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Ensuring the ethical, humane and responsible use of animals in health and medical research forms part of the sector’s social license to operate in Australia.

We are committed to ensuring each person can access and use the information on our website.

International Women’s Day represents a day of collective global activism and celebration that belongs to all of those committed to forging women’s equality.In this Speaking of Science webinar held for International Women’s Day, we were joined by members of NHMRC’s Research Committee to discuss this year’s theme of ‘Inspire Inclusion’.

National Reconciliation Week is a time for all Australians to learn about our shared histories, cultures, and achievements, and to explore how each of us can join the national efforts towards achieving national reconciliation.In this Speaking of Science webinar held during National Reconciliation Week (27 May – 3 June 2024), we were joined by distinguished researcher and Indigenous leader, Professor Maree Toombs (Professor of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health in the University of New South Wales School of Population Health) who walked us through an incredibly moving presentation.

Professor Caroline Homer AO is a midwife and maternal and newborn health researcher. Her research addresses maternal and newborn health issues, especially the role of midwives in improving outcomes in limited-resource settings, with a focus for more than 20 years on the Asia-Pacific region.

This resource provides guidance on the registration application process for Human Research Ethics Committees (HRECs). It details reporting requirements and what should be included in the HREC terms of reference (ToR) and standard operating procedures (SOPs).

NHMRC works to improve and promote the health of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples through the support of health and medical research. We develop and endorse national guidelines, highlight research outcomes through articles, case studies and reports. We also produce a Reconciliation Action Plan, to guide our commitment to improving the health of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

This page includes information on guidelines and tools about: Assisted Reproductive Technology clinical ethics decision-making for pandemics research involving Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples health privacy organ and tissue donation and transplantation payment of participants in research peer review and ethical review embryo research, stem cells and human cloning quality assurance and evaluation activities participant information and consent forms.

These guidelines provide a framework in which medical research involving personal information obtained by Commonwealth agencies should be conducted, to ensure the information is protected.

Until the 1970s, people experiencing infertility had few options. Commencing in the late 1960s, NHMRC-funded researchers at Monash University and other research centres in Melbourne began creating in vitro fertilisation (IVF) technologies and developed them into robust medical procedures that are now used worldwide. These technologies have significantly expanded the options available for those wishing to have a baby and today IVF is responsible for about 1 in 20 births in Australia.

Infants are vulnerable to health challenges because of the relatively immature state of their bodies, including their nervous, cardiovascular and respiratory systems. Moreover, an infant may appear completely healthy but still have an underlying vulnerability that can make it difficult for that infant to cope with certain kinds of environmental stress. 

In 1940, Australia experienced an epidemic of rubella: a contagious, viral illness also known as German measles. The following year, an ophthalmologist working in Sydney observed that babies he was treating for an unusual type of congenital cataract had been born to mothers who had contracted rubella early on in their pregnancies.

Tooth decay (caries) remains one of the most common health problems for both adults and children in Australia. Collaborative research in oral health is delivering improved basic health outcomes to the most disadvantaged Australians, including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children.

Today we take for granted the use of ultrasound for medical examination and diagnosis, but in the 1950s ultrasound was still an emerging technology. NHMRC supported ultrasound research in Australia from its early beginnings, and one of the first ultrasound scanners was developed by NHMRC-funded researchers. 

In 1989, Professors Carol Bower and Fiona Stanley published the results of a case-control study demonstrating the role of maternal dietary folate in reducing the risk of neural tube defects (NTDs) such as spina bifida. The data for this study came from what is now known as the Western Australian Register of Developmental Anomalies (WARDA) which was established in 1980.

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), also simply termed autism, is a persistent developmental disorder characterised by symptoms evident from early childhood. These symptoms can range from mild to severe and include difficulty in social interaction, restricted or repetitive patterns of behaviour, and communication challenges.