MRFF Funding Opportunities

Several funding opportunities are currently available under the MRFF, seeking to address a range of different diseases and issues in different health settings. They are presented in order of application closing date below.

Want to assist with assessing MRFF grants?
The Department of Health is currently seeking interest from a range of stakeholders to assist in MRFF grant review and assessment as a member of a Grant Assessment Committee. More information is available here.

Open for application now

EMCR Research

$44.8 million is available in grants for:

    • Stream 1 (Incubator): up to $1 million to conduct early stage, small scale research, led by early-career researchers, that seeks to assess the potential and feasibility of novel strategies to address a critical or intractable health issue in one or more Priority Populations.
    • Stream 2 (Accelerator): up to $3 million to establish a large-scale interdisciplinary research program, led by mid-career researchers, that drives implementation of substantial improvements to health care and/or health system effectiveness for one or more Priority Populations.
    • Stream 3 (Targeted Call for Research): up to $2 million to utilise co-funding between the MRFF, a sponsoring academic organisation and partner organisation(s) to accelerate translation of research led by early to mid-career researchers.

This grant opportunity is being administered by the NHMRC. Minimum data is due on 24 May 2023.

2023 International Clinical Trial Collaborations (ICTC) Round 1 and Round 2

$12.6 million is available, with maximum grants of $3 million, to:

    • promote Australian involvement in international collaborative investigator-initiated clinical trials research through the establishment and co-ordination of clinical trial site/s in Australia
    • provide high-quality evidence of the effectiveness of novel health treatments, drugs or devices in ‘usual care’ settings, which will support a decision on whether to deliver the intervention in an Australian setting.

This grant opportunity is being administered by the NHMRC over two rounds. Minimum data is due on 28 June for Round 1, and 6 December 2023 for Round 2.

2023 Primary Health Care Research Opportunity

$20 million is available in grants of up to $3 million for research to

• evaluate the effectiveness and feasibility of new or existing best practice models of multidisciplinary care for patients with complex and chronic conditions in primary care and

• address one or more of the priorities set by the Australian Government for the Strengthening Medicare Taskforce.

There are two separate streams based on the remoteness of the research site/activity.

This grant opportunity is being administered by the NHMRC and minimum data is due on 5 July 2023.

2023 Clinician Researchers

$45.5 million is available to support medical research projects:

    • led by clinician researchers who are specialist general practitioners or specialists in any other specialty
    • that validate and implement new approaches for improving the quality of patient care, and
    • address health issues in a priority population/s.

This grant opportunity is being administered by the NHMRC. Minimum data is due on 5 July 2023. More information is available here.

Models of Care for Sexuality & Gender Diverse People & People with Innate Variations of Sex Characteristics

$26 million is available in grants of up to $5 million for four streams of research to be undertaken through co-design with community providers and/or consumers:

    • Stream 1: develop, implement and/or evaluate the effectiveness of multidisciplinary, patient-centred and sustainable models of care for sexuality diverse people
    • Stream 2: develop, implement and/or evaluate the effectiveness of multidisciplinary, patient-centred and sustainable models of care for sexuality and/or gender diverse people experiencing intersectional disadvantage
    • Stream 3: develop, implement and evaluate the effectiveness and acceptability of multidisciplinary, patient-centred models of physical and mental health care for transgender and gender diverse children, adolescents and young adults including those with intersectional disadvantages
    • Stream 4: develop, implement and evaluate the effectiveness and acceptability of multidisciplinary, patient-centred models of physical and mental health care for people with innate variations of sex characteristics, including those with intersectional disadvantages.

This grant opportunity is being administered by the NHMRC. Minimum data is due on 26 July 2023. More information is available here.

2023 National Critical Research Infrastructure

$100 million is available for research infrastructure to ensure Australian researchers find innovative solutions to complex health problems in areas of unmet medical need. This grant opportunity has four streams:

Stream 1 – Innovation enablers (up to $3 million)
Addresses an area of unmet medical need by promoting the development and implementation of new research methodologies or applications including omics’-led approaches and enhanced infrastructure linkage strategies.

