Tracker - 26 August 2024

Partnership Projects funding announced 

More than $17 million has been awarded for NHMRC Partnership Project grants over two announcements in the last week.

Partnership Projects support researchers to partner with policy makers and health service providers to design and deliver research that addresses health needs in our community. Researchers work collaboratively to define research questions, undertake research, interpret the findings and translate them into health policies and practices through working together with partner agencies.

The outcomes of the 2023 Peer Review Cycle 2 (PRC2), totalling $15.8 million in NHMRC grant funding, were announced by the Assistant Minister for Health and Aged Care, the Hon Ged Kearney MP, on 19 August 2024. These projects will be supported by 59 funding partners, which together are contributing a further $29.4 million, bringing the total investment in the collaborative research to over $45.1 million. Read more in NHMRC's media release on the website.

A further $1.87 million of NHMRC grant funding was announced by NHMRC on 21 August 2024 for the first round of Partnership Project outcomes (PRC1) for 2024. These projects will be supported by matched funding from 4 partners, bringing the total investment in the collaborative research to $3.74 million. Read more on these outcomes in NHMRC's media release on the website.

Centres of Research Excellence 2025 forecast opportunity

The Centres of Research Excellence (CRE) 2025 grant opportunity is anticipated to open for applications on Wednesday 23 October 2024. Potential applicants are advised to review the Forecast Opportunity (FO) published on GrantConnect. 

Key changes to the CRE scheme for the 2025 grant opportunity include:

• Stemming from the Indigenous Research Excellence Criteria Review, all applicants are required to describe how their proposed research could benefit Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander health and contribute to Closing the Gap targets. The response will be considered by peer reviewers in the overall assessment of the application, using the assessment criteria.  
• CRE score descriptors have been amended to include assessment of the alignment between the objectives of the proposed research and the objectives of the CRE scheme and application stream.
• Funding is available for one CRE grant focused on venom research. 
• In partnership with the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, funding is available for two CRE grants focused on One Health research.

Pilot: new question on benefit for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health
National consultation as part of the Indigenous Research Excellence Criteria Review found there is strong support for adoption of an approach where all NHMRC applications answer a question about how the proposed research will benefit Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander health. This was endorsed by the Principal Committee Indigenous Caucus and is in line with the the National Agreement on Closing the Gap and NHMRC’s health priority to promote wellness and health equity for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. A pilot of the new question will be included in the Centres of Research Excellence 2025 grant opportunity. The Indigenous Research Excellence Criteria process is separate to the new question and will remain unchanged. For more information please see the fact sheet on our website.

Clinical research data sharing frameworks

NHMRC welcomes the commencement of the Australian Research Data Commons (ARDC)/CT:IQ project on clinical research data sharing frameworks. This 18-month project will develop practical guidance to support trustworthy sharing of clinical research data in Australia.

The project is consulting with members of the Australian research community, including researchers, site staff, sponsors, and consumers. It will also run activities with Australian Human Research Ethics Committees to benchmark their current practices regarding secondary sharing of clinical research data.

Learn more about the project by visiting ARDC’s website.

Invitation for public submission: national recommendations for newborn screening in spinal muscular atrophy in Australia and New Zealand

The following clinical practice guideline is seeking NHMRC approval under section 14A of the National Health and Medical Research Council Act 1992. It is currently open for public consultation.

• National recommendations for newborn screening in spinal muscular atrophy in Australia and New Zealand is now open for public consultation. Consultation will close on Monday 23 September 2024. To view the guideline and make a submission, visit UNSW’s website.

Upcoming MRFF RAO webinar 

The Health and Medical Research Office (HMRO) in the Department of Health and Aged Care invites you to join the next Medical Research Future Fund (MRFF) Research Administration Officer (RAO) webinar on Thursday 29 August 2024 at 2:00PM AEST.

This webinar will focus on:

1. Commercialisation-related grant opportunities
2. Post-award updates
3. Update to the MRFF monitoring, evaluation and learning strategy and measures of success.

MRFF RAO webinars support RAOs and organisations administering or interested in applying for MRFF grants by covering topics and questions important to participants.

HMRO will publish a recording of the webinar on MRFF’s website. Register for the webinar online.

Join the celebration of CDNM Research Week 

The Council of Deans of Nursing and Midwifery (Australia and New Zealand) (CDNM) is celebrating the best of nursing and midwifery research during their upcoming Research Week virtual celebration. This event will run from Monday 2 September until Friday 6 September and is completely online.

Join colleagues from across Australia and NZ to engage with key research decision makers and participate in masterclasses, workshops, and discussion groups. The event program is designed for early-mid career researchers but offers value to everyone.

For more information, please email CDNM at comms@cdnm.edu.au or visit CDMN’s event website to register your spot.

NHMRC/MREA – grant opportunity key dates 

NHMRC grant opportunities are funded through the Medical Research Endowment Account (MREA).

Opening soon:
2024 NHMRC-CIHR Canadian Consortium on Neurodegeneration in Aging (CCNA): Indigenous Health Research

• Applications opened Thursday 22 August 2024
• Minimum data due on Wednesday 6 November 2024 17:00 AEDT
• Applications close on Thursday 12 December 2024 17:00 AEDT

NHMRC is providing $3 million to support Australian researchers participating in the joint NHMRC-Canadian Institutes of Health Research 2024.

This grant opportunity runs through CIHR’s Canadian Consortium on Neurodegeneration in Aging (CCNA) and will fund Canada-Australia joint research teams addressing any of the recognised forms of dementia in Indigenous populations.  

Minimum data due soon:
2024 Collaborations in Health Services Research grant opportunity

• Minimum data due on Wednesday 28 August 2024 at 17:00 AEST
• Applications close on Wednesday 18 September 2024 at 17:00 AEST

Applicants are reminded that minimum data fields must be completed to submit a full application.

Closing soon:
2024 Clinical Trials and Cohort Studies

• Applications close on Wednesday 28 August 2024 at 17:00 AEST 
   Applicants are reminded that:
• Researchers listed on applications must have a Sapphire account. New account registrations must be submitted at least 72 hours prior to application close. 
• The Research Help Centre will continue to respond to Sapphire-related enquiries until Wednesday 28 August 2024 at 13:00 AEST.
• Applications submitted after close of round will not be accepted.

Further information can be found on GrantConnect. Please contact help@nhmrc.gov.au for further assistance. 

Key NHMRC grant program dates

Please see the Funding schemes and calendar page.

NHMRC impact case study: Chikungunya vaccine

Chikungunya is a mosquito-transmitted viral disease characterised by sporadic, unpredictable outbreaks. Due to international travel and the spread of potential disease-carrying vectors such as mosquitos, chikungunya virus (CHIKV) infections have been identified in over 125 countries. Over the past 20 years, more than 10 million chikungunya virus infections have been reported, highlighting CHIKV as a significant global health threat. An international consortium involving NHMRC-funded researchers at Griffith University has developed 2 vaccines against CHIKV.

Read more about this and other positive impacts arising from NHMRC grant funding in our Impact Case Studies.

Tracker

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