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Government pledges $32m to medical research sector


Evelyn Lewin


13/02/2019 1:35:16 PM

The financial boost – aimed at helping researchers make breakthroughs a commercial success – is welcome news for people in the field.

The Government’s $32 million in funding is designed, in part, to ‘assist Australian researchers gain access to entrepreneurial training and experience’.
The Government’s $32 million in funding is designed, in part, to ‘assist Australian researchers gain access to entrepreneurial training and experience’.

‘The important thing is, in research in particular, we’re very good at developing new things, piloting them, maybe testing them in a trial. But we’re not so good at then implementing them on a large scale or in a commercial way.’
 
That is University of Melbourne academic GP Dr Jo-Anne Manski-Nankervis on why she welcomes news of Government funding designed to ‘assist Australian researchers gain access to entrepreneurial training and experience’.
 
Dr Manski-Nankervis is excited for this news because the business side of research is not taught at medical school, in training programs or during a PhD.
 
‘So we can’t expect people to become entrepreneurs with really no experience or knowledge about how business really works,’ she said.
 
‘This looks like a good opportunity to help people get those skills, so that we really have more chance of research being able to be scaled up and translated into practice.’

Jo-Anne-2018-hero.jpg
Academic GP Dr Jo-Anne Manski-Nankervis has welcomed news of the funding because researchers are, ‘very good at developing new things, piloting them, maybe testing them in a trial. But we’re not so good at then implementing them on a large scale or in a commercial way’.

According to Federal Health Minister Greg Hunt, the Government is pledging $32 million to the medical research sector over four years to help make their medical breakthroughs a commercial success.
 
‘Funded through the landmark Medical Research Future Fund [MRFF], the Researcher Exchange and Development within Industry (REDI) grant initiative will assist Australian researchers gain access to entrepreneurial training and experience,’ he said.
 
This will be delivered under the program through endeavours such as mentorship, exchange opportunities and fellowships.
 
The funding will also help facilitate projects between researchers and industry, and personnel exchanges between disciplines. Furthermore, it will aid in researchers developing partnerships with industry, universities, registered training providers and government entities, in a bid to further strengthen the Australian medical research industry.
 
In October last year, the 2018–2020 Priorities for the Medical Research Future Fund listed key RACGP goals as national priorities for the first time. These included boosting primary care research and stronger pathways for clinician research as national priorities.
 
At that time, the MRFF announced it would support the establishment of practice-based research networks (PBRNs) to advance primary care research, and work to boost scholarships for GPs considering doing a PhD.
 
The MRFF was established as an endowment fund to provide a sustainable source of funding for medical research and is the single largest boost in health and medical research funding in Australia’s history.
 
It is currently on track to reach $20 billion in funding by 2020–21, after which it will disburse around $1 billion a year in funding.
 
So far, over $1.7 billion has already been invested through the MRFF.
 
When it reaches fully funded status, the MRFF will almost double the Federal Government’s investment in health and medical research.
 
The REDI grant opportunities are now open.



funding MRFF primary care research research


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