Category: News

Research Australia, in partnership with Besins Healthcare Australia, has officially launched a report Shaping the Future of Australian Women’s Health Research Roadmap.

The launch event, hosted by the Centre for Sex & Gender Equity in Health & Medicine at the George Institute of Global Health yesterday, included prominent national and international leaders and speakers from across the sector, elevating the urgency and need for structural reform.

The Report presents a roadmap to enable a collaborative, equitable, and impactful health research environment, with the ultimate goals of improving health outcomes, advancing social and economic equity, and enhancing research excellence in Australia. The roadmap adheres to the National Women’s Health Agenda priorities and should be incorporated into the National Health and Medical Research Strategy.

Whilst Australian women enjoy one of the highest life expectancies globally, they spend approximately 14% of their lifetimes—that’s 12 years—in ill-health, and are affected by deeply entrenched gender biases and structural barriers in health and medical research. For First Nations women, women with disability, women who live in our regions, rural or remote areas, LGBTQI+ communities, as well as many from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds – health outcomes are even more stark.

Women’s health research has been historically underfunded in health and medical research. The report which includes a policy landscape presents a roadmap for the structural reforms required to deliver the high-quality, equitable and accessible health outcomes that Australian girls and women deserve. Key recommendations from the report, include:
• Building the systems, infrastructure, and partnerships needed to connect research, practice and policy for consistent, high-quality outcomes.
• (Re)defining women’s health so that we have a shared understanding of the broad scope of women’s health.
• (Re)-empowering the community to ensure research is shaped by the voices and lived experiences of women.
• Recognising and prioritising areas of need so that research is targeted and relevant.

Health equity begins with research equity. Strengthening research translation in women’s health requires sustained investment in systems and partnerships that link research, policy, and practice, support co-design and lived experience leadership, and ensure equitable access to the benefits of research for all women, girls, and gender diverse people across Australia.

“This report maps the structural changes needed to build a collaborative, equitable and genuinely impactful research environment for Australian women’s health”, Ms Nadia Levin, CEO & Managing Director of Research Australia said.

“The report highlights we need a research environment that strengthens women’s health outcomes, drives social and economic equality, and lifts Australia’s research excellence. This reform must span the whole pipeline, with partnership across research, philanthropy, clinicians, industry, community and government”.

Read the full report here.

Research Australia thanks those who contributed to this report, including sponsors of the project – Besins Healthcare Australia. We thank also the Centre for Sex & Gender Equity in Health & Medicine, George Institute of Global Health for their in-kind donation in hosting the event.

Research Australia, the national peak body for health and medical research and innovation, is pleased to be joining researchers, innovators and sector leaders today in Canberra to support the ongoing campaign led in Parliament by Dr Monique Ryan MP, Member for Kooyong, to release the full funds that have been made available for the Medical Research Future Fund.

Since Research Australia originally discovered the additional funds after strong MRFF investment returns, we have been working with the Minister and the Department on solutions to how these funds could be used to strengthen health and medical research and innovation. This includes opportunities for funds to support career pathways and opportunities for early- and mid-career researchers and clinician researchers; supporting greater collaboration and circular mobility between industry and academia; and making available the funds to support the translation and implementation of health and medical research and innovation, in line with original intent of the fund.

“The MRFF plays a crucial role in supporting Australia’s world-leading health and medical research and innovation sector. The Government needs to invest the additional funds available strategically to drive bold outcomes in our sector”, said Nadia Levin, CEO & Managing Director.

“Every preventable hospital admission we avoid, every faster diagnosis we enable, and every home-grown medical product we export is a boost to your health and growth in our economy. Realising the full potential of the MRFF makes this all possible.

This is about ensuring long-term sustainability and smarter investment across our sector to strengthen Australian health and medical research and innovation and ensure a healthier population and wealthier economy”.

Research Australia will continue to work in partnership with our membership, which represents the entire health and medical research and innovation sector, to develop further solutions and opportunities to realise the full potential of the Medical Research Future Fund.

The national peak body for health and medical research and innovation, Research Australia, is calling for the Federal Government to prioritise health and medical research, development and innovation within its productivity agenda, driving economic diversification, resilience, growth and budget sustainability.

In its submission to the Productivity Commission’s 5 pillar productivity inquiries, Research Australia has set out key reforms needed to elevate health and medical research as a driver of productivity and position Australia as a leader in improving health outcomes and global innovation, enhance economic diversification, and respond to demographic and healthcare system pressures.

“Lifting Australia’s productivity isn’t just an economic challenge—it’s a health and medical research opportunity. When we invest in discovery, health services research and commercialisation, we cut waste, lift workforce participation, and create new industries,” said Nadia Levin, CEO & Managing Director of Research Australia.

