Govt commits $50m for long COVID research

The Australian Government has announced it will provide a further $50 million from the Medical Research Future Fund (MRFF) for research into post-acute sequelae of COVID-19 (PASC), commonly known as long COVID.

This is in addition to funding that has already been provided for research related to long COVID, including more than $13 million from the MRFF, $1.6 million from the National Health and Medical Research Council and $5 million to the Australian Partnership for Preparedness Research on Infectious Disease Emergencies.

The new funding is expected to help improve our knowledge of long COVID in the Australian context and generate evidence to inform policy and clinical guidance, improve health outcomes and increase awareness of the condition in the community. The first grant opportunity is expected to open in August 2023.

The funding comes in response to the final report from the House Standing Committee on Health, Aged Care and Sport’s Inquiry into Long COVID and Repeated COVID Infections, which was tabled in the Australian Parliament yesterday. The report made a number of recommendations, which were informed by more than 560 submissions and testimonies from a wide range of sources. The Department of Health and Aged Care has now been tasked with developing a national plan to respond to long COVID, taking into consideration the committee’s findings.

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