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It is challenging to contemplate, but the world can expect to experience pandemics like COVID-19, and perhaps even larger in scale, in the future. Professor Eddie Holmes is developing a pandemic radar to rapidly detect emerging viruses and determine which are most likely to have pandemic potential. His research focuses on understanding the fundamental mechanisms of virus ecology and evolution, as well as how viruses jump species boundaries to emerge and cause disease in new hosts.

CEO Communique, February 2021

Australia is home to many viruses – called ‘arboviruses’ – that can, or could, infect humans. Some arboviruses cause seasonal illness, others cause epidemics and some can even cause death. During the second half of the 20th century, NHMRC-funded researchers at the Queensland Institute of Medical Research (now QIMR Berghofer) made major contributions to our understanding of arboviruses, enabling clinicians to quickly identify infections in patients and public health authorities to better manage the threats that the viruses pose to health. Research on diseases caused by viruses, bacteria and parasites continues at QIMR Berghofer.

Professor Jane Pirkis is the Director of the Centre for Mental Health and Community Wellbeing at the University of Melbourne. With a background in public health, Professor Pirkis has worked in the area of suicide prevention for over 25 years, contributing to knowledge about which interventions are effective in preventing suicide. Professor Pirkis’s work has also emphasised media-based interventions and interventions that involve restricting access to means of suicide. Professor Pirkis is the recipient of The University of Melbourne’s Marles Medal (2021) and is also the recipient of a Distinguished Alumni Award at the University of Tasmania (2017) and has received a Lifetime Research LIFE Award through Suicide Prevention Australia (2010).

The institutions listed below have been approved as Administering Institutions (AIs). This list is current as of 1 October 2024.

The National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) has released Staying healthy: Preventing infectious diseases in early childhood education and care services - 6th edition (Staying healthy), a best-practice resource that provides simple and effective ways for education and care services to help limit the spread of infectious diseases among children.

The human central nervous system is extremely complex, consisting of about 86 billion neurons,1 and with each neuron capable of forming thousands of connections with other neurons. It is these connections that make the nervous system capable of processing information, but up until the mid-20th century some key aspects of their functions were unknown. NHMRC-funded researchers made critical breakthroughs in our understanding of how neurons communicate with each other, and in doing so provided a foundation for modern neuroscience and neurotransmitter-based medicine.

Hearing loss can have a wide range of adverse effects on individuals and their families. Cochlear implants offer the only effective treatment for those with severe-to-profound sensorineural hearing loss. NHMRC-funded researchers at The University of Melbourne developed the type of cochlear implant that is in widespread use today. In partnership with leading Australian medical device firm Nucleus Ltd, their work led to the development of Cochlear Limited, a successful Australian company and the world’s leading cochlear implant provider.

Information for MRFF grant holders submitting progress, final and additional reports on grant outcomes.

At the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) we are excited by the huge potential benefits of the research we fund and by the opportunities we have to ensure Australians have access to evidence-based, authoritative health advice.

At NHMRC we pride ourselves on being a friendly and flexible workplace with competitive working conditions. We provide information about current employment opportunities at NHMRC and how to apply for them.