The Australian Government is investing $35 million in 14 new Centres of Research Excellence through the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC), announced in the 2020-21 Budget.
NHMRC’s Centres of Research Excellence scheme provides funding for 5 years to support teams of researchers to pursue collaborative research and build research capacity.
Of the 14 new centres, six include chief investigators of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander descent. In the latest round, $10 million will be allocated to help meet the Australian Government’s health targets of Closing the Gap. Centres translating leading research into improved outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples’ health include:
- The Good Spirit Good Life Centre of Research Excellence. Led by Professor Dawn Bessarab from the University of Western Australia, this world-first Centre aims to improve the health and wellbeing of older Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians and build the capability of services and systems that support them as they age.
- The Centre of Research Excellence in Redesigning maternal, newborn and child health services for the best start in life for First Nations families. Led by Associate Professor Yvette Roe from Charles Darwin University, the Centre aims to expand services to more communities for the best start in life for First Nations families
'NHMRC’s commitment to improving the health outcomes of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples is reflected in these new Centres for Research Excellence,' NHMRC CEO Professor Anne Kelso said. 'The leadership of these Centres by Indigenous researchers will be key to their success and a model for the next generation of researchers.'
Other new centres delivering better prevention, diagnosis and treatment of health conditions affecting the lives of many Australians include:
- The Centre of Research Excellence in Healthy Housing. Led by Professor Rebecca Bentley from the University of Melbourne, the Centre aims to support healthy housing policy and housing-focussed interventions that will provide positive impacts for population health.
- The Stronger Futures Centre of Research Excellence: building resilience and breaking cycles of intergenerational trauma and social inequity. Led by Professor Stephanie Brown from the Murdoch Children’s Research Institute, the Centre aims to reduce the impacts of intergenerational trauma and family violence within Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander, refugee and socially disadvantaged families and communities.
NHMRC invests in the highest quality health and medical research and the best researchers. NHMRC also supports the translation of scientific discoveries to benefit communities in Australia and around the world.
For further information see Centres of Research Excellence.
| Chief Investigator | Grant name | Administering Institution | Budget |
|---|---|---|---|
| Professor Gemma Figtree | NHMRC Centre of Research Excellence for Better Outcomes in Coronary Artery Disease. | University of Sydney | $2,500,000.00 |
| Professor Anna Nowak | The National Centre for Asbestos Related Diseases (NCARD. | University of Western Australia | $2,500,000.00 |
| Professor C. Barnaby Nelson | PRE-EMPT: Prediction of Early Mental Disorder and Preventive Treatment - Centre of Research Excellence. | University of Melbourne | $2,500,000.00 |
| Professor Vanessa McDonald | Centre of Research Excellence in Asthma Treatable Traits (CREATT). | University of Newcastle | $2,500,000.00 |
| Professor Catherine Sherrington | Centre of Research Excellence in the Prevention of Fall-related Injuries. | University of Sydney | $2,500,000.00 |
| Professor Dawn Bessarab | Good Spirit Good Life: Better health and wellbeing for older Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians. | University of Western Australia | $2,500,000.00 |
| Chief Investigator | Grant name | Administering Institution | Budget |
|---|---|---|---|
| Professor Wendy Chaboyer | Centre of Research Excellence in Wiser Wound Care. | Griffith University | $2,500,000.00 |
| Professor Sallie-Anne Pearson | Centre of Research Excellence in Medicines Intelligence. | University of New South Wales | $2,500,000.00 |
| Associate Professor Yvette Roe | Redesigning maternal, newborn and child health services for the best start in life for First Nations families. | Charles Darwin University | $2,500,000.00 |
| Professor John Eastwood | Integrated Community Care for People with Complex Multi-morbidities. | University of Sydney | $2,500,000.00 |
| Chief Investigator | Grant name | Administering Institution | Budget |
|---|---|---|---|
| Professor Fiona Russell | Asia-Pacific Pneumococcal Disease Control in the Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccine Era. | Murdoch Children’s Research Institute | $2,500,000.00 |
| Professor Rebecca Bentley | Centre of Research Excellence in Healthy Housing. | University of Melbourne | $2,500,000.00 |
| Professor Stephanie Brown | Stronger Futures CRE: building resilience and breaking cycles of intergenerational trauma and social inequity. | Murdoch Children’s Research Institute | $2,500,000.00 |
| Associate Professor Coral Gartner | The Centre of Research Excellence on Achieving the Tobacco Endgame (CREATE). | University of Queensland | $2,500,000.00 |
| Total | $35,000,000 |