MRFF – Emerging Priorities and Consumer Driven Research Initiative – 2026 Post-Acute Sequelae of COVID-19 Grant Opportunity
The Medical Research Future Fund (MRFF) – Emerging Priorities and Consumer Driven Research Initiative – 2026 Post-Acute Sequelae of COVID-19 Grant Opportunity will support research aims to enable or support research that improves patient care and translation of new discoveries and encourage collaboration between consumers and researchers. Funding from this Initiative will support the development of new diagnoses, treatments and cures, and the translation of new discoveries into clinical practice.
The objective of this grant opportunity (GO) is to provide grants of financial assistance to support medical research/medical innovation projects that:
- Stream 1 (Incubator): investigate biological pathways and mechanistic drivers of PASC subtypes to optimise intervention design and improve clinical outcomes.
- Stream 2 (Incubator): conduct novel pre-clinical and/or early-phase clinical research to improve the understanding of PASC subtypes to inform pharmacological and non-pharmacological treatments.
- Stream 3 (Incubator): conduct small scale projects that investigate the similarities and differences of biological drivers and pathological mechanisms between PASC and:
- Topic A: Other post viral syndromes
- Topic B: Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS), Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome, and fibromyalgia.
Projects should map points of convergence and divergence to inform the development of future diagnostic and therapeutic strategies.
- Stream 4 (Targeted Call for Research): conduct a large-scale project to evaluate the effectiveness and feasibility of scalable and sustainable approaches for integrated care pathways for people with PASC. Applicants are required to propose research that:
- combines self-management strategies with supported care navigation and decision support tools to guide patients and clinicians in selecting appropriate services and interventions
- proposes flexible pathways for ongoing management through integrated multidisciplinary teams and self-management strategies tailored to symptom severity and functional impact
- includes patient-centred strategies that empower individuals to manage recovery and lead treatment planning and make informed decisions about their care
- reflects insights from diverse lived experience to reflect inclusivity and responsiveness to varying needs.
The anticipated outcome of the research funded by this grant opportunity is to improve the health and wellbeing of Australians by:
- Stream 1 (Aim 2; Incubator): generating knowledge of PASC phenotypes to inform future development of tailored interventions that improve care.
- Stream 2 (Aim 2; Incubator): advancing knowledge of PASC subtypes to inform the development of pharmacological and non-pharmacological treatments that improve care.
- Stream 3 (Aim 2; Incubator): building evidence on the similarities and differences in the biological drivers and pathological mechanisms of PASC across post-viral conditions, Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS), Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS), and Fibromyalgia to guide future therapeutic strategies.
- Stream 4 (Aim 4; Targeted Call for Research): improving access to patient-centred care for people with PASC.
This grant opportunity is being administered by NHMRC on behalf of the Australian Government Department of Health, Disability and Ageing.
Further information on the MRFF is available from the Department of Health, Disability and Ageing's MRFF website.
