MRFF Funding Opportunities

2022 MRFF Frontier Health and Medical Research Grant Opportunity

About: the objectives of this grant opportunity offers funding to support medical research and medical innovation programs of research that deliver a ‘moonshot’ by creating a treatment for a currently serious and incurable health condition, through a series of linked projects. The program of research can propose to develop novel health technologies and/or re-purpose existing health technologies in a novel way.

The process to get funding has two stages:

• expression of interest – outlining a proposed program of research with a 10-year time horizon
• full application, for a project of up to five years under the program of research.

Full applications may be submitted by invitation only. Applicants may propose to start research at any stage in the research pipeline from proof-of-concept, with the intention of achieving full implementation of the proposed technology in 10 years.

Funding for subsequent projects under the program of research that continue to progress the technology towards full implementation can be sought by submitting additional full applications to this grant opportunity (i.e. applicants do not need to recommence with an EOI). These applications may be submitted by invitation only.

It is expected that expressions of interest will close on 31 March 2026, with the last grants awarded by 30 June 2027. However, the closing date for expressions of interest may be altered if:

• the available funds are exhausted or insufficient to fund additional grants, in which case the closing date may be brought forward
• further funds are made available in future years, in which case the closing date may be extended.

Apply via: DISER (via portal)

Key Dates
Opening date in DISER: 13 February 2023

• Opening date in DISER: 13 February 2023
• Strategic review (optional): four weeks prior to the date you wish to submit, select time in the strategic booking calendar
• Compliance and eligibility check (mandatory): two weeks prior to the date you wish to submit, select your date and time in the compliance and eligibility booking calendar.
• Applicant submits final application in DISER: when application is compliant and all approvals are obtained in PURE

2023 Childhood Mental Health Research Grant Opportunity

About:

The objective of this grant opportunity is to provide grants of financial assistance to support medical research and medical innovation projects that:

• Stream 1 (Aim 1, Objective #1 of Research Plan; Targeted Call for Research): conduct large multidisciplinary projects to build knowledge of the biological, environmental, social, cultural, structural, economic, and individual factors that;
  • contribute to mental illness in children, and
  • keep children mentally healthy
• Stream 2 (Aim 2, Objective #1 of Research Plan; Incubator) : conduct small-scale developmental projects to create assessments, treatments, preventions, and/or improve our understanding of the mechanisms of therapeutic change for childhood mental illness and psychological distress:
  • Topic A: for children aged 0 to 5 years
  • Topic B: in settings where children are cared for and/or whom they are cared by (for example, at home, in out-of-home care, in learning environments, in the community)
  • Topic C: among First Nations children by accessing the unique knowledge, strengths, and endurance of First Nations communities
  • Topic D: among children with a disability (including psychosocial disability or neuro disability) and/or long-term chronic disease
  • Topic E: among children who have experienced trauma
  • Topic F: among children experiencing emotionally based school avoidance/non-attendance
  • Topic G: for eating disorders (and their prodromes)
  • Topic H: for anxiety disorders (and their prodromes)
  • Topic I: for depression and/or self-harm and/or suicidality (and their prodromes)
  • Topic J: contribute to mental illness in children, and conduct disorder and oppositional defiant disorder)

For all Streams, projects should be culturally responsive, co-designed, and co-produced with children (where appropriate), their families, carers, the community, providers in settings (for example, child care or schools), and childhood mental health service providers.

Additional Information for Stream 1

For Stream 1, the Childhood Mental Health Research Plan requires that these large-scale activities will be significant collaborative efforts to drive the implementation of sustainable, systematic and substantial improvements to health care and health system effectiveness.

Stream 1 is intended to support projects that progress research that addresses a specific health need.

Stream 2 is intended to support early-stage, small-scale research projects that seek to assess the potential and feasibility of novel strategies to address critical or intractable health issues.

Applicants should note the additional eligibility criteria that apply to individuals or organisations for this grant opportunity.

The intended outcome of the research funded by this grant opportunity is to improve the health and wellbeing of Australians by:

• Stream 1 (Aim 1, Objective #1 of Research Plan); Targeted Call for Research): building evidence to support the development of effective strategies, interventions, policies and programs for promoting social and emotional wellbeing in children.
• Stream 2 (Aim 2, Objective #1 of Research Plan; Incubator): generating new assessments, treatments, preventions, and knowledge of the therapeutic mechanisms of change that improve the mental health, education, wellbeing, and quality of life for children.

