRC’s fortnightly newsletter with the latest information on major activities and funding opportunities.

  • Tracker
  • 3 July 2023

Tracker - 8 May 2023

Welcome to Tracker, NHMRC’s fortnightly newsletter with the latest information on major activities and funding opportunities.

  • Tracker
  • 8 May 2023

Tracker - 24 April 2023

Welcome to Tracker, NHMRC’s fortnightly newsletter with the latest information on major activities and funding opportunities.

  • Tracker
  • 24 April 2023
Abstract image of shining white light surrounded by lights of different colours

Translating medical research into improved health care in the Top End 

Northern Australia’s expertise in translating health and medical research into improved health care has been recognised through an accredited Research Translation Centre, now one of 11 accredited centres nationally.

  • Media release
  • 5 April 2023

Tracker - 14 March 2023

Welcome to Tracker, NHMRC’s fortnightly newsletter with the latest information on major activities and funding opportunities.

  • Tracker
  • 14 March 2023
22 people smiling in a group standing outside

Communities driving health care research

“It’s about coming with an open mind and heart, and willingness to deeply listen to community… to have any preconceptions challenged and re-learn ways of doing research.” 
– Dr Veronica Matthews , co-lead investigator, STRengthening systems for InDigenous healthcare Equity (STRIDE)

  • InFocus
  • 14 March 2023

Tracker - 27 February 2023

Welcome to Tracker, NHMRC’s fortnightly newsletter with the latest information on major activities and funding opportunities.

  • Tracker
  • 27 February 2023

$5 million for Indigenous-led Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander maternal and child health research project

A research team led by clinical psychologist Associate Professor Yvonne Clark will receive almost $5 million in NHMRC-administered funding for a project to improve Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health and wellbeing during pregnancy, birth and the early years.

  • Media release
  • 24 February 2023

Improving carer wellbeing and empowering Indigenous communities

Associate Professor Dina LoGiudice is a geriatrician and clinical researcher with a special interest in dementia and ageing well. For close to two decades, she has been studying the impacts of ageing and dementia in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.

See also 10 of the Best

  • Ten of the Best
  • 13th Edition
  • 23 February 2023

Smiles saved with a major improvement in dental health of young Aboriginal children

For much of his professional life in the United Kingdom, Professor Anthony Blinkhorn has focussed on improving the oral health of children in poorer communities through collaborative approaches with government agencies. This work saw him appointed as Chair of Population Oral Health at the University of Sydney in 2007, funded by the NSW Health Centre for Oral Health Strategy.

See also 10 of the Best

  • Ten of the Best
  • 13th Edition
  • 15 February 2023

Tracker – 13 February 2023

Welcome to Tracker, NHMRC’s fortnightly newsletter with the latest information on major activities and funding opportunities.

  • Tracker
  • 13 February 2023

Healthier hearts in the tropical north

Professor Anna Ralph is a practicing medical specialist and leads the Global and Tropical Health division at Menzies School of Health Research in Darwin.

See also 10 of the Best

  • Ten of the Best
  • 13th Edition
  • 24 January 2023

Lessons from the best to improve Indigenous health services: a collaborative learning approach

Professor Sarah Larkins has focused on improving equity in health care services in rural, remote and Indigenous populations since a medical education placement in the Northern Territory highlighted the tremendous inequities in health care access in the region.

See also 10 of the Best

  • Ten of the Best
  • 13th Edition
  • 5 January 2023
Abstract image of DNA sequence

10 of the Best - Harnessing the power of science to understand and overcome today’s health challenges

Welcome to National Health and Medical Research Council's (NHMRC) 10 of the Best – Thirteenth Edition, a tribute to the researchers and their teams around Australia who are tackling the health challenges that we face from birth to later life. 

  • Media release
  • 21 December 2022
Blue hexagons pieced together

Partnership projects to improve health services and processes share in $8 million

Seven projects where researchers will collaborate with partner organisations so findings can be implemented into policy and practice will share in $8 million through National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) Partnership Project grants announced today.

  • Media release
  • 5 December 2022

$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.

  • Media release
  • 25 November 2022
Abstract image of fibre optic nerve cells

$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.  

  • Media release
  • 17 November 2022
Person point to a model of a plastic ear

$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.

