Funding medical research across Australia

Each year the Paediatric Intensive Care Unit cares for more than 1,500 children with life-threatening conditions. With half of their patients less than one year of age, the impact of critical illness on future neurodevelopment is a key focus of research.

To address this critical concern, the Children’s Hospital at Westmead operates the Kids Critical Care Research (KCCR), focusing on improving both short- and long-term outcomes for infants and children facing life-threatening critical illnesses.

The mission of Kids Research is to improve children’s health outcomes and drive excellence in paediatric health. KCCR does this by discovering new insights into childhood diseases, and developing better diagnostic methods and treatments. Their clinical research and clinical trials are important vehicles for identifying treatments that are safe and effective, and are a large part of their work. Their ultimate goal is to translate the world's best research into clinical practice within the Sydney Children’s Hospitals Network and community. Further to this, they collaborate at a local, national and international level to improve children’s health, locally and globally.

For more than 97 years, the Baker Institute has been focused on research dedicated to the prediction, prevention and treatment of cardiovascular disease, diabetes and their related disorders. That focus continues today but medicine is changing and so too the way the Baker Institute goes about targeting disease. Globally, we are witnessing a healthcare revolution driven by scientific and technological advances in areas such as genomics and bioinformatics, enhancing our ability to more precisely diagnose disease and better target prevention and treatment.

The internet and 'big data' is revolutionising our world, providing insights and capabilities that we would think more likely in a science fiction movie than reality. This is no different in medical research. Specifically, in the Baker Institute’s focus areas, they believe that by harnessing big data they can provide greater confidence around disease risk. With these new developments, come new ways of predicting disease, sometimes long before disease appears. This means we can be far more effective in the prevention space. We can accelerate and enhance approaches to prevent secondary disease and disease complications. And we can start to tailor treatment for the individual rather than the traditional ‘one size fits all’ approach. To leverage these new capabilities, the Baker Institute draws on their expertise across a range of areas including basic science, clinical research and public health. This helps to understand the mechanisms and potential drivers of disease, to test these hypotheses in patients and to understand the clinical needs. The Baker Institute also seeks to understand how the environment interacts with our genes and the role of lifestyle. That’s why the Institute is ideally placed to harness this new technology, to personalise medicine and to help people live healthier for longer.

The medical researchers at WEHI (Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research) have been serving the community for more than 100 years, making transformative discoveries in cancers, infectious and immune diseases, developmental disorders, and healthy ageing.

WEHI brings together diverse and creative people with different experience and expertise to solve some of the world’s most complex health problems. With partners across science, health, government, industry and philanthropy, WEHI is committed to long-term discovery, collaboration and translation.

The Florey is the largest brain research centre in the Southern Hemisphere, with teams of researchers dedicated to building knowledge on a range of neurological and mental health conditions.

Their expertise and world-class facilities mean that the knowledge gained in research can be accelerated into impact – from improving diagnosis to finding treatments, and changing clinical practice, improving the lives of people affected by brain and mental health conditions.

Their missions – Mental Health, Epilepsy, Project and Repair, and Dementia – have long been areas of focus and expertise for The Florey. These missions are complemented by themes that underpin our discovery research capabilities – Neurotherapeutics, Neuroimaging, Synaptic Biology and System Neuroscience. Their strengths in innovation and collaboration make The Florey a leading scientific partner within the health and medical research sector.

RPA is a centre of excellence for medical research, known internationally for pioneering highly complex interventions and novel treatments and as a training ground for the next generation of clinicians.

The Green Light Institute for Emergency Care was established in 2020 following commitment of funding from Hearts and Minds. As part of the Sydney Local Health District, the Green Light Institute facilitates and coordinates research for emergency department patients. Their unique research service is wholly embedded within a clinical service, with researchers from the Institute working clinically in co-located emergency departments. This provides increased ability to access and engage clinicians and patients, translate research findings directly into clinical practice, and tailor approaches to clinical realities and constraints in busy and often overcrowded emergency departments.