If applicants propose research that is not relevant to the desired outcomes they will be considered against the relevant assessment criteria and found to be uncompetitive.

Grants Funding :

The amounts available for a single grant in each Stream are as follows:

• Stream 1: There is no minimum grant amount and the maximum amount available for a single grant is $5.0 million.
• Stream 2: There is no minimum grant amount and the maximum amount available for a single grant is $1.0 million.

The maximum grant period that can be applied for in each Stream is as follows:

• Stream 1: 5 years
• Stream 2: 2 years

Applicants must nominate a Chief Investigator A (CIA) who will take the lead role in completing the application, conducting the research, and reporting as required under the grant agreement.

A person must not be named as a Chief Investigator (CI) on more than one application submitted to a Stream of this grant opportunity (i.e. a person may be named as a CI on a maximum of one application per Stream). If a CI is named on more than one application submitted to a Stream of this grant opportunity, both applications will be considered ineligible.

To facilitate collaborative research teams with the required capacity and capability to undertake the proposed research, up to 15 CIs may be included as members of the research team.

For applications to Stream 1, 50% or more of the Chief Investigator team must be early to mid-career researchers and/or peer researchers.

For applications to Stream 2, to be considered for funding as an application led by early to mid-career researchers, the CIA and 50% or more of all Chief Investigators must be early to mid-career researchers.

Managing Agency: MRFF (via Sapphire)

• MRFF Opening Date: 11 Oct, 2023
• Strategic review (optional): TBA
• Minimum data deadline: 5 pm ACT local time, 28 February 2024
• Compliance and Eligibility check (mandatory): TBA
• Applicant submits final application in Sapphire: 11.59 pm Sunday, 24 March 2024
• Research Services submission to MRFF: 5 pm ACT local time, 27 March 2024
• Expected outcomes: July 2024

2023 Post-Acute Sequelae of COVID-19 Grant Opportunity Guidelines ( Stream 4, Stage 2)- closing on 30 April 2025

About:

The objective of this grant opportunity is to provide grants of financial assistance to support medical research and medical innovation projects that:

• Stream 4 (Aim 3 of Research Plan):
  • Stage 1 (Incubator):
  • Stage 2 (Targeted Call for Research): establish a multidisciplinary national adaptive platform trial that accelerates assessment and implementation of therapeutic interventions (pharmacological and non-pharmacological) for PASC.

Applications to this grant opportunity must propose research that addresses one of the four Streams of research. An application may only be submitted to one of the above four Streams only. 

Applications to Stage 2 of Stream 4 can include Chief Investigators that were successful under Stage 1. Otherwise, a person must not be named as a Chief Investigator (CI) on more than one application submitted to a Stream of this grant opportunity (i.e. a person may be named as a CI on a maximum of one application per Stream). If a CI is named on more than one application submitted to a Stream of this grant opportunity, both applications will be considered ineligible.

Applicants should note that Stage 1 and Stage 2 applications will be assessed against different criteria and have different deadlines.

The intended outcome of the research funded by this grant opportunity is to improve the health and wellbeing of Australians by:

• Stream 4 (Aim 3 of Research Plan; Incubator and Targeted Call for Research): accelerating the identification of optimal management approaches for people living with PASC.

Funding and Grant period:

Managing Agency: NHMRC (via Sapphire)

• NHMRC opening date in Sapphire: 06 September 2023
• Strategic review (optional): To be confirmed( March 2025)
• NHMRC minimum data deadline: To be updated
• Compliance and eligibility check (mandatory): To be confirmed( March 2025)
  By the date and time you select, you must also have a penultimate draft of your entire application in Sapphire and DVCR Co-Funding requests must be submitted via Pure.
• Applicant submits a final application in Sapphire: 11.59 pm Sunday 27 April, 2025
• Research Services submission to NHMRC:
  • Stream 1, 2, 3 & 4 (Stage 1): 5 pm ACT local time on 01 November 2023
  • Stream 4 (Stage 2): 5 pm ACT local time on 30 April 2025
• Expected outcomes:
  • Stream 1, 2, 3 & 4 (Stage 1): April 2024
  • Stream 4 (Stage 2): June 2025

2023 Clinical Trials Activity Grant Opportunity

About:

