Australia to invest $1.89 B for health and medical research transformation

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The Albanese government is investing in a once in a generation transformation of health and medical research in Australia. This will mean that patients get easier and earlier access to potentially lifesaving clinical trials, and Australia gets better value from the $1.5 billion in research grants awarded each year, and health priorities get more funding like women’s health, reducing health system inequality, and cancers with low survival rates.
 
The “Health Research for a Future Made in Australia” package has a total investment of $1.89 billion, and includes:

• $1.4 billion for new research via the Medical Research Future Fund (MRFF): 
  • A new 10-Year Low Survival Cancers Mission
  • A new 10-Year Reducing Health Inequities Mission
  • Continuing existing streams of lifechanging MRFF funding
  • More research into three health priorities: 
    • Women’s health.
    • Chronic pain.
    • Alcohol and other drug treatment.
• $411 million to support 229 researchers to tackle the nation’s greatest health challenges, through the NHMRC.
• $62 million to support 26 clinical trials from around Australia, through the MRFF.
• $18.8 million to progress the National One Stop Shop for clinical trials and health research.

 
The Medical Research Future Fund (MRFF) and the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) deliver $1.5 billion in grants each year. The Albanese Government will develop a National Health and Medical Research Strategy (National Strategy) to build on the national strengths and fill any gaps, while attracting researchers and investors.
 
The National Strategy will cover the entire sector and include all levels of government, industry, philanthropy, academia and consumers. The National One Stop Shop will give Australians early access to potential life-saving and life changing treatments, by streamlining the process to conduct a clinical trial via a single national platform and set of regulations.
 
The government is also announcing $62 million in research grants to 26 clinical trials across the country, as part of the MRFF’s Clinical Trials Activity initiative.