$18m in NHMRC funding to improve health

The George Institute has been awarded more than $18 million to improve the health of all Australians, in the latest round of funding from Australia’s National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC).

The Institute received $13 million for Project Grants, with a success rate of 28% - almost double the national average. Its overall Fellowship success rate was 30 per cent, also comparatively high. Of particular note is that the Institute’s Critical Care and Trauma unit was successful in all its NHMRC applications this year, receiving three Project Grants, one Early Career Fellowship and one Practitioner Fellowship.

The funds will be spent across The George Institute globally, including ongoing work on salt reduction programs in China and India and the development of a polypill in India. The RESOLVE trial will also involve sites in China, India and Australia, whilst the STARRT-AKI trial is now underway in five countries.

At the same time, five researchers have received funds from the annual National Heart Foundation Awards, including two Vanguard Grants. This follows from a successful entry in this year’s Google Impact Challenge where the TEXTCARE program won $750,000.

Federal Health Minister Sussan Ley said: “We know that every dollar invested in medical research returns on average more than $2 in benefits through reducing the burden of disease and driving productivity. This investment allows our researchers to continue with their world-class and internationally-renowned research.

“Over the next year the Medical Research Future Fund (MRFF) will distribute an additional $61 million into new research, over and above NHMRC grant funding.”

NHMRC results

Career Development Fellowshops

Dr Steven Kamper, (Musculoskeletal)
CDF Level 1

Project grants

Adam Deane, (Critical Care and Trauma)
REVISE: Re-EValuating the Inhibition of Stress Erosions: Gastrointestinal bleeding prophylaxis in ICU
$2,955,164.20

Manuela Ferreira, (Musculoskeletal)
SUcceSS: SUrgery for Spinal Stenosis - a randomised placebo-controlled trial
$2,303,244.80

Associate Professor Martin Gallagher, (Renal and Metabolic)
STARRT-AKI: STandard versus Accelerated initiation of Renal Replacement Therapy in Acute Kidney Injury
$2,112,446.60

Professor Jeffrey Lipman, (Critical Care and Trauma)
BLING III: A phase III randomised controlled trial of continuous beta-lactam infusion compared with intermittent beta-lactam dosing in critically ill patients
$3,269,942.70

Associate Professor Meg Jardine, (Renal and Metabolic)
RESOLVE: Evaluation of the efficacy and safety of health service dialysate sodium practice on clinical outcomes
$1,958,204.80

Professor Bala Venkatesh, (Critical Care and Trauma)
ADRENAL - A multi centre, randomised, blinded, placebo controlled trial comparing intravenous hydrocortisone with placebo in critically ill patients with septic shock
$317,997.10

Centres of Research Excellence

Professor Bruce Neal, (Food Policy)
Reducing salt intake using food policy interventions
$2,491,067

Research Fellowships

Professor Stephen Jan, (Office of the Chief Scientist)
Addressing the health and economic burden of chronic conditions

Practitioner Fellowships

Professor Simon Finfer, (Critical Care & Trauma)
Saving money and saving lives: integrating comparative effectiveness trials and translational research in critically ill patients

Early Career Fellowships

Dr Manoj Saxena, (Critical Care & Trauma)
Therapeutic Thermal Regulation in Critical Illness

Ms Helen Trevena, (Food Policy)
Improving the healthiness of the foods in Australian supermarkets

Dr Ruth Webster, (Office of the Chief Scientist)
Better Use of Established Medications for the Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease

National Heart Foundation Awards

Vanguard grants

Professor Anthony Rodgers
Pilot phase for the workplace migraine HeadAche Prevention Project
($75,000)

Associate Professor Julie Redfern (Cardiovascular Division)
Apps to improve medication adherence in Coronary Heart Disease (MedApp-CHD) Study
($75,000)

Postdoctoral Fellowships

Dr Kristina Petersen (Food Policy)
Ms Helen Trevena (Food Policy)

Health Professional Scholarships

Genevieve Coorey (Cardiovascular Division)