$437 million to improve the health of all Australians

7 December 2019

From the Health Minister, the Hon. Greg Hunt

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.

Click here to read the full media release.

-END-

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

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