The RPA Green Light Institute has spearheaded many high-impact research initiatives which have direct impact on patient outcomes. The Institute takes a collaborative approach, leading and facilitating research across multiple sites and enabling partnerships with other research institutes. While the RPA Green Light Institute remains acutely focused on emergency presentations and improving the emergency service experienced by patients, they are currently leading and supporting research projects ranging from improving cardiac arrest and sepsis, injury and trauma care, management of patients at risk of human trafficking and slavery, as well as studies looking at improving patient flow, reducing waiting times and enhancing patient experience.

1 in 5 of us will experience symptoms of mental illness in any given year. In Australia that’s around 5 million people. And roughly 60% of these people won’t seek help.

As the only medical research institute in Australia to investigate mental health across the lifespan, Black Dog Institute aims to create better mental health for all.

They do this through ‘translational’ research. Integrating their research studies, education programs, digital tools and apps, clinical services, and public resources to discover new solutions, foster connections and create real-world change.

Their partnerships with people with lived experience, federal, state and local governments, communities, schools, corporate Australia and others in the mental health sector enable them to drive evidence-informed change in mental health where it’s needed most.

Cardiovascular disease is the number one cause of death globally and costs the Australian economy $12 billion each year. This is projected to increase to $22 billion over the next decade. Cardiovascular disease has reached pandemic proportions with one Australian dying from the disease every 12 minutes. This is why more than 200 scientists and doctors across 23 laboratories at the Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute, Australia’s home of heart research, are dedicated to finding cures through their world class research.  

For over 25 years, the Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute has made a multitude of major advances in heart research, many revolutionising our understanding of disease causes, treatment, and prevention in the areas of heart attack, cholesterol, heart arrhythmia, cardiomyopathy, congenital heart disease and  genetic analysis.

Helped by partners like HM1 and Magellan, the Institute’s Innovation centre is heralding a research revolution in the search to solve the unsolved. It is pushing the boundaries of knowledge by transforming the landscape of cardiovascular research around Australia and the Asia Pacific. The Institute’s world class technology is accelerating the opportunities of discovering cures for heart disease and bringing us closer to realising “personalised” medicine of the future and improving health outcomes for patients suffering from heart disease in Australia and around the world.

Chronic pain is a major and increasing public health issue and affects one in five people in Australia with more than 68% of people living with chronic pain of working age. Pain Management Research Institute (PMRI) is a Research Centre of the Faculty of Medicine and Health, University of Sydney and a Centre of the Kolling Institute of Medical Research, a joint initiative between the University and Northern Sydney Local Health District. A national consortium, led by Professor Michael Nicholas at the Pain Management Research Institute, University of Sydney is developing interdisciplinary digital pain education to support the emerging, current and future health workforce and improve the lives of patients with chronic pain.

The purpose of the interdisciplinary digital pain education is to develop a nationally consistent and integrated approach to the management of people with chronic pain.

A patient care priorities framework (Listen to me, Learn from me) was developed to shape the interdisciplinary digital pain education. Their peer-reviewed paper about the framework has been published in PAIN, Journal of the International Association for the Study of Pain (IASP), a leading journal devoted to pain medicine and research. The interdisciplinary digital pain education will be piloted with design experts, health care professionals, consumer organisation representatives and key stakeholders in 2023.

Cerebral Palsy (CP) is caused by non-progressive damage to the developing brain, before, during or after birth. It is the most common physical disability in childhood, affecting the movement and speech of 17 million people globally. CP varies in severity and has a range of associated physical and cognitive impairments, including inability to walk or talk, pain, epilepsy, intellectual impairment, eyes and vision, bladder control problems and sleep disorders. Cerebral Palsy Alliance (CPA) is a ground-breaking, global centre of expertise for CP research, advocacy, intervention and assistive technology innovation.

The Research Foundation (CPARF) was established in 2005 to support and fund the prevention, treatment and cure for CP. The Foundation’s research priorities are informed by people with CP and include early diagnosis and intervention, epidemiology, regenerative medicine and technology. This ground-breaking research has seen the rate of CP drop in Australia by 30%.