“Every preventable hospital admission we avoid, every faster diagnosis we enable, and every home-grown medical product we export is productivity in action. Elevating health and medical research and innovation makes that possible.”

Key recommendations, developed in consultation with Research Australia’s members across the whole pipeline of health and medical research and innovation, include:
• Establish a measurable path to at least 5% of health expenditure to preventive health measures by 2030 and implement ‘Prevention Responsive Budgeting’ to ensure government budgets account for, prioritise, and evaluate investments in disease prevention, equity and health promotion.
• Utilise MRFF underspent funds to strategically invest in health and medical research and innovation, with a focus on strengthening the infrastructure that supports research translation and innovation.
• Define a pathway to fund the full cost of research, in a rational and sustainable way, including infrastructure.
• A bipartisan national health data framework to guide long-term investment and coordination in Australia’s health and medical data infrastructure.
• Work across government portfolios to prioritise and expedite the development of a National

Health and Medical Research and Innovation Workforce Plan to bolster Australia’s skilled and globally competitive workforce, that includes support for early- and mid-career researchers, clinician researchers and lived experience researchers.

“Economies that back research outperform. A national commitment to 3% of GDP for R&D will anchor the next decade of Australian productivity, with health and medical research leading the way,” said Ms Levin.

“For every dollar invested in Australian health and medical research and innovation yields close to $4 to the Australian economy,” Ms Levin said. “Investment in our sector is not just budget neutral; it allows further reinvestment back into the broader health sector.

Read Research Australia’s full submission to the 5 pillars productivity inquiries here.

Research Australia, the national peak body for the health and medical research sector, welcomes today’s announcement by the Hon Mark Butler MP, Minister for Health and Ageing, of the draft National Health and Medical Research Strategy.

The draft Strategy, which will enter a consultation period to help shape the final strategy due to the Federal Government by the end of 2025, outlines a 10-year plan for the health and medical research and innovation sector.

Research Australia has led the call for the development of this strategy emphasising the need to elevate the awareness, contribution and opportunity the sector makes to both a healthy nation and a healthy economy. The Strategy must facilitate coordinated, sustainable investment in research; strengthen the connection between research and healthcare; and support emerging innovative health industries.

Research Australia has been working closely with Rosemary Huxtable AO PSM and her Secretariat team as well as Minister Butler and his office throughout the year and it is positive to see recommendations developed in partnership with our members picked up in the draft Strategy, including:

• Embedding collaboration systemically across the health and medical research and innovation ecosystem.
• Smarter investment in funding for health and medical research and innovation.
• Developing a Health and Medical Research and Innovation Workforce Plan.
• Streamlining regulatory pathways for medical technologies and therapeutics and reduce the time it takes to bring innovations to the Australian market.
• A focus on equity, including rural, regional and remote.

“From the very beginning of this process, Research Australia has been actively calling for a Strategy that doesn’t just sit on a shelf. So we are very pleased to see the focus on governance structures, implementation and evaluation frameworks included in the draft Strategy released today”, said Nadia Levin, CEO of Research Australia.

Developing the National Health and Medical Research Strategy provides an opportunity to bring a whole of pipeline and whole of governments approach to health and medical research. Research Australia reiterates the call that the Strategy must be developed in partnership with other national reform processes such as the Strategic Examination of R&D, National Research Infrastructure Roadmap, Clinical Trials Reform Agenda, and the HTA Review.

“If we continue to only tinker at the edges of reform, we consign ourselves to being consumers of global innovation rather than producers — dependent, reactive and increasingly uncompetitive”, Ms Levin said.

Research Australia is looking forward to working with the Department and Minister’s office in the next phase, including as part of the Technical Reference Group.

Research Australia, the national peak body for health and medical research and innovation is calling on the Federal Government to formally recognise health and medical research, development and innovation as a cornerstone of Australia’s productivity and economic growth strategy.

In its submission to the Treasury’s Economic Reform Roundtable, Research Australia has highlighted the sector as a nationally significant driver of productivity, economic
diversification and resilience.

“Investing in health and medical research and innovation is not just good for our health – it is smart economic policy,” said Nadia Levin, CEO of Research Australia. “Every dollar invested delivers at least four dollars in return to the Australian economy.”

Health and medical research and innovation improves healthcare efficiency, drives high value industries, reduces the burden of disease, and supports a skilled and innovative workforce. With smarter investment and strong policy coordination, the sector can deliver even greater returns for the economy and the Australian people.

“We are urging the Government to elevate HMR as a key productivity lever,” Ms Levin said. “A strong and sustainable health innovation system will help solve some of our biggest challenges, from rising costs of care to workforce pressures and climate-related health risks.”

