Fellowship scheme for young dementia researchers

Minister for Education and Training Christopher Pyne has announced a new fellowship scheme to expand research capacity in dementia. The fellowships will be funded by the National Health and Medical Research Council and the Australian Research Council as part of the ‘Building the workforce’ element of the government’s $200 million Boosting Dementia Research Initiative.

The NHMRC-ARC Dementia Research Development Fellowships Scheme provides opportunities for postdoctoral researchers to engage in advanced training in the health, medical, fundamental sciences, social, economic and cultural fields relevant to dementia, in either Australia or overseas. Supported research will be undertaken under a dementia priority framework based on national and international strategies, spanning primary prevention, secondary prevention, treatment and quality of life and care.

The scheme aims to support the best emerging dementia researchers and attract scientists into the area from other fields. Pyne explained that dementia is “an incredibly complex disease and one that requires knowledge from all walks of research … each with an important piece of the puzzle to add”.

Furthermore, the fellowships are targeted to researchers who are still early in their careers. Pyne continued, “To make a real dent in this, we need new thinking and creative ideas. I believe Australia’s up-and-coming researchers have the drive and the enthusiasm to make an enormous contribution.”

Fellowships will be provided over four years and include a project component of up to $250,000, funded by the ARC, to support research costs. Successful fellows will also be an integral part of the NHMRC National Institute for Dementia Research - a $50 million initiative to expand dementia research in Australia, ensure better integration with international research and form a focus for rapid translation of evidence into policy and practice.

Interested researchers can now apply for grants on the NHMRC website.