At the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) we are proud to be Australia’s leading expert body in health and medical research. For nearly a century, we’ve been driving innovation, integrity and impact – funding exceptional research, setting national health standards and providing trusted, evidence based health advice to improve the health and lives of all Australians.
Our mission
We’re building a healthier Australia by:
- Investing in high-quality health and medical research
- Supporting the translation of research into policy, practice, and better health outcomes
- Promoting the highest standards of ethics and integrity in research.
Our history
NHMRC’s roots trace back to the Federal Health Council (the precursor to the NHMRC), established in 1926 following a Royal Commission. The Council evolved into NHMRC in 1937, with its first meeting allocating £30,000 in research grants - a bold step that laid the foundation for decades of scientific advancement.
In 1966-67, Medical Research Endowment Account (MREA) appropriations exceeded $1 million for the first time and in 2018-19, the appropriation increased to $829 million.
One of our earliest grant recipients, John Carew Eccles (1903-1997), went on to win the Nobel Prize for Medicine in 1963 for his pioneering work on nerve cell communication.
In 2006, NHMRC became an independent statutory agency under the National Health and Medical Research Council Act 1992, operating within the portfolio of the Australian Government Minister for Health and Ageing.
