29 July 2024

Welcome to Tracker, NHMRC’s fortnightly newsletter with the latest information on major activities and funding opportunities.

Targeted Call for Research: Commercial determinants of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health 2023 funding outcomes announced

On Friday 19 July 2024, NHMRC announced the funding outcomes for the Targeted Call for Research: Commercial determinants of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health 2023 grant opportunity.


Five research teams will share in over $7 million in funding to conduct innovative, ground-breaking research that recognises and adjusts for the interplay between social, cultural, economic, and commercial determinants of health and how it positively or negatively influences health outcomes. 


Read more on the projects funded in our media release on NHMRC’s News Centre.
 

Nobel Laureate Emeritus Professor Robin Warren AC FRS FAA (11 June 1937–23 July 2024)

NHMRC is deeply saddened by the loss of Nobel Laureate Emeritus Professor Robin Warren AC FRS FAA, who died peacefully aged 87 on 23 July 2024. The pioneering and distinguished Professor significantly contributed to health and medical research both in Australia and internationally.

Professor Warren and Professor Barry Marshall AC were jointly awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 2005 for their extraordinary discovery of the bacterium Helicobacter pylori and its role in gastritis and peptic ulcer disease. Their revolutionary work transformed the treatment of gastro-duodenal ulcers with an antibiotic cure, which led to a significant global reduction in the prevalence of gastric cancer.

NHMRC recognises the achievements of Professor Warren among our annual Research Excellence Awards in our Marshall and Warren Ideas Grant (Innovation) Awards. These awards recognise the highest ranked Ideas Grant recipient and the most innovative and potentially transformative recipient of an Ideas Grant.  NHMRC also has the Marshall and Warren meeting room, named in honour of the two researchers, in our Canberra office.

NHMRC extends our deepest condolences to Professor Warren’s family, friends, and everyone who had the privilege to work with him over the course of his career.
 

Nominations closing soon! New joint NHMRC-MRFF Advisory Committees and NHMRC Principal Committees

Nominations are closing soon for individuals interested in serving on a range of advisory committees that will provide advice on health and medical research in Australia. Including but not limited to:

  • consumers and community members
  • industry representatives
  • philanthropy representatives
  • physicians and other clinicians
  • researchers in all areas of health and medical research and at all career stages.

Nominees may be asked to serve on multiple committees, noting that all committees will have a consumer representative/s and an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander representative/s.

A diagrammatic overview of the advisory committee structure is available to download.

Nominations close on Wednesday 31 July 2024 17:00 AEST. Find more information and submit a nomination on NHMRC’s website.
Please direct any questions to NHMRC.appointments@nhmrc.gov.au.

 
Statement on Sex, Gender, Variations of Sex Characteristics and Sexual Orientation in Health and Medical Research

NHMRC and the Department of Health and Aged Care, responsible for implementation of the Medical Research Future Fund (MRFF), have released a joint Statement on Sex, Gender, Variations of Sex Characteristics and Sexual Orientation in Health and Medical Research. The Statement reflects our commitment to health equity, acknowledging that every person in Australia has the right to be included in safe, high-quality research that informs our health care.

NHMRC and MRFF will work with the sector to implement the Statement over time. Researchers and other stakeholders are strongly encouraged to review the Statement and start doing what they can now, to improve consideration of sex, gender, variations of sex characteristics and sexual orientation in their research. 

Corporate Plan 2024–25

NHMRC has released its Corporate Plan for 2024–25. The plan presents our strategy for building a healthy Australia, across the strategic themes (purposes) of investment, translation and integrity of health and medical research. It covers the period 2024–25 and over the next 3–4 years, and includes the strategic and health priorities identified for the current triennium. Please see the Corporate Plan on NHMRC’s website.

NHMRC approved third party guidelines

On 18 April 2024, NHMRC approved the recommendations of the following guidelines under section 14A of the National Health and Medical Research Council Act 1992.

Public consultation on draft guidance for the Australian Drinking Water Guidelines

NHMRC is seeking public feedback on several draft guidance documents developed for the Australian Drinking Water Guidelines, including:

  • an information sheet on chemicals leaching from plumbing products
  • new chemical fact sheets on bismuth and silicon
  • revised chemical fact sheets on selenium, lead and manganese
  • proposed edits to the Guidelines to align advice and ensure consistency.