HM1 has supported a range of projects at CPARF, including harnessing advancing technologies and innovation to accelerate the search for new and improved treatments and interventions for CP.

The Foundation’s technology research priorities are focused on cognition, communication and mobility solutions to improve inclusion for people with CP.

Current HM1 funded research is testing a prototype device investigating the possibility to block nerve signals that trigger muscle spasticity, leading to improved motor function in children with CP. A second area of support is testing the feasibility and acceptability of a spinal neuromodulation device used during rehabilitation sessions in children to improve muscle tightness and ability to have improved muscle control.

Established in 1992, the St Vincent's Clinic Research Foundation is a not-for-profit organisation dedicated to advancing patient care through cutting-edge medical research. As the research arm of St Vincent's Clinic, we are an integral part of a multidisciplinary centre of excellence, facilitating a direct connection between research and patient care. Our double-sided bench-to-bedside approach empowers top doctors and researchers within St Vincent's Sydney Health Innovation Precinct to shape the future of medicine, creating a real-world impact on patient care.

Our grants are critical in advancing research projects in their infancy that require support to flourish. In turn, they enable researchers to establish a track record, allowing access to larger government and NFP grants. With over 30 years of expertise, we offer a unique perspective to identify research projects with strong potential. This vital research continues to unravel medical mysteries and prevention practices, improves patient care and treatments, and unlocks possible cures.

A joint initiative between Murdoch Children’s Research Institute and Garvan Institute of Medical Research, the Centre for Population Genomics, led by Professor Daniel MacArthur seeks to create a world in which genomic information enables comprehensive disease prediction, accurate diagnosis and effective therapeutics for all people.

Genomic medicine uses the information in a person’s genes to guide disease diagnosis and decisions about suitable treatments. In the future, health will be based on an individualised model of care, informed by the data contained in a person’s genes.

Australia, thanks to its strengths in both research and healthcare, has an opportunity to be an international leader in the development of genomic medicine and its application to the entire population. But much remains to be done.

The Harry Perkins Institute of Medical Research was established in 1998 to unify Western Australian medical scientists in a collaborative research powerhouse. In the years since, it has grown to become one of the nation’s leading medical research centres, where a close-knit team of nearly 400 research and trial staff work together to defeat the major diseases that impact the community – including cancer, heart disease, diabetes and rare genetic diseases.

Research at the Harry Perkins Institute focuses on delivering better patient outcomes. With researchers located on three hospital campuses, the Perkins is uniquely positioned to fast track the development of new discoveries and treatments.

In the more than 20 years since the Institute’s inception, it has made and continues to make ground-breaking discoveries that improve the global understanding of disease.

The Harry Perkins Institute of Medical Research provides career opportunities to our best and brightest graduates and brings to Western Australia world-class researchers.

Macquarie University launched the Motor Neuron Disease (MND) Research program with a mission to provide world-class care for people living with MND, and to develop new effective treatments for this devastating disease.
MND is a terminal, rapidly progressing neurological disease. Every year in Australia around 800 people are diagnosed with this disease. Each day, two people lose their lives – as their families stand by, powerless to help.
Macquarie has assembled the largest research centre in Australia that is focused solely on finding the causes of MND and developing therapies to cure it.

Their research and consultation at the centre are conducted through:

• Partnership: Establishing and developing research relationships, both within the University and with external researchers, and not-for-profit agencies locally, nationally, and internationally; and
• Research excellence: Developing, delivering and enhancing quality biomedical research by adhering to the highest ethical and scientific standards, and professional practices; and‍
• Patient care: Providing world-class integrated multidisciplinary care from initial diagnosis, disease management and measurement of MND.

For over three decades, researchers at NeuRA have been dedicated to advancing medical science, aiming to prevent, treat, and cure brain and nervous system diseases, disorders and injuries. NeuRA’s research is diverse, spanning dementia, mental health, chronic pain and falls prevention. With a vision to enhance the lives of those affected by neurological challenges, our mission is to discover innovative solutions for neurodegeneration, mental health issues, and healthy ageing through world-class medical research.