The objective of this grant opportunity is to provide grants of financial assistance to support medical research and medical innovation projects that:

• Stream 1 (Targeted Call for Research): conduct a pilot study to assess the feasibility of a new clinical trial for one or more treatments and/or management strategies for a rare cancer, rare disease and/or unmet need.
• Stream 2 (Targeted Call for Research): conduct a clinical trial of one or more treatments and/or management-based interventions for rare cancers, rare diseases and/or unmet needs.
• Stream 3 (Targeted Call for Research): conduct a clinical trial that assesses the comparative effectiveness of two or more health interventions to treat a specific clinical condition, to inform the decisions of policymakers, clinicians, and consumers regarding healthcare and to minimise the use of unnecessary, ineffective, and harmful health interventions.
• Stream 4 (Targeted Call for Research): conduct an implementation science trial to identify scalable strategies for reducing the provision of low-value care.

Note: Funder has provided additional information for Stream 1, Stream 2, stream 3 and Stream 4  which can be accessed from Grants Connect 

A person must not be named as a Chief Investigator (CI) on more than one application submitted to a Stream of this grant opportunity (i.e. a person may be named as a CI on a maximum of one application per Stream). If a CI is named on more than one application submitted to a Stream of this grant opportunity, both applications will be considered ineligible.

To facilitate collaborative research teams with the required capacity and capability to undertake the proposed research, up to 15 CIs may be included as members of the research team. Note that there is no requirement for Chief Investigators to hold a post-graduate qualification (e.g. a PhD).

It is generally required that, at the time of application submission, the CIA is an Australian citizen or is a permanent resident in Australia. Where the CIA is not an Australian citizen or permanent resident, they must have the requisite work visa in place at the time of accepting the grant (see section 6.4). The CIA must be based in Australia for the duration of the grant.

Funding:

For this grant opportunity, up to $65 million of funding is available over 3 years from 2024-25 for the four Streams listed below.

The amounts available for a single grant in each Stream are as follows:

• Stream 1 (Targeted Call for Research): The maximum amount available for a single grant is $0.8 million up to 2 years
• Stream 2 (Targeted Call for Research): The maximum amount available for a single grant is $5.0 million up to 5 years
• Stream 3 (Targeted Call for Research): The maximum amount available for a single grant is $5.0 million up to 5 years
• Stream 4 (Targeted Call for Research): The maximum amount available for a single grant is $5.0 million up to 5 years

Managing Agency: MRFF (via Sapphire)

• MRFF Opening Date: 25 October 2023
• Strategic review (optional): 29- 30 April 2024 (book via this link)
• Minimum data deadline: 5 pm ACT local time, Wednesday, 01 May 2024
• Compliance and Eligibility check (mandatory): 14- 15 May 2024 (book via this link)
• Applicant submits final application in Sapphire: 11.59 pm Sunday, 24 May 2024
• Research Services submission to MRFF: 5 pm ACT local time, Wednesday,29 May 2024
• Expected outcomes: September/October 2024

2023 Multidisciplinary Models of Primary Care Grant ( Stream 1, 2, 3)

About:

This grant opportunity is the first under the $50.0 million Primary Health Research Plan, which was developed by an independent Expert Advisory Panel in mid-2023.The objective of this grant opportunity is to provide grants of financial assistance to support medical research and medical innovation projects that:

• Stream 1 (Aim 1, Objective #1 of Research Plan; Targeted Call for Research): support a competitively selected primary care-led national consortium that will work collaboratively to support future-focused ways of thinking about primary care delivery through multidisciplinary team-based care.
• Stream 2 (Aim 1, Objective #2 of Research Plan; Targeted Call for Research): prospectively evaluate patient registration (using new and routinely collected data, quantitative and qualitative approaches) and how effective it is in different settings.
  Research proposals in this Stream must focus on one of the following topics:
  • Topic A: The organisation undertaking the majority of the research is based in any area according to the Modified Monash Model Locator (MM1-7)
  • Topic B: The organisation undertaking the majority of the research, the Chief Investigator A and 50% or more of all Chief Investigators, and all research participants are primarily resident in a rural, regional or remote area according to the Modified Monash Model Locator (MM2-7).
• Stream 3 (Aim 3 of Research Plan; Targeted Call for Research): develop and implement collaborative consortia that use existing data assets in innovative ways to inform value-based care, safely share critical patient information to support better diagnosis and healthcare management, empower people to participate in their own healthcare, and drive insights for planning, resourcing and continuous quality improvement.
• Stream 4 ( Stream 4 (Aim 2 of Research Plan; Targeted Call for Research): Listed as a separate funding opportunity further below

Applicants should also note the additional eligibility criteria that apply to individuals or organisations for this grant opportunity.

