4 November 2024

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

Funding call for Australia-United Kingdom clinical trials

NHMRC, in partnership with the Medical Research Future Fund (MRFF) and the United Kingdom’s National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR), have launched a grant opportunity to fund platform trials. 

Platform trials are innovative clinical trials that enable the evaluation of multiple interventions through a single study. 

The MRFF and the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) will provide A$10 million and A$5 million, respectively, for Australian-based activities. The NIHR will provide an equivalent of A$15 million for UK-based activities.

This international collaboration will harness Australia and the UK’s shared strengths, ideas, expertise and infrastructure, to address areas of unmet health and care needs. 

NHMRC CEO, Professor Steve Wesselingh said that international, multi-institution research is integral to scientific advancement and often is the key to breakthroughs that hold the potential to improve millions of lives. 

Read the guidelines for the grant opportunity on GrantConnect. For further information, or to attend the webinar on Tuesday 19 November 2024 at 7:00PM AEDT, register on NIHR’s website.

Reminder: nominations open - NHMRC Biennial Awards

Nominations for the NHMRC Biennial Awards are open! These awards celebrate leadership and outstanding contributions to the health and medical research sector. 

There are 6 award categories, including a brand-new award for 2025: 

Nominations for the 2025 Biennial Awards are currently open and will close on Friday 31 January 2025 at 17:00 AEDT.

*Nominations for these awards are by invitation only and will be identified by the office of NHMRC.

NHMRC Gender Equity Report Cards 2022 & 2023

NHMRC has published Gender Equity Report Cards for 2022 and 2023 as part of its commitment to increased transparency in reporting on NHMRC grant applications and outcomes by gender.

These annual reports are a key outcome under NHMRC’s Gender Equity Strategy 2022-2025 as we take action to promote gender equity in Australia’s health and medical research workforce. 

To view the report cards, visit NHMRC's Gender Equity webpage.

Staying healthy: Preventing infectious diseases in early childhood education and care services - update to fever advice

NHMRC published Staying healthy: Preventing infectious diseases in early childhood education and care services (Staying healthy)– 6th edition in August 2024.

Following feedback from stakeholders, the fever content has been revised for consistency across all sections of Staying healthy. The Staying Healthy Advisory Committee reviewed the fever content, and a minor change has been implemented.

The fever fact sheet has been updated to align the ‘actions for parents and carers’ with the exclusion actions in Table 4.1 recommended minimum exclusion periods based on symptoms. Children with a fever should be excluded until their temperature remains normal.

You can now view the updated fever fact sheet. The Staying healthy webpages are interactive, easy to navigate, accessible and will always be up to date.

NHMRC impact case study: A foundation for neuroscience

A foundation for neuroscience 
The human central nervous system is incredibly complex, comprising about 86 billion neurons and trillions of connections. But until the mid-20th century, key aspects of how the nervous system processes information were unknown.

NHMRC-funded researchers made groundbreaking discoveries on how neurons communicate, laying the groundwork for modern neuroscience. These Nobel Prize winning advancements in understanding neurotransmitters led to the development of targeted medicines for the brain. Today, neurotransmitter-based medicines are approved for various conditions, including major depressive disorder, postpartum depression, and multiple sclerosis.

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

Global Alliance for Chronic Diseases: Launch of Diabetes Research Report

The Global Alliance for Chronic Diseases (GACD) has opened registrations for the launch of its Diabetes Research Report on Thursday 14 November 2024 in line with World Diabetes Day! 

The report is the culmination of years of implementation research and this launch event will highlight the GACD Diabetes Research Programme’s transformative findings on diabetes management and implementation science across the world.

This is an opportunity to come together with distinguished researchers, thought leaders, and advocates across the world to reflect on the global progress in diabetes research, prevention, and care, and to explore the future directions of implementation science. 

Join the virtual launch by registering on GACD’s website.

Research symposium – TCR: loneliness, social isolation and chronic disease management 2022

NHMRC was delighted to see the work of NHMRC-funded grant recipients under the 2022 Targeted Call for Research (TCR) on loneliness, social isolation and chronic disease management showcased recently at a symposium held by Monash Public Health and Preventive Medicine and Monash Medicine Nursing and Health Sciences.

This TCR aims to support research that will inform future policies, programs and initiatives that are designed to assist people experiencing loneliness and/or social isolation to manage their chronic disease. 

The objectives of the research symposium were to:

  • Increase understanding of the relationship between social isolation, loneliness and chronic disease
  • Learn about the current cutting-edge research happening in Australia
  • Hear about opportunities for collaboration and engagement
  • Provide opportunities to network with others working in this area.

112 attended the symposium and enjoyed the diversity of presenters and variety of cutting-edge projects presented, including their alignment with each other, sharing knowledge on the relationship between social isolation, loneliness and chronic disease, and the latest research and practical resources.

For more information on this TCR, visit NHMRC’s website.

Key NHMRC grant program dates

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

Open now:

Partnership Projects 2024 Peer Review Cycle 3 (PRC3):

  • Minimum data due by Wednesday 13 November 2024 at 17:00 AEDT
  • Applications close on Wednesday 27 November 2024 at 17:00 AEDT.

Only applications that complete minimum data by Wednesday 13 November 2024 at 17:00 AEDT can submit a full application.

Final Report for NHMRC (MREA) grants

NHMRC has revised the questions in its Final Report for MREA grants to obtain better visibility of the personnel supported by, and research outputs, outcomes and impacts generated from NHMRC-funded grants.

The new template is now available in Sapphire to all CIAs from applicable schemes and can be progressively completed and saved.

For more information, read Progress, final and additional reporting and the Final Report for MREA grants news.

Medical Research Future Fund – grant opportunities key dates

The following MRFF grant opportunity has been forecasted on GrantConnect:

MRFF and NHMRC 2025 Australia-UK Platform Studies in areas of Unmet Clinical Need Grant Opportunity

  • Open date for invited applicants (stage 2): TBC Q2 2026
  • Close date for invited applicants (stage 2): TBC Q2 2026.

(Stage 1 applications are now open for submission to the UK’s NIHR. See NIHR’s website for more information.


The following MRFF grant opportunities have opened for applications:

2024 Genomics Health Futures Grant Opportunity (GO7221)

  • Minimum data due by Wednesday 22 January 2025 at 17:00 AEDT
  • Applications close on Wednesday 5 February 2025 at 17:00 AEDT.

2024 Post-Acute Sequelae of COVID-19 Grant Opportunity (GO7225)

  • Minimum data due by Wednesday 26 March 2025 at 17:00 AEDT
  • Applications close on Wednesday 16 April 2025 at 17:00 AEST.


The following MRFF grant opportunities have closing dates approaching:

2024 Infertility, Pregnancy Loss and Menopause Grant Opportunity (GO7056)

  • Applications close on Wednesday 6 November 2024 at 17:00 AEDT. 

2024 Novel Treatments and Management Strategies for Chronic Pain Grant Opportunity (GO7061)

  • Applications close on Wednesday 6 November 2024 at 17:00 AEDT. 

2024 Alcohol and Other Drugs Grant Opportunity (GO7060)

  • Applications close on Wednesday 6 November 2024 at 17:00 AEDT. 

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, including limits on the number of times a person can be named as a Chief Investigator on applications submitted to a grant opportunity.

Applicants should ensure:

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

Key dates

Refer to Funding schemes and calendar.

Tracker

See previous editions of Tracker.

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