Shake It Up Australia Foundation is a not-for-profit organisation established in 2011 and in partnership with The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research (MJFF) promotes and funds Parkinson’s disease research in Australia aimed at better treatments and ultimately a cure.

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SpinalCure Australia has been Australia’s pioneer and leader in the funding and promotion of cure-related SCI research for 30 years. Over the past five years, SpinalCure has raised over $30 million to help accelerate life-changing research in this area.  

More than 20,000 Australians live with an SCI and the burden to the economy is enormous, with SCI having an estimated lifetime cost of $75.4 billion.

Living with an SCI is hugely devastating. Reaching far beyond having an inability to walk, an SCI often leads to a loss of other bodily functions such as bladder and bowel control and impacts a person’s mental health, independence and freedom as they become more reliant on the help and care of others.

SpinalCure’s work is focused on three areas: advancing neurostimulation (a potentially revolutionary treatment for people with SCI), progressing early intervention via neuroprotection research and strengthening the SCI industry through advocacy work and planning treatment roll-out.

Through collaborations with universities, government, business, community and philanthropists, SpinalCure is highly targeted with its research funding and focused on looking for results and real improvements in patient outcomes. To meet this end, SpinalCure’s international Scientific Advisory Panel helps it select the very best scientists and therapies to ensure SpinalCure can move closer to the goal of finding a cure for SCI.

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The Bionics Institute is an internationally recognised, independent medical research institute that solves medical challenges with technology.

They lead the world in the research and development of innovative medical devices and therapies to improve human health.

Their multidisciplinary team comprises world-class scientists, engineers and researchers, and their laboratories are located at St Vincent’s Hospital Melbourne, close to their clinical collaborators.

Together they’re transforming the lives of people with a range of conditions, including Alzheimer’s disease, hearing impairment, Crohnʼs disease, limb loss, chronic pain, Parkinsonʼs disease, and arthritis.

Hearts & Minds is supporting the Institute’s work around the diagnosis and treatment of tinnitus.

Muscular Dystrophy NSW is NSW’s leading not-for-profit organisation dedicated to supporting people living with a neuromuscular condition and their families at every life stage.

For over 60 years, MDNSW have connected people across NSW living with neuromuscular conditions to the support programs they want, and the community they need.

MDNSW’s mission is to empower, connect and support the neuromuscular community and be an effective advocate for the neuromuscular community.

They achieve this by providing:

• A strong commitment to research into progressive treatments for neuromuscular conditions, raising funds to sponsor individual researchers and research institutions as well as partnering with local neuromuscular clinics and relevant bodies including the Australian Neuromuscular Disease Registry (ANMDR) to spread knowledge and raise awareness.
• Advocacy of causes important to the neuromuscular community including accessibility, NDIS reform and inclusion.
• Information, support coordination and peer support.
• Events, camps, and retreats that bring people in the community together to share, learn from and support each other.

Since its beginnings as Victoria’s centre of excellence in addiction treatment, Turning Point has grown to become Australia’s leading national addiction treatment, education and research centre.

Their work has helped to transform lives, with more than 100,000 Australians seeking support from their highly skilled clinicians every year.

Their research and health surveillance teams inform new cutting-edge treatments and shape health and social policy, while their workforce training equips frontline staff with the skills and confidence to respond and treat addiction.

The Clinical and Social Research team at Turning Point aims to address addiction issues across the spectrum of harm, establishing effective methods for supporting client journeys from initial help-seeking through to specialist treatment and recovery.

This research team uses an interdisciplinary framework that looks at the connection between biology, psychology and the socio-environmental factors that contribute to addiction.

Hearts & Minds supports Professor Dan Lubman’s Addiction Research.

Older and younger people living with dementia need access to services designed to support their unique and specific needs.

The Dementia Centre gathers experts to advance research and global best practice in dementia care. This is achieved by building and sharing dementia knowledge and supporting others in improving practice for people living with dementia and with complex behavioural needs worldwide.

The six core focus areas of The Dementia Centre are:

• Research
• Models of care
• Understanding behaviour
• Design and the environment
• Palliative care
• Engagement.

