The Morrison Government is investing $437 million in ground-breaking health and medical research projects across Australia aimed at delivering better treatments, diagnosis and care.
A total of 495 projects will receive funding from the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) following a competitive process.
Projects include $68 million for cancer research, $58 million for cardiovascular research and $27 million for genomics research, and comprise the outcomes of the first rounds of the new grant program schemes for Ideas Grants, Synergy Grants, and Clinical Trials and Cohort Studies Grants.
Over $74 million will also be invested in grants to support high-quality clinical trials and cohort studies that address important gaps in knowledge, leading to relevant and implementable findings for the benefit of human health.
This announcement includes $200 million funding for discovery research, which is fundamental to the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of disease.
Monash University will receive $1.8 million to develop the next generation of cell therapy treatments for cancer.
Immune-based therapies are revolutionising the treatment of previously incurable cancers.
Treatments using chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cells have yielded unprecedented clinical responses in patients with blood cancers.
This project will use cutting-edge preclinical tumour models and innovative approaches to enhance CAR T cell therapies to provide hope to patients with solid tumours that cell therapy will shrink or cure their cancer.
Our Government continues to ensure that we support outstanding medical research, so that Australians of all ages have improved health.
These grants will support our health and medical research workforce, providing greater opportunities for more breakthroughs.
The Morrison Government will continue its commitment to supporting lifesaving medical research with a $5 billion 10-year investment plan from the Medical Research Future Fund (MRFF).
This 10-year plan builds on $3.5 billion in health and medical research funding provided through the National Health and Medical Research Council, and the $500 million Biomedical Translation Fund.
This investment in health and medical research will place Australia at the leading edge of research in areas like genomics and will support the search for cures and treatments including for rare cancers.
A full list of grant recipients is available on NHMRC’s website: www.nhmrc.gov.au.
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Breakdown of grants
| Scheme | Number of Grants | Total Commitments |
| Clinical Trials and Cohort Studies Grants | 31 | $74,534,045 |
| Ideas Grants | 294 | $241,744,094 |
| NHMRC e-ASIA Joint Research Program Grants | 2 | $1,809,198 |
| Partnership Projects | 6 | $5,668,011 |
| Postgraduate Scholarships | 69 | $7,173,973 |
| Synergy Grants | 10 | $50,000,000 |
| Targeted Calls for Frailty in Hospital Care | 3 | $4,179,298 |
| Targeted Calls for Nutrition in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples | 4 | $6,083,985 |
| Targeted Calls for Per-and poly fluoroalkylated substances (PFAS) contamination | 9 | $10,716,089 |
| Independent Research Institutes Infrastructure Support Scheme (IRIISS) | 23 | $29,999,999 |
| Equipment Grants | 44 | $5,699,999 |
| Total | 495 | $437,608,692 |
Funding by State and Administering Institution
| State | Admin Institution | Number of Grants | Amount Committed ($) |
| ACT | Australian National University | 11 | 7,623,198 |
| ACT Total | 11 | 7,623,198 | |
| NSW | ANZAC Research Institute | 4 | 1,577,414 |
| Cancer Council NSW | 2 | 666,204 | |
| Centenary Institute of Cancer Medicine and Cell Biology | 4 | 592,264 | |
| Charles Sturt University | 1 | 368,850 | |
| Children’s Medical Research Institute | 1 | 10,881 | |
| Garvan Institute of Medical Research | 3 | 1,616,085 | |
| George Institute for Global Health | 2 | 255,349 | |
| Heart Research Institute | 1 | 1,842 | |
| Macquarie University | 3 | 1,773,169 | |
| Sax Institute | 2 | 290,962 | |
| University of New South Wales | 38 | 33,220,922 | |
| University of Newcastle | 14 | 9,535,915 | |
| University of Sydney | 42 | 41,086,637 | |
| University of Technology Sydney | 5 | 2,086,043 | |
| University of Western Sydney | 1 | 21,897 | |
| University of Wollongong | 5 | 3,343,286 | |
| Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute | 1 | 15,050 | |
| NSW Total | 129 | 96,462,768 | |
| NT | Menzies School of Health Research | 10 | 9,818,521 |
| NT Total | 10 | 9,818,521 | |
| QLD | Bond University | 2 | 704,709 |
| Griffith University | 6 | 6,848,698 | |
| James Cook University | 5 | 6,827,567 | |
| QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute | 9 | 13,075,574 | |
| Queensland University of Technology | 4 | 1,738,613 | |
| Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital Foundation | 1 | 33,700 | |
| University of Queensland | 38 | 30,578,904 | |
| University of the Sunshine Coast | 1 | 1,269,546 | |
| QLD Total | 66 | 61,077,310 | |
| SA | Flinders University | 12 | 12,259,507 |
| South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute | 2 | 487,333 | |
| University of Adelaide | 12 | 9,801,875 | |
| University of South Australia | 10 | 7,710,994 | |
| SA Total | 36 | 30,259,710 | |
| TAS | University of Tasmania | 9 | 9,271,780 |
| TAS Total | 9 | 9,271,780 | |
| VIC | Baker Heart and Diabetes Institute | 8 | 5,539,184 |
| Bionics Institute | 2 | 164,199 | |
| Burnet Institute | 7 | 2,892,944 | |
| Cancer Council VIC | 2 | 693,558 | |
| Centre for Eye Research Australia | 4 | 6,152,045 | |
| Deakin University | 11 | 5,942,560 | |
| Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health | 2 | 3,289,659 | |
| Institute for Breathing and Sleep | 1 | 84,950 | |
| La Trobe University | 7 | 3,061,541 | |
| Monash University | 71 | 79,201,137 | |
| Murdoch Childrens Research Institute | 14 | 13,666,437 | |
| National Ageing Research Institute | 1 | 114,815 | |
| RMIT University | 2 | 826,228 | |
| St Vincents Institute of Medical Research | 6 | 4,690,462 | |
| Swinburne University of Technology | 1 | 14,747 | |
| University of Melbourne | 62 | 58,750,957 | |
| Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research | 12 | 15,412,988 | |
| VIC Total | 213 | 200,498,411 | |
| WA | Curtin University | 3 | 4,067,816 |
| Edith Cowan University | 3 | 567,055 | |
| Murdoch University | 2 | 736,053 | |
| University of Western Australia | 13 | 17,226,072 | |
| WA Total | 21 | 22,596,995 | |
| Grand Total | 495 | 437,608,692 |