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Gender Equity 2023 Report Card
This report card focuses on the achievements made in 2023 against the Gender Equity Strategy 2022–2025. NHMRC continues its work to progress actions in the priority areas and achieve the Strategy’s objectives.
Key actions in 2023
Provided option to identify as non-binary or to specify a different term in the gender field of researcher profiles to align with the ABS 2020 Standard
Implemented new special measures under the Sex Discrimination Act 1984 to award women and non-binary researchers an equal number of grants as men researchers in the Leadership category of the Investigator Grants scheme
2023 NHMRC grant program overall for women (CIA):
47%
Applications received
49%
Grants awarded
50%
Funding awarded
14.6%
Funded rate
(13.7% for men)
(13.7% for men)
TRENDS OVER TIME - NHMRC GRANT PROGRAM
Proportion – Women (CIA)
Funded Rate (CIA)
SCHEMES
The funded rate was equal or higher for women than men (CIA) in many schemes. The share of grants awarded to women was less than half for:
- Development Grants (14%)
- International Collaborations (41%)
- Ideas Grants (43%)
Note: CIA = Chief Investigator A (lead researcher), CTCS = Clinical Trials and Cohort Studies, CRE = Centres of Research Excellence, DEV = Development Grants, Ideas = Ideas Grants, ING = Investigator Grants, Internat. = International Collaborations, PGS = Postgraduate Scholarships, PP = Partnership Projects, SYN = Synergy Grants, TCR = Targeted Calls for Research
The Elizabeth Blackburn Investigator Grant Awards promote and foster the career development of women in the Leadership category across the 4 broad research areas.
Professor Denise Wootten
Basic Science
Mechanistic understanding of incretin receptors for metabolic diseases
Professor Sharon Lewin AO
Clinical Medicine and Science
Novel interventions to treat and cure acute and chronic viral infections
Professor Catherine Bell
Health Services
Driving the transition to high-value testing to benefit the health of all
CAREER STAGE - YEARS POST-PHD
Number of grants (funded rate)
Note: Funded CIAs with a PhD not complete or awarded are not shown.
ALL CHIEF INVESTIGATORS
47%
CIs on grants
were women
were women
Funded rate
STRUCTUAL PRIORITY FUNDING
In 2023, the awarding of structural priority funding to additional high-quality applications led by women equalised the funded rates between men and women (CIA) in several schemes*.
Funded rate
*Structural priority funding was only used in the Emerging Leadership category of the Investigator Grant scheme. ‘Final’ funded rate includes structural priority funding.
IMPACT OF SPECIAL MEASURES ON INVESTIGATOR GRANT LEADERSHIP CATEGORY
- Near-equal numbers of grants were awarded to women (51) and men (49)
- For the first time, women received more funding than men
- There was an increase in the proportion of women applicants:
- More women than men applied at Leadership Level 1 (L1)
- A record high 30% of Leadership Level 3 (L3) applicants were women
Data notes: Gender identifiers in Sapphire align with the ABS 2020 Standard for Sex, Gender, Variations of Sex Characteristics and Sexual Orientation Variables. The Standard recommends that reporting categories be aggregated in case of low numbers to avoid disclosure of private information. NHMRC reports gender using the following categories: Woman, Man and Other. The Other category comprises applicants who selected a gender of ‘not stated’, ‘prefer not to answer’, ‘non-binary’ or ‘I use a different name’ if the gender field was not completed. The Other category is not shown in this Report Card due to low numbers.