MS Australia is Australia’s national multiple sclerosis (MS) not-for-profit organisation that empowers researchers to identify ways to treat, prevent and cure MS. They are the largest Australian not-for-profit organisation dedicated to funding, coordinating, educating and advocating for MS research as part of the worldwide effort to solve MS.

Their sincere belief is that they can find ways to prevent and cure MS. Not only eradicating new diagnoses but enabling symptoms to be treated for those living with MS. The ultimate and singular goal is to enable a world without MS.

Their influence is broad, as the expert, trusted national voice on MS to government and media, and respected supporter of MS medical research in Australia.

Their MS Member Organisations and community are indispensable partners in their mission. With a collective dedication to funding and progressing vital MS research and advocacy, they can together enhance and enrich their mutual work and help bring a louder voice and dynamism to the MS cause.

Orygen believes that all young people deserve to grow into adulthood with optimal mental health. Everything they do is focused on that outcome.

Most mental health disorders begin between the early teens to the mid-20s. One in five young people will have experienced a depressive episode by the time they turn 18. Orygen believes in treating early and focusing on recovery. Pioneering reform to deliver real-world practical solutions. Never settling for anything less than what young people need and deserve.

Working directly with young people, their families and friends, they pioneer new, positive approaches to the prevention and treatment of mental disorders.

Orygen uses research and evidence-based practice to develop and provide innovative training programs and resources. Their ultimate goal is to see young people with mental ill-health getting well and staying well. Now that’s a revolution in mind.

Murdoch Children's Research Institute (MCRI) is Australia's largest child health research institute and ranked among the top three globally for research quality and impact^*.

There are over 1,800 researchers working across more than 150 common and rare diseases and conditions affecting children. From allergies and asthma to cancer and rare genetic disorders, MCRI is relentless in its pursuit to improve the lives of all children.


The MCRI story began in 1986, when world-leading philanthropist Dame Elisabeth Murdoch and genetics pioneer Professor David Danks imagined a better future for our children and established the original Murdoch Institute for Research in Birth Defects.

Since then, MCRI has grown from a genetics research institute to a global leader in child health.

Our foundational work in genetics, pioneering discoveries in stem cell medicine and ambitious population health studies are changing what’s possible for children and families in Australia and around the world.


Operating in a unique model with The Royal Children’s Hospital and the University of Melbourne, Murdoch Children’s Research Institute is part of a great circle of healthcare and discovery – helping transform child health from the labs to clinics and out into communities.

_{* Clarivate Performance analysis and MCRI benchmarking report, November 2023}

The Menzies Institute for Medical Research, at the University of Tasmania, is one of Australia’s leading health and medical research institutes.

We strive for a world where the diseases that currently touch every Tasmanian – such as multiple sclerosis, dementia, arthritis, heart disease and cancer – are halted.

We work collaboratively with the community and consumers, other researchers, health services, government, industry and funders to achieve our purpose to enable healthier, longer and better lives for Tasmanians through internationally significant medical research.

We undertake excellent laboratory, clinical and population health research in themes that reflect the burden of disease in the Tasmanian community and our expertise in addressing these conditions. Our local research is of global significance.

The Menzies Institute for Medical Research, at the University of Tasmania, is one of Australia’s leading health and medical research institutes.

We strive for a world where the diseases that currently touch every Tasmanian – such as multiple sclerosis, dementia, arthritis, heart disease and cancer – are halted.

We work collaboratively with the community and consumers, other researchers, health services, government, industry and funders to achieve our purpose to enable healthier, longer and better lives for Tasmanians through internationally significant medical research.

We undertake excellent laboratory, clinical and population health research in themes that reflect the burden of disease in the Tasmanian community and our expertise in addressing these conditions. Our local research is of global significance.