A person must not be named as a Chief Investigator (CI) on more than one application submitted to a Stream of this grant opportunity (i.e. a person may be named as a CI on a maximum of one application per Stream). If a CI is named on more than one application submitted to a Stream of this grant opportunity, both applications will be considered ineligible.

For applications to Streams 1, 2 and 4, the Chief Investigator A must be a Primary Care Clinician Researcher, and 20% or more of the CI team must be Early to Mid-Career Researchers or Early Career Clinician Researchers.

For applications to Stream 3, 20% or more of the CI team must be Early to Mid-Career Researchers or Early Career Clinician Researchers.

The intended outcome of the research funded by this grant opportunity is to improve the health and well-being of Australians by:

• Stream 1 (Aim 1, Objective #1 of the Research Plan; Targeted Call for Research): generating knowledge on optimal models of multidisciplinary team-based primary care at local and regional levels, including their critical elements and how they can be deployed in different settings (within and across practices) to improve health outcomes.
• Stream 2 (Aim 1, Objective #2 of the Research Plan; Targeted Call for Research): generating knowledge on the efficiency, effectiveness and acceptability of voluntary patient enrolment in improving health service access and delivery, workforce satisfaction and patient experience and outcomes.
• Stream 3 (Aim 3 of the Research Plan; Targeted Call for Research): using data or other digital infrastructure to support collaborative team-based care to drive better clinical practice, patient experience and health outcomes.

Funding:

The maximum grant period and maximum funding available for each Stream are as follows:

• Stream 1: 5 years; the maximum amount available for a single grant is $5.2 million.
• Stream 2: 5 years; the maximum amount available for a single grant is $1.0 million.
• Stream 3: 5 years; the maximum amount available for a single grant is $4.0 million.

Managing Agency: MRFF (via Sapphire)

• MRFF Opening Date: 18 October 2023
• Strategic review (optional): On or before 11-12 March, 2024 (book via this link)
• Minimum data deadline(Streams 1, 2 and 3): 5pm ACT local time on 13 March 2024
• Compliance and Eligibility check (mandatory): on or before 25-26 March 2024 (book via this link)
• Applicant submits final application in Sapphire (Streams 1, 2 and 3): 11:59 pm, 7 April 2024
• Research Services submission to MRFF(Streams1, 2,3 ): 5pm ACT local time on 10 April 2024
• Expected outcomes (Stream 1,2,3): August 2024

2024 Paediatric Brain Cancer Research Grant Opportunity Guidelines

About:

The objective of this  grant opportunity  is to provide grants of financial assistance to support medical research and medical innovation projects that:

Stream 1 (Targeted Call for Research): establish a national childhood brain cancer clinical trial consortium including o multidisciplinary approaches involving discovery, pre-clinical, data and psychosocial research that

• is integrated into clinical trials and can feed back into clinical care decisions
• multi-institutional collaborations that provide all Australian children, adolescents and young adults with paediatric-type brain cancer an opportunity to be involved in a clinical trial
• partners across the research sector, including academic, health service delivery, and industry
• international partnerships that will facilitate and enable people in Australia with paediatric brain cancer to access clinical trials conducted in other countries
• improving data approaches and methodologies that support rapid and collaborative assessment of the effectiveness (safety, efficacy etc) of current and emerging treatments
• addressing inequities in access to clinical trials, particularly for priority populations o a focus on improving quality of life and survivorship outcomes for people in Australia with paediatric brain cancer, including psychosocial and neurocognitive outcomes, in the short and long-term
• generating knowledge that could inform future health technology assessment.

Stream 2 (Targeted Call for Research): conduct novel pre-clinical and/or early stage clinical research to improve understanding of paediatric brain cancer (including DIPG or Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma) and/or generate new therapies and treatments for paediatric brain cancer.

This grant opportunity is intended to support projects that progress research that addresses a specific health need. Applicants are to demonstrate how they will engage with existing childhood brain cancer networks and infrastructure, including but not limited to the Zero Childhood Cancer Program (ZERO). Applicants should also include adolescent and young adult participants in the research where appropriate.

