Cancer Australia has established the new Cancer Australia Research Initiative (CARI), to reflect the contemporary cancer research landscape and ensure alignment with the Australian Cancer Plan to fund cancer research in areas of unmet and emerging need.
CARI is directed by Cancer Australia, jointly funded by Cancer Australia and NHMRC and designed in accordance with the NHMRC’s Targeted Calls for Research (TCR) model. The CARI will be delivered annually as a series of one-time grant opportunities, commencing in 2025-26. Proposals will be asked to demonstrate translational potential and build capacity in the cancer research workforce, including through opportunities for early to mid-career researchers. CARI is a key mechanism for Cancer Australia to meet its legislated requirements, reflecting the current cancer research landscape, and ensuring alignment with the Australian Cancer Plan to fund cancer research in areas of unmet and emerging need.
Cancer Australia identified early-onset cancers as a strategic priority due to its global rise and diverse tumour sub-types, necessitating further research on environmental and genetic interactions.
The first CARI TCR grant opportunity aims to:
- enhance understanding of early-onset cancer and develop novel clinical approaches for earlier diagnosis and innovative models of care to ensure effective management for those diagnosed with early-onset cancers.
- support programs that leverage existing, multidisciplinary, collaborative activities and that are designed to link to enduring and broad-based research infrastructure initiatives that will inform policy and large scale, novel research for early-onset cancer in the future.
This aim should be achieved with strategic, long-term approaches to address the possible causes, pathogenesis, early recognition and diagnosis as well as complexities of management and survivorship associated with early-onset cancers.
Applications may focus on a single tumour sub-type or multiple tumour types.
Proposals addressing cancers that have a greater burden of disease are encouraged.
Further information about the TCR, its objectives, outcomes, available funds and timeframes is available on GrantConnect.