Submissions will close on Friday 6 September 2024.

For further information visit the public consultation website.

Speaking of Science – Synthetic Biology (designer cells and antibodies) with Professor Shalin Naik

In celebration of National Science Week, join us as we host the fascinating Professor Shalin Naik as part of our Speaking of Science webinar series on Thursday 15 August 2024 from 11:00–12:00 AEST.

In this webinar hosted by NHMRC’s Chief Executive Officer, Professor Steve Wesselingh, you will hear from cell biologist and Laboratory Head in the Immunology Division at WEHI and the University of Melbourne, Professor Naik, as he discusses synthetic biology and more specifically, designer cells and antibodies.

There will also be an opportunity to ask questions with a Q&A session. You don’t want to miss this event!

Register for this webinar on Eventbrite here.

Reflecting on health and medical research excellence

What inspires health and medical researchers to pursue a career in research? And how do they become the top-ranked researchers of NHMRC’s largest grant funding schemes?

Recipients of 2023 NHMRC Research Excellence Awards have reflected on their careers and have written first person pieces describing the significance of their research and how their hypotheses are helping to build a healthy Australia.

Recipient of the 2023 NHMRC Peter Doherty Investigator Grant Award, Professor Patrick Sexton has shared his story on his research into the structure, function, and modulated of peptide hormone G protein-coupled receptors.

2024 NHMRC-CIHR Canadian Consortium on Neurodegeneration in Aging (CCNA): Indigenous health research grant opportunity

NHMRC and the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) are participating in a bilateral call through CIHR’s Canadian Consortium on Neurodegeneration in Aging (CCNA). The call will focus on dementia in Indigenous populations.

Please refer to the forecast opportunity on GrantConnect.

GSG STEM Expo

Australia’s Chief Scientist, Dr Cathy Foley, and the Government Scientists Group are hosting the GSG STEM Expo at the Great Hall of Australian Parliament House on Thursday 15 August from 10:00AM–4:00PM AEST as part of National Science Week.

This free event is suitable for high-school students, those pursuing tertiary qualifications in science, technology, engineering and mathematics and STEM professionals.

The GSG STEM Expo will showcase STEM activities and career opportunities in government agencies which deliver significant STEM projects.

If you have any questions, please email ocs-projects@chiefscientist.gov.au.

NHMRC/MREA – Grant opportunity key dates 

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

Closing soon:

We encourage applicants to work closely with their RAOs well in advance of the due date to ensure they can submit applications on time.

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 7 August 2024 13:00 AEST.
  • Only applicants who completed minimum data requirements by the deadline on Wednesday 24 July 2024 17:00 AEST can submit a full application.
  • 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. 

Medical Research Future Fund – grant opportunities key dates

The following MRFF grant opportunities have opened for applications:

The following MRFF grant opportunities have a close date approaching: 

Details on how to apply for MRFF grant opportunities and all MRFF close dates are available on GrantConnect. Applicants are reminded that only applicants who completed minimum data by the due date can submit an application. It is also the applicant’s responsibility to ensure they meet all eligibility requirements.

Applicants should ensure:

MRFF grant assessment committee self-nomination

Register your interest to become a member of a MRFF grant assessment committee.

HMRO seminar: Transforming epilepsy outcomes through innovative technologies with Professor Patrick Kwan

The Health and Medical Research Office (HMRO) will host a seminar on Thursday 15 August 2024 at 11:00AM -11:45AM AEST and will be joined by Co-Director of the Monash Institute of Medical Engineering at Monash University, Professor Patrick Kwan.

Professor Kwan will discuss how multidisciplinary and innovative research, in particular through artificial intelligence, stem cells and novel diagnostic technologies, are poised to transform the outcomes of epilepsy and other neurological disorders.

The webinar will be facilitated on Teams via this link.

Tracker

See previous editions of Tracker.

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If you have any questions about the newsletter, email communications@nhmrc.gov.au. 

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