Note: Applicants should note the additional eligibility criteria that apply to individuals or organisations for this grant opportunity.
A person must not be named as a Chief Investigator (CI) on more than one application submitted to a Stream of this grant opportunity (i.e. a person may be named as a CI on a maximum of one application per Stream).

Applications to this grant opportunity must propose research that addresses one of the two Streams of research. An application may be submitted to one of the above two Streams only. Applicants must specify the Stream to which they are applying in their application.

The intended outcome of the research funded by this grant opportunity is to improve the health and wellbeing of Australians by:

Stream 1 (Targeted Call for Research): providing access to clinical trials that continuously improve the quality of care available for paediatric brain cancer patients and their families -

Stream 2 (Targeted Call for Research): generating evidence that will support development of new treatments for paediatric brain cancer. If applicants propose research that is not relevant to the desired outcomes they will be considered against the assessment criteria and found to be uncompetitive.

Funding and Grant Period

The amounts available for a single grant in each Stream are as follows: -

• Stream 1: The maximum amount available for a single grant is $14.0 million and the maximum grant period is 7 years
• Stream 2: The maximum amount available for a single grant is $2.0 million and the maximum grant period is 3 years.

Managing Agency: MRFF (via Sapphire)

• MRFF Opening Date: 5 Feb 2024
• Strategic review (optional): On or before 21May 2024 2024 (book via this link)
• Minimum data deadline: 5 pm ACT local time on 22 May 2024
• Compliance and Eligibility check (mandatory):  On or before 5 June 2024 2024 (book via this link)
• Applicant submits final application in Sapphire (Streams 4): 5 pm ACT local time on 16 June 2024
• Research Services submission to MRFF(Stream 4): 5 pm ACT local time on 19 June 2024

National Critical Research Infrastructure Initiative – 2023 Innovative Trials

The objective of this grant opportunity is to provide grants of financial assistance to support Australian medical research and innovation projects that:

• Stream 1: address an area of unmet medical need by promoting the development and implementation of adaptive platform trials. Research proposals in this stream must focus on one of the following topics:
  • Topic A: conducting inception projects that build evidence and capability to demonstrate the feasibility of establishing a national adaptive platform trial that would allow for rapid assessment of pharmacological and/or non-pharmacological interventions in an area of unmet need
  • Topic B: establishing a new national adaptive platform trial that addresses an area of unmet need, including set up of central infrastructure and conduct of initial launch domains
  • Topic C: expanding an existing adaptive platform trial by adding new domains that address an area of unmet need.
• Stream 2: conduct a registry-based randomised controlled trial in an area of unmet medical need by embedding a registry-based randomised controlled trial into a pre-existing clinical registry
• Stream 3: generate evidence of the efficiency and cost effectiveness of innovative trial designs over conventional trial designs for:
  • Topic A: adaptive platform trials
  • Topic B: registry-based randomised controlled trials.

  Projects which leverage existing research infrastructure projects such as those funded by the Australian Government through the National Collaborative Research Infrastructure Strategy (NCRIS) will be highly regarded (see Appendix A).

Note: Applicants should note the additional eligibility criteria that apply to individuals or organisations for this grant opportunity.

A person must not be named as a CI on more than one application submitted per stream of this grant opportunity (i.e. a person may be named as a CI on a maximum of one application per stream). If a CI is named on more than one application submitted

Funding and Grant Period:

Each stream and topic will be funded separately,

Stream 1 Topic A (Incubator): The maximum amount available for a single grant is $0.3 million
Stream1 Topic B(Targeted Call for Research) : The maximum amount available for a single grant is $0.3 million
Stream 1 Topic C (Targeted Call for Research): The maximum amount available for a single grant is $3.0 million
Stream 2 Topic A(Targeted Call for Research):  The maximum amount available for a single grant is $5.0 million
Stream 3 (Targeted Call for Research):  The maximum amount available for a single grant is $1.0 million
Stream 3, Topic B (Targeted Call for Research): The maximum amount available for a single grant is $1.0 million.