Stream 2 – Digitisation of health care (up to $3 million)
Translates or implements innovative artificial intelligence technologies into health applications that:

    • benefit multiple health disciplines/areas
    • involve consumers in the research journey to ensure the research is applicable to the needs of the Australian community; and
    • increase artificial intelligence workforce capacity and capability, particularly in relation to health, through cross-sector and interdisciplinary collaboration.

Stream 3 – Co-investment partnerships (up to $7 million)
Utilising co-investment (cash only) with the research sector, state and/or territory governments, and industry, in significant critical research infrastructure (e.g. facilities, personnel and equipment):

    • to support development of research capacity, capability and/or effectiveness in an area of unmet medical need, or
    • to enable Australian research using new platforms, systems and services in an area of unmet medical need.

Stream 4 – mRNA technology enablers (up to $4 million)

Leverage and enhance emerging mRNA technologies, platforms, and/or equipment to accelerate development of mRNA-based vaccines and therapeutics in an area of unmet medical need.

Applications close 31 July. To apply, go to  www.business.gov.au/2023-NCRI

2023 Cardiovascular Health

$23 million is available in grants of up to $5 million to support Australian researchers in five streams, covering prevention, risk management, equity of access and survivorship. Several streams have a particular focus on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island communities.

This grant opportunity is being administered by the NHMRC. Minimum data is due on 2 August 2023. More information is available here.

2023 Dementia, Ageing and Aged Care Mission

$18 million is available in grants of up to $3 million to fund projects under two streams:

    • Stream 1 (Targeted Call for Research): conduct implementation research to test interventions that are designed to improve uptake of holistic primary and secondary prevention activities to delay the onset and severity of dementia
    • Stream 2 (Targeted Call for Research): develop new tools, technologies and strategies to support adoption of the key components of high-quality care for older Australians.

This grant opportunity is being administered by the NHMRC. Minimum data is due on 2 August 2023. More information is available here.

2023 Stem Cells Mission

$36 million is available in grants of up to $7 million to fund projects under two streams:

    • Stream 1 (Accelerator): support the development of novel stem-cell based treatments by disease-focused, multidisciplinary teams that leverage partner funds.
    • Stream 2 (Accelerator): support large scale projects involving multidisciplinary teams that will focus on pre-clinical screening of new treatments using human tissues made from stem cells.

This grant opportunity is being administered by the NHMRC. Minimum data is due on 2 August 2023. More information is available here.

2023 Global Health Grants- infections in healthcare

$3 million is available in grants of up to $2 million to support Australian researchers to collaborate globally to address shared challenges. This grant opportunity will support Australian medical research and medical innovation projects that:

▪ generate knowledge to improve understanding of healthcare associated infections in hospitals that drive antimicrobial resistance (including incidence, pathways and drivers of transmission), and

▪ develop, implement and/or assess the effectiveness of interventions to reduce the incidence of healthcare associated infections in hospitals that drive antimicrobial resistance.

The program is administered by the Department of Science, Industry and Resources and applications close on 20 September. More information is available on Grant Connect here.

MRFF Frontiers

Frontiers Health and Medical Research offers funding to support medical research and medical innovation programs of research that deliver a ‘moonshot’ by creating a treatment for a currently serious and incurable health condition, through a series of linked projects. The program of research can propose to develop novel health technologies and/or re-purpose existing health technologies in a novel way.

The process to get funding has two stages:

    • expression of interest – outlining a proposed program of research with a 10-year time horizon
    • full application, for a project of up to 5 years under the program of research.

Full applications may be submitted by invitation only. Applicants may propose to start research at any stage in the research pipeline from proof-of-concept, with the intention of achieving full implementation of the proposed technology in 10 years.

The program is administered by Business Grants Hub and an expression of interest can be submitted at any time. More information is available here. 

 

Opening Soon

Long COVID

The Australian Government will provide a further $50 million from the MRFF for research into post-acute sequelae of COVID-19 (PASC) – commonly known as Long COVID.

The new funding aims to 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. More information will be provided when available.