Funding for Research into Cancers with Low Survival Rates: Submission to the Senate Select Committee

This submission to the Senate Select Committee inquiring into funding for research into cancers with low survival rates responds to each term of reference from the perspective of the whole health and medical research sector, noting that funding is finite and that survival gains depend on global as well as Australian research. Research Australia maintains that the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) funding model does not exclude brain cancer, citing several 2016 grants, but that underfunding of indirect research costs (supported at about 30% for universities and 20% for medical research institutes against the McKeon Review’s recommended 60%) pushes institutions to rely on philanthropy, which can steer applications towards diseases with strong donor support. It therefore recommends that the Government fully fund the indirect costs of research it funds competitively, through Research Block Grants and the Independent Research Institute Infrastructure Support Scheme. On clinical trials, it recommends supporting and evaluating existing initiatives, including Medical Research Future Fund priorities, before creating cancer-specific funding models. It maintains that awareness campaigns should remain with patient groups, with Commonwealth support better delivered through matched funding schemes such as Cancer Australia’s Priority Driven Collaborative Cancer Research Scheme. Noting Australian Institute of Health and Welfare data showing only a 1.2% improvement in brain cancer survival between 1984–88 and 2009–13, it encourages development of a national rare disease policy framework, with new funding for diagnosis, specialised care and research. Appendices summarise Australian HMR funding and rare disease policies in Europe and the United States.