In 2022, working with its Health Research Impact Committee, National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) developed the NHMRC Research Translation Strategy 2022–2025.
Vision
That health and medical research helps to build a healthy, resilient and prosperous population in Australia.
Mission
To drive the translation of health and medical research into public policy, health-related systems and clinical practice, and support the commercialisation of research discoveries, for the improvement of individual and population health.
Principles
- Access to research outcomes drives stronger public policy, stronger health-related systems and a stronger knowledge economy.
- Research is embedded in the system when researchers and end-users work together to identify research priorities, design and conduct high-quality research and implement outcomes.
- To translate research into improved health outcomes, those responsible for research translation need the requisite knowledge and skills.
Strategies
- Foster genuine collaboration between researchers and end-users.
- Build capacity and capability of researchers in research translation.
- Offer funding opportunities that foster translation.
- Promote translation of evidence into high-quality guidelines and advice.
- Build a research culture that focuses on impact.
Priority 1: Encourage partnerships between researchers and end-users
Goal
- Research embedded in health-related systems fostered
Actions
- Promote successful examples of co-design and partnerships between researchers and end-users, for example, Research Translation Centres and Partnership Projects, which may involve partnerships between researchers and health services, policy-makers, managers, clinicians
- Continue to provide leadership on the involvement of consumers and the community in research
- Strengthen the role of consumer and community representatives in peer review of NHMRC’s targeted research calls, including representatives for research that focuses on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health
- Consider the role of consumer and community representatives in peer review of NHMRC’s translation-focused grant schemes
KPI
- Communication of examples of researcher/end-user partnerships translating evidence. Research meets the needs of consumers and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
Priority 2: Encourage and build capacity and capability in research translation
Goal
- Increased knowledge and skill of researchers
Actions
- Continue to review and update advice for guideline developers on evidence synthesis
- Evaluate Research Impact Track Record assessment in Investigator Grants and extend consideration of impact to other relevant NHMRC grant schemes
- Continue hosting Research Translation Symposia
- Continue to support clinician researchers to undertake research
- Consider how to strengthen support for translational research and guidance for peer reviewers
KPI
- Opportunities for clinician researchers to undertake research embedded in the health system. Researcher participation in Research Translation Symposia.
Priority 3: Maximise the use of high-quality research evidence for public benefit
Goal
- Increased access to high-quality research evidence for use in developing health-related policy and practice
Actions
- Continue to develop and approve high-quality evidence-based guidelines and advice for public and environmental health and clinical practice
- Continue adoption of innovative digital platforms that support the development of guidelines and collaboration with guideline developers
- Implement NHMRC’s new Open Access Policy and promote open access beyond NHMRC-funded research
- Amplify communication about the impact of evidence from NHMRC-funded research
- Grow staff capability and capacity in assessing the quality of evidence, evidence synthesis and development of evidence-based advice
KPI
- Evidence of promotion of open access to publications and data from health and medical research. Evidence that the research we fund has impact.
NHMRC’s priorities support a range of impacts:
- Health-related
- Social
- Economic
- Knowledge.
End-users of NHMRC research may include policy-makers, providers of healthcare and health-related systems, professionals, consumers, communities and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