  • Media release
  • 21 October 2022
Nurse holding hands with patient

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.

  • Media release
  • 21 October 2022

Working towards gender equity in Investigator Grants

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.

  • Media release
  • 12 October 2022

2022 Investigator Grant outcomes and future initiative on gender equity in the scheme

The National Health and Medical Reseach Council (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.

  • Media release
  • 12 October 2022

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.

  • Media release
  • 20 September 2022
orange bushfire smoke haze over housing

$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.

  • Media release
  • 1 September 2022
Indigenous artwork in blue, yellow and green

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.

  • Media release
  • 9 August 2022

Consultation on options to reach gender equity in the Investigator Grant scheme: Consultation closed

NHMRC's 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.

  • News
  • 2 August 2022
portrait photo of person facing the camera

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". 

  • InFocus
  • 31 May 2022

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.

  • InFocus
  • 27 May 2022
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$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 (NHMRC) has been announced, close to a quarter funding studies to improve the health of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

  • Media release
  • 24 May 2022

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. 

  • InFocus
  • 12 May 2022

"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.

  • News
  • 12 May 2022

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.

  • InFocus
  • 7 April 2022
Group of people facing the camera with a rocky feature wall behind

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.

  • Media release
  • 30 March 2022

Gender disparities in NHMRC’s Investigator Grant Scheme

CEO Communique – February 2022

  • Communique
  • 3 February 2022

Crossing disciplines to answer complex research questions

University of Adelaide's Professor Ian Olver received the 2021 NHMRC Ethics Award in recognition of his significant contribution to Australian health and medical research ethics over the last decade. As chair of NHMRC’s Australian Health Ethics Committee, and as a valued member of NHMRC Council from 2012 to 2018, his balanced and considered leadership style and willingness to engage sensitively on tough issues supported a wider understanding of the ethical impact of emerging health and medical research innovations and technologies.

  • InFocus
  • 6 September 2021

Australian research delivers rapid Hep B test for earlier treatment

Hepatitis B is an infectious disease that causes the liver to become inflamed and contributes to increasing rates of liver cancer in Australia and globally.

  • InFocus
  • 26 July 2021
Professor Katherine Conigrave

Partnership with Aboriginal communities for a meaningful contribution

Professor Kate Conigrave from The University of Sydney is an Addiction Medicine Specialist and Public Health Physician based at Royal Prince Alfred Hospital. Her work combines treating individuals with alcohol, drug and tobacco problems, promoting the health of communities and research and teaching. She is currently the chair of the National Health and Medical Research Council's (NHMRC) Alcohol Working Group, which is charged with reviewing the guidelines to reduce the health risks from drinking alcohol.

  • Video
  • 17 May 2021

Budget 2021-22

Support for excellent health and medical research in Australia continues in the 2021-22 Budget handed down on 11 May 2021. 

  • Communique
  • 12 May 2021

Linking high quality international research for improvements in Indigenous health

Professor Sandra Eades from Curtin University has dedicated her career to research in Aboriginal health improvements. Professor Eades works with National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) to advise and develop strategic guidelines focused on closing the gap.

  • Video
  • 15 October 2020
Abstract colours

NHMRC Dementia Research News

The National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) remains committed to supporting dementia research in Australia following the end of the Australian Government's Boosting Dementia Research Initiative (BDRI).

  • News
  • 18 September 2020

Improving kidney health for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people

Associate Professor Jaqui Hughes from the Menzies School of Health Research received the 2019 NHMRC Clinical Trials and Cohort Studies Award at NHMRC’s Research Excellence Awards ceremony in March 2020. Kidney disease is a significant health priority among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities. The cohort study being led by A/Professor Hughes will describe the long-term changes in kidney function over 10 years. This will provide critical data to inform regional and national policy on identification and care of people with kidney disease.

  • InFocus
  • 18 September 2020

Aboriginal mental health research and the importance of resilience

Developing better understanding of effective therapeutic practices with Aboriginal clients, in Aboriginal community settings, and with Aboriginal practitioners, across the spectrum of mental health and social and emotional wellbeing outcomes is the goal of Dr Graham Gee.

  • InFocus
  • 10 July 2020