“All Australians benefit from a strong and forward-looking health research system,” Ms Levin said. “This is our opportunity to make it a driver of lasting economic and societal value.”

Read Research Australia’s full submission here.

On 5th June 2025, Research Australia and Digital Health CRC co-hosted a virtual workshop with key stakeholders from across the health and medical data, research and innovation ecosystem, including government, academia, and industry.

The workshop explored how a unified national coordinated data capabilities could strengthen data-driven healthcare, accelerate research and innovation, and improve health outcomes and economic performance. It focused on how such coordination could be structured, where it might be best situated, and how it could align with current reforms, particularly the National Health and Medical Research Strategy (National Strategy), the Strategic Examination of R&D (SERD), and the National Research Infrastructure Roadmap (NRIR).

The event brought together 25 representatives from 18 organisations, including government representatives from the National Strategy, SERD, and NRIR secretariats and policy directors.

The full communique from the workshop can be found here.

Research Australia, the national peak body for health and medical research and innovation, joins the growing chorus of organisations urging the Australian Government to formally sign up to Horizon Europe to unlock new opportunities for Australia’s researchers and innovators and secure our nation’s position as a global leader in science and innovation.

Horizon Europe is the European Unions multi-billion Euro research program that supports international collaboration across a number of key areas, including health, climate change and digital transformation. Around 18 non-EU countries, including New Zealand, the United Kingdom and Canada, have already signed agreements, allowing their researchers to compete for funding and lead multi-national consortia.

“Australia risks being left behind if we do not act swiftly,” said Ms Nadia Levin, CEO & Managing Director of Research Australia. “Joining Horizon Europe would open the door to world-leading collaborations, accelerate innovation, and enhance the global impact of Australian health and medical research and innovation.

“As we seek to grow Australia’s innovation economy and deliver solutions to complex health, environmental and technological challenges, full participation in Horizon Europe would provide a strategic platform for impact,” said Ms Levin. “The government has been calling for solutions through the Strategic Examination of R&D and National Health and Medical Research Strategy. We have already been putting forward a call to join Horizon Europe as one of the solutions.”

Australia’s health and medical research and innovation sector already collaborates extensively with European partners, but current arrangements limit access to major funding streams and leadership roles in consortia. Association would strengthen these partnerships and bolster Australia’s ability to respond to shared global challenges.

Research Australia urges the Australian Government to prioritise negotiations and deliver a clear signal to the global research community that Australia is committed to international scientific collaboration at scale. The risk of not doing so impacts on Australia now and for our future.

Research Australia, the national peak body for health and medical research and innovation, welcomes the announcement of the Coalition’s Shadow Ministry and looks forward to continued engagement across portfolios critical to the future of Australia’s health and medical research system.

As the national peak body representing the entire health and medical research pipeline, Australia is committed to working with the Shadow Ministry to strengthen Australia’s research capacity, accelerate health innovation, and ensure the long-term sustainability of our health system.

We are particularly pleased to see the re-appointment of Senator the Hon Anne Ruston as Shadow Minister for Health, Aged Care and Sport, and welcome the addition of the important National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) portfolio to her responsibilities. Senator Ruston’s longstanding support for Australia’s health and medical research and her active interest in the development of a National Health and Medical Research Strategy offer confidence and continuity during a pivotal time of reform.

Research Australia also welcomes the appointment of Senator Jonathon Duniam to the Education portfolio, the Hon Alex Hawke MP to the Industry and Innovation portfolio and the Hon Melissa Price MP to Science. They all bring valuable experience and will be key stakeholders as major policy reforms progress, including the Strategic Examination of R&D, the National Research Infrastructure roadmap, and the implementation of the Universities Accord.

While noting these important appointments, we are disappointed that the Science portfolio will sit outside of Shadow Cabinet. Given the central role science plays in Australia’s prosperity and for improving productivity and innovation, we urge the Opposition to ensure that science and research policy remain prominent in its policy priorities. We look forward to working with the Shadow Science Minister and the broader Coalition to maintain momentum on critical national reforms.

Health and medical research accounts for over a quarter of Australia’s R&D and ensuring the success of initiatives such as the Strategic Examination of R&D and the National Health and Medical Research Strategy is essential for the health and success of our sector, and our nation.

The 48th Parliament presents a generational opportunity to reform Australia’s R&D system and health and medical research and innovation sector to ensure it is more responsive, sustainable and future-focused. There is a lot of work for this term of Parliament and Research Australia looks forward to continuing to work with all Parliamentarians to champion the contribution of our members and the broader health and medical research sector.