$108 million in grants to health and medical researchers

Fifteen of Australia’s leading health and medical research teams have won a share of more than $108 million in some of the Rudd government’s most highly sought-after research grants.

The National Health and Medical Research Council 2010 Program Grants are highly prized because they enable research teams to pursue the best research options in their field, knowing they have the time, funds and flexibility to respond to unexpected findings and opportunities.

The grants, worth an average $7.2 million each over five years, will provide employment for a significant number of researchers.

The funding is an essential part of the government’s plans to bolster health and medical research to improve the wellbeing of all Australians.

The importance of the grants was emphasised by the Prime Minister’s advance naming of one recipient, Professor Angel Lopez of the Institute of Medical and Veterinary Science in Adelaide, as part of an announcement on cancer research in January.

The 2010 Program Grant recipients include:

• Nobel Laureate Professor Peter Doherty at the University of Melbourne, who will receive $10.4m. His team will develop and evaluate vaccines that induce long-lasting ‘killer’ T-cell immunity to protect against both seasonal and pandemic influenza.
• Former Australian of the Year Professor Fiona Stanley at the University of Western Australia, who will receive $9.7m. Her team will link birth, death and medical records to disability, education, justice and welfare records, bringing a new focus on how childhood development affects health and participation in society.
• Professor Richard Bryant at the University of NSW, who will receive $7.1m. His team will look at enhancing the nation’s capacity in reducing psychological problems after trauma, ensuring that Australia retains its leading edge in post-traumatic research.
• Professor James Paton at the University of Adelaide, who will receive $9.1m. His team will seek to understand the dynamic interactions between major disease-carrying bacteria and their human hosts, urgently needed to combat bacterial infectious diseases in the 21st century.
• Professor Ranjeny Thomas of the University of Queensland, who will receive $10.3m. Her team, which includes former Australian of the Year Ian Frazer, will investigate the role of the immune system in cancers, chronic viral infections and autoimmune diseases, and develop novel vaccines to treat these infections and diseases.

All of the grants were awarded through an open competitive process carried out according to the NHMRC Act, subjected to rigorous peer review and approved by NHMRC’s Research Committee and Council.