Today

The objective of the CTCS Grant scheme is to support high-quality clinical trials and cohort studies that address important gaps in knowledge, leading to relevant and implementable findings for the benefit of human health.

Print this page  

The expected outcomes of the CTCS Grant scheme are improvements in health and well-being, health care practice or policy, as a result of:

  • high-quality clinical trials that provide reliable evidence of the effects of health-related interventions on health outcomes (or appropriate surrogates),
  • high-quality cohort studies that provide reliable evidence on the relation of important risk factors and other exposures to health-related outcomes, and/or
  • high quality retrospective cohort studies that provide reliable evidence on the relation of important risk factors and other exposures to health-related outcomes
  • Neither the application budget nor the number of applications that a CIA could submit was capped for the CTCS Grant scheme.
  • The CTCS Grant scheme has a funding allocation from the Medical Research Endowment Account (MREA) of $75 million (which includes $5 million for structural priority funding).
  • The total amount of funding requested from NHMRC by applicants to the CTCS Grant scheme this round was $788.5 million.

Grant Outcomes

  • 22 applications from institutions across the country will be funded.
  • The ratio of clinical trials to cohort studies applications was approximately 2:1
  • The ratio of clinical trials to cohort studies grants is approximately 3:2
Total number of applications received250
Number of grants awarded22
Percentage of applications awarded8.8%
Total amount awarded$79,525,431.02
Mean budget for awarded grants$3,614,792.32

Outcomes by Trial or Study Type

Applications were allocated to a Grant Review Panel (GRP) primarily based on the applicant’s nominated peer review areas.

Bar chart of Total value of trial or study Type. Clinical Trials value is $50,303,470.10 and Cohort Studies value is $29,221,960.92.
Figure 1: Total Value of Trial or Study Type
Table 1: Outcomes by Trial or Study Type
Trial or Study Type*ApplicationsGrants awardedFunded rateProportion of grants awardedTotal Value
Clinical Trials162138.0%59.1%$50,303,470.10
Cohort Studies88910.2%40.9%$29,221,960.92

*As determined by the peer review area selected by the applicants.

Outcomes by Broad Research Area (BRA)

NHMRC is committed to supporting a broad range of research from discovery science through to clinical research (including clinical trials), health services and public health research.

Clinical Medicine and Science received the greatest allocation of CTCS funding, followed by Public Health BRA.

Bar chart of funded rate of each Broad Research Area - Basic Science (0%), Clinical Medicine and Science (8.8%), Health Services Research (0%) and Public health (13.5%) . Details in Table 2.
Figure 2: Funded rate (%) of each Broad Research Area

 

Table 2: Outcomes by Broad Research Area (BRA)
Broad Research AreaApplicationsGrants AwardedFunded Rate (%)Proportion of Grants AwardedTotal Value
Basic Science500.0%0.0N/A
Clinical Medicine and Science194178.8%77.3$65,616,969.32
Health Services Research1400.0%0.0N/A
Public Health37513.5%22.7$13,908,461.70

Funded Rates by Gender

Infographic of Proportion of grants awarded by gender – Female 54% and Male 45%. Details in table 3.
Figure 3: Proportion of grants awarded by gender (%)
Table 3: Funded Rates by Gender
CIA GenderApplicationsGrants AwardedFunded Rate (%)Proportion of grants awarded
Female1091211.0%54.5%
Male140107.1%45.5%
Not Stated100.0%0.0%

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Research and Researchers

NHMRC is committed to allocating at least five per cent of the MREA each year to research directed at improving the health of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

Applications that address Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health represent 18.2% of the awarded grants and 19.8% of the CTCS Grant funding awarded.

Bar chart of funded rate for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander focused research (36.4%) and Application with one or more researchers of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander descent in their teams (35%). Details in Table 4.
Figure 4: Funded rate of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Research
Table 4: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Research and Researchers
Indigenous Identified/Indigenous FocusedApplicationsGrants AwardedFunded RateProportion of grants awarded
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Focused Research11436.4%18.2%
Applications with one or more researchers of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander descent in their teams20735.0%31.8%

Note: There is an overlap between the rows above due to applications that address Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health from researchers who are of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander descent.

In conclusion

The sixth year of funding in this scheme has resulted in 22 applications being supported, with an overall funded rate of 8.8%.