What is Health & Medical Research?

This short guide, part of a donor-facing series, explains what health and medical research is and how it is conducted in Australia. It defines health and medical research as research that aims to improve the health and wellbeing of people, and describes the questions it addresses. It lists major Australian achievements, outlines where research is carried out and by whom, and describes basic scientific, applied clinical, public health and health services research, noting that health services research is an area where Australia needs to develop greater capabilities. A final section sets out the stages of developing a new medicine, a process the guide states takes on average 15 years, from basic research through clinical trial phases to registration and PBS listing.