The National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) will reduce the burden on researchers applying for funding across different funding schemes by providing consolidated, fiveyear grants for high-performing researchers at all stages of their careers.
Federal Health Minister Greg Hunt says the new program will offer more flexibility to collaborate widely and more time to spend on research to improve lives.
Improvements to the funding program will provide more opportunities for promising researchers early in their careers, ensuring future generations of world-leading Australian researchers. They will also provide opportunities for clinical researchers, who split their time between research and caring for their patients.
Mr. Hunt said a new scheme will be introduced to encourage more creative and innovative research ideas along with a dedicated scheme for clinical trials and cohort studies. He said the improved program will also provide a AU$5 million boost to the country’s most outstanding research teams, recognising that complex health problems can only be solved through the combined efforts of researchers from different disciplines.
The new program will support research across the spectrum, from discovery through to translation and commercialisation of new therapies and devices
The new program will support research across the spectrum, from discovery through to translation and commercialisation of new therapies and devices, and the implementation of new policies and practices, tackling the challenges facing the health system.
The Federal Government currently provides more than $800 million through the NHMRC each year to fund life-changing research. Implementation of the new funding schemes will begin in late 2018 – early 2019.
