University of Melbourne welcomes new medical research strategy and boost to funding
The University of Melbourne has welcomed the release of the Australian Government’s National Health and Medical Research Strategy and increased investment in medical research.
Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research) Professor Mark Cassidy AM said the strategy was a timely step towards a more coordinated, impact-driven national research system.
“The University’s mission is to deliver transformational research for the benefit of society,” Professor Cassidy said.
“Today’s announcement will allow for the continuation of our significant work in health and medical research, while also addressing national research priorities.
“The Strategy articulates a clear ambition to strengthen the links between discovery, translation and health outcomes, and reflects the importance of collaboration, equity and system-wide alignment.
“We support the Strategy’s strengthened focus on Indigenous-led research, its recognition of policy and practice, as key pathways for translation, and the establishment of national governance mechanisms to guide implementation.
“At the same time, as the Strategy moves into implementation, it will be important to ensure that foundational discovery research remains fully embedded across all elements of the system. Sustained investment in discovery is essential to maintaining Australia’s long-term research capability and global competitiveness.
“There is also a clear opportunity to further strengthen system sustainability – particularly through more explicit recognition of indirect costs across the full research pipeline, and through funding mechanisms that enable successful programs to scale from proof-of-concept to national impact.”
Included in today’s announcement was news the national diabetes research centre, headquartered at the University of Melbourne, will receive a significant funding investment of $14.6 million to further improve the lives of people with diabetes.
The Australian Centre for Accelerating Diabetes Innovations (ACADI), established in 2022, will receive the funding over four years from the Australian Government’s Medical Research Future Fund, Health Minister Mark Butler said.
ACADI is a virtual collaborative network which brings together more than 60 organisations including universities, health services, patient advocates and industry partners with the view of creating advanced solutions for diabetes.
The Director of ACADI, Professor Elif Ekinci, said the purpose of the Centre is to develop new interventions for timely diagnosis, prevention and treatment of diabetes and its many complications.
“Sadly, every five minutes, an Australian will be diagnosed with diabetes and is at risk of developing complications,” Professor Elif Ekinci, from the University of Melbourne’s Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences, said.
“At ACADI, we are driven to improve outcomes for people living with diabetes. Australia is home to world‑leading diabetes research and clinical trial capability, and ACADI is playing an increasingly pivotal role in advancing the field.
“This significant re-investment into ACADI’s future will help us to continue to build on our work to date and further translate our research into real-world outcomes and advancements for everyone living with diabetes, not just in Australia but globally.”
The investment will help implement findings from research that will have a significant impact on diabetes research and care for Australian patients.
ACADI recently established a 10-year collaboration and funding agreement with Diabetes Victoria, the state's peak body dedicated to reducing the impact of diabetes.
The Australian Epilepsy Project, at The Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, will receive $30 million to implement a new standard of care for epilepsy across Australia. Professor Graeme Jackson, who leads the project, is the Clinical Director of The Florey, a neurologist at Austin Health and a Professorial Fellow of the University of Melbourne.
These grants form part of the Australian Government’s half a billion dollar increase investment in medical research through the Medical Research Future Fund.
“We thank the Australian Government for its sustained and recently increased investment in the Medical Research Future Fund, which provides our researchers with the vital continuity needed to conquer major health challenges,” Professor Cassidy said.
“We look forward to working in partnership with the Australian Government and the sector to support implementation of the Strategy and to ensure it delivers a balanced, sustainable and globally competitive research system for Australia.”