Up to $13.5 million in health and medical research grants over three years is available for Indigenous-led projects to drive improvements in outcomes for four key health challenges.
The grants are part of the Morrison Government’s $160 million, 10-year investment in the Indigenous Health Research Fund from the $20 billion Medical Research Future Fund.
Up to $2 million is available per research project, which must focus on one or more of:
- Ending avoidable blindness and deafness — Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people have a higher incidence of hearing and sight loss compared with non-Indigenous Australians
- Preventing chronic kidney disease — Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people experience approximately seven times the burden of disease due to chronic kidney disease than non-Indigenous Australians
- Improving adolescent mental health — Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander adolescents experience significantly higher mortality rates compared with non-Indigenous Australians and experience a higher burden of disease from causes related to social and emotional wellbeing, including suicide.
Research should be led by Indigenous people and conducted through close engagement with Indigenous communities.
This is an opportunity for multidisciplinary teams of researchers to undertake collaborative, intervention-focused research to inform and transform the way the health system improves health outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
The grants will support practical, innovative health research into the best approaches to prevention, early intervention and treatment.
The $20 billion Medical Research Future Fund is a significant boost to Australia’s investment in health and medical research.
This grant opportunity will open on 13 December 2019 and close on 5 February 2020.
Grants will run from 2019‑20 to 2021‑22.
The Indigenous Health Research Fund will run from 2019‑20 to 2028‑29.