Community research priorities portal

NHMRC values the lived experiences of consumers and community organisations, and the contributions they can make to health and medical research. Consumer and community involvement in health and medical research is a strategic priority within the NHMRC Corporate Plan. 

The Community Research Priorities Portal (the Portal) allows consumers, community and professional groups to submit research topics that may warrant a dedicated funding call (grant opportunity), in the form of a Targeted Call for Research (TCR). 

A TCR is a one-time request for grant applications, designed to stimulate research or build research capacity in a particular area of health and medical science.

Research topics submitted through the Portal must detail:

• the research knowledge gap or unmet need
• the significance of the proposed topic
• consultation and collaboration undertaken in identifying the research gap
• how further research would benefit the health of Australians; and opportunities to build on existing research or government initiatives.

Making a submission

Consumers, community and professional groups are welcome to make submissions at any point throughout the year. Submissions are reviewed once a year following the end of each annual cycle. The cycle runs from 1 July to 5pm, 30 June each year.

Please note – Research proposals developed or driven by academic researchers and research institutions cannot be considered through the Portal process, and should instead be submitted through other mechanisms – for example, in partnership with an NHMRC Administering Institution to one of NHMRC’s investigator-initiated grant opportunities which include the Investigator Grants, Ideas Grants, Synergy Grants, Clinical Trials and Cohort Studies, Centres of Research Excellence, Development Grants and Partnership Projects schemes.

Submissions from consumer, community and professional groups can be made via the Portal using a secure online form: 

Submit your proposal

Please be aware that this form cannot be saved as a draft. Once you start a submission, you must complete all fields and select Submit, located at the bottom of the form. Should you have any questions regarding making a submission or accessing the Portal please email the Targeted Research Programs team at targeted.research@nhmrc.gov.au.

Prospective submitters are encouraged to review the Guide for Proposing Targeted Calls for Research which covers development, submission and timeframes for the annual review and prioritisation or proposed topics.

Review of submissions

The NHMRC Targeted Calls for Research Prioritisation Committee (TCR Prioritisation Committee) includes members with broad scientific and consumer health and medical research expertise. The Committee conducts an annual review of submissions received through the Portal, using the Targeted Calls for Research Prioritisation Criteria Rubric and NHMRC research funding data. Following the assessment and prioritisation of submitted topics, the Committee provide recommendations to the NHMRC Research Committee on which topic/s warrant development into a TCR grant opportunity.

Indicative annual timeframes

Notification of outcomes

Submitters will be notified of outcomes as soon as possible, which could occur after review by the various committees, as indicated in the indicative timeframes table above.

If a submitted topic is prioritised but not selected to be progressed to a TCR, it will be reconsidered in the subsequent year. If not prioritised at that time, it will not be considered again (unless resubmitted). Submitters are able to update the proposed topic in light of the continually changing research landscape for consideration.

Previous submissions

Since its inception in 2016, NHMRC has received submissions on the following topics via the Portal. Topics highlighted in bold text have been selected to be developed into TCRs. Further details on these grant opportunities can be found on the Targeted Calls for Research page.

• Anal Cancer in Australia
• Advancing clinical trials for low-cost interventions for mitochondrial disease
• Artificial stone silicosis
• Better care in the community for people living with arthritis
• Bone marrow failure syndromes
• Breast density
• Causes of endometrial cancer
• Cerebral palsy management and treatment in adulthood
• Childhood cancer research and treatment
• Childhood dementia
• Childhood respiratory diseases
• Communication disorders in children and young people
• Consumer and carer involvement in patient-centred mental health services
• Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CALD) Dementia Research
• e-mental health services for depression
• Epidermolysis Bullosa
• Falls and fracture prevention
• Food allergy prevalence data, allergy diagnostics, treatments for food allergy and the potential mental health impacts
• Gender dysphoria in transgender youth
• Healthy lifestyle promotion and obesity prevention in pregnancy
• Avoiding re-hospitalisation of individuals living with a chronic disease
• Improving the health, wellbeing and lives of LGBTIQ+ people in Australia
• Inclusion Body Myositis
• Infection control in residential aged care facilities
• Injury prevention research
• Integrated Care to Address the Needs of People with Multimorbid Long-Term Conditions
• Integration of targeted therapies for Asthma into standard clinical care
• Involuntary Childlessness in Women's Health
• Long Covid
• Lyme-like illness (See TCR Debilitating symptom complexes attributed to Ticks)
• Musculoskeletal conditions across the lifecourse
• Myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS)
• Neuropathy and related neurodegenerative disorders
• Oral health in Australia
• Osteoarthritis
• Patient reported outcomes of cancer survivors quality of life
• Polycystic Ovary Syndrome
• Preventative healthcare measures for people with intellectual disability
• Prevention of mental disorders
• Recovery and rehabilitation of stroke survivors
• School-based sleep education
• Understanding and improving sleep health in Indigenous Australians
• Understanding Migraine
• Vision loss in Usher Syndrome
• Women's Health Outcomes after Assisted Reproductive Technologies

Contact

targeted.research@nhmrc.gov.au