Hearts & Minds supports Menzies through two Fellowships:

• Hearts & Minds Fellowship in Environmental health: Dr Nicolas Borchers Arriagad’s research aims at studying the health effects and impacts of environmental and climate stressors in the Australian population. His main areas of research include air pollution, mainly from winter wood heating and bushfires, and increased temperatures due to climate change. His focus is on developing analyses and tools that allow decision makers better prioritise scarce resources to prevent health harms from happening.
• Hearts & Minds Fellowship in Cardiovascular health: this fellowship supports research undertaken under the recently launched Menzies Cardiovascular Research Flagship. The flagship is a statewide collaboration of researchers, health services and health practitioners, policy makers and community, including those with lived experience of cardiovascular disease. It aims to reduce cardiovascular risk and improve cardiovascular outcomes through less hospitalisations, fewer recurrent events, lower mortality, reduced disability, and improved quality of life.

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Every day, over 100 Australians will be told they have a gastro-intestinal (GI) cancer, which includes cancer of the liver, pancreas, large and small bowel, oesophagus, stomach, gallbladder, rectum and anus.

For more than 30 years, the GI Cancer Institute has been conducting clinical trials and translational research studies to improve treatments, survival rates and quality of life for people with GI cancer.

Their dedicated group of more than 1,800 researchers  encompasses a wide range of medical specialists, scientists, nurses, allied health professionals and community members with lived experience, working collaboratively to advance our knowledge of GI cancer.  

The GI Cancer Institute also raises awareness of GI cancer in the community and raises funds to conduct new GI cancer research.

Epworth believes that the more we understand, the better we can treat and care for our patients.

Epworth is committed to providing the best possible care for all of our patients. As part of this commitment, we invest in world-class equipment, professional development of our staff, and research to find innovative treatments to improve the lives of our patients and their families.

To this end, the Epworth Centre for Immunotherapies and Snowdome Laboratories was established in 2020, under the direction of internationally recognised haematologist, Professor Miles Prince AM. This centre of excellence leads a number of clinical trials to improve blood cancer treatment so that Australians no longer have to travel abroad to access the most advanced treatment options available.

Every day, more than 50 people in Australia are diagnosed with blood cancer.

While blood cancers are classified as a group, each person has a unique experience and treatment needs.  This is why the Centre is committed to identifying and tailoring innovative, personalised treatments for each and every person with blood cancer.

The Centre is currently running haematology clinical trials to find better treatments for blood cancers and undertaking research in the fields of genomics and cancer immunology.

Epworth established the Autologous Stem Cell Transplantation Service in 2023 - the first in a private hospital in Victoria, and only the second in Australia - to provide this treatment option for patients with lymphoma and multiple myeloma.

This transplant service is a specialised multi-step process with various stages of patient treatment and admissions in the Day Oncology Unit and Ward 2 East at Epworth Freemasons hospital.

This is an important step in realising our main objective – to deliver CAR-T Cell Therapy, one of the most revolutionary advances in medical science in recent years. CAR-T involves manipulating the genetic material (DNA) of the patient’s cancer-fighting white blood cells, so that these ‘armoured’ immune cells can then fight and kill cancer cells.  

The Centre is on the cusp of an exciting future and delighted that Hearts and Minds Investments is partnering in its life-saving work.

SAHMRI believes in a healthier future for all Australians. We listen to the needs of our communities to deliver research that changes the way healthcare is delivered. Through research excellence, innovation and strategic partnerships, we turn discoveries in health and medical research into impact for the community to improve the lives and health outcomes for all Australians.

Our research focuses on delivering better, more equitable health care across four major themes: striving for Aboriginal Health Equity through Australia’s largest dedicated Indigenous health research unit, tackling chronic diseases across our lifespan in Lifelong Health, investigating why people respond differently to diseases and therapies and deliver targeted treatment options in Precision Cancer Medicine, and improving the health and wellbeing of families through Women and Kids.

JDRF is the leading research, advocacy and community support organisation focused on type 1 diabetes (T1D) globally. JDRF Australia connects the leading individuals in every discipline, industry, and organisation with a single focus of creating a world without T1D.

Their mission is to accelerate life-changing breakthroughs to cure, prevent and treat T1D and its complications. They collaborate with academic institutions, policymakers, and corporate and industry partners to develop and deliver a pipeline of innovative therapies to people living with T1D.