Managing Agency: ( via business.gov.au)

• MRFF Opening Date: 06 February 2024
• Strategic Review(optional): On or before 26 May 2024 (book via this link)
• Minimum data deadline:
• Compliance and Eligibility check (mandatory):  On or before 26 June  2024 (book via this link)
• Applicant submits final application in Sapphire (Streams 4): 5 pm ACT local time on 07 July 2024
• Research Services submission to MRFF(Stream 4): 5 pm ACT local time on 10 July 2024

2024 Indigenous Health Research Grant Opportunity

About:

The objective of this grant opportunity is to provide grants of financial assistance to support Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander led medical research and medical innovation projects that:

• Stream 1 (Priority areas 2.1 to 2.5; Targeted Call for Research): conduct a large-scale multidisciplinary project to develop and evaluate effective strategies to reduce the prevalence of chronic disease in Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people.
• Stream 2 (Priority areas 2.1 to 2.5: Targeted Call for Research): conduct a large-scale multidisciplinary project to develop and evaluate an improved understanding of the relationships between infection, inflammation, and chronic diseases among Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people.
• -Stream 3 (Priority areas 4.1 to 4.4; Incubator): conduct early-stage developmental research to improve understanding of the association between racism, intergenerational trauma and issues of social justice and health outcomes, and how they intersect with other forms of disadvantage

Streams 1 and 2 are intended to support projects that progress research that addresses a specific health need. Stream 3 is intended to support early stage, small scale research projects that seek to assess the potential and feasibility of novel strategies to address critical or intractable health issues.

The intended outcome of the research funded by this grant opportunity is to improve the health and wellbeing of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people by: -

• Stream 1 (Priority areas 2.1 to 2.5; Targeted Call for Research): generating new approaches for reducing chronic disease prevalence.
• Stream 2 (Priority areas 2.1 to 2.5:Targeted Call for Research): generating knowledge that can improve approaches for addressing the causes of chronic disease.
• Stream 3 (Priority areas 4.1 to 4.4; Incubator): generating knowledge that can improve approaches for addressing health inequities. If applicants propose research that is not relevant to the desired outcomes they will be considered against the relevant assessment criteria and found to be uncompetitive.

Note: Applicants should note the additional eligibility criteria that apply to individuals or organisations for this grant opportunity.
A person must not be named as a Chief Investigator (CI) on more than one application submitted to a Stream of this grant opportunity (i.e. a person may be named as a CI on a maximum of one application per Stream). 

Funding and Grant Period:

The types of grants that are available under this grant opportunity are:

• Targeted Call for Research grants (Streams 1 and 2):The maximum amount available for a single grant is $5.0 million.
  The maximum grant period that can be applied 7 years
• Incubator grants (Stream 3): The minimum amount available for a single grant is $0.2 million and the maximum amount available for a single grant is $1.0 million.  The maximum grant period that can be applied is 2 years
• Innovation grants (Streams 1 and 2, if requested);amount available for a single Innovation grant is fixed at $0.2 million

Managing Agency: MRFF (via Sapphire)

• MRFF Opening Date: 07 February 2024 (book via this link)
• Strategic Review: On or before 25 June 2024 (book via this link)
• Minimum data deadline(Stream 4): 5 pm ACT local time on 26 June 2024
• Compliance and Eligibility check (mandatory):  On or before10 July 2024 2024 (book via this link)
• Applicant submits final application in Sapphire (Streams 4): 5 pm ACT local time on 21 July 2024
• Research Services submission to MRFF(Stream 4): 5 pm ACT local time on 24 July 2024

2024 Early to Mid-Career Researchers Grant

About:

The objective of this grant opportunity is to provide grants of financial assistance to support Australian medical research and medical innovation projects that:

• Stream 1 (Incubator): conduct early stage, small scale research, led by early-career researchers, that seeks to assess the potential and feasibility of novel strategies to address a critical or intractable health issue in one or more Priority Populations.
• Stream 2 (Accelerator): establish a large-scale interdisciplinary research program, led by mid-career researchers, that drives implementation of substantial improvements to health care and/or health system effectiveness for one or more Priority Populations.
• Stream 3 (Targeted Call for Research): utilise co-funding between the MRFF, a sponsoring academic organisation and other organisation(s) to accelerate translation of research led by early to mid-career researchers.

Priority Populations are defined as Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people, older people experiencing diseases of ageing, people with rare or currently untreatable diseases/conditions, people in remote/rural communities, people with a disability, individuals from culturally and linguistically diverse communities, LGBTIQ+ people, and youth.

Stream 1 is intended to support early stage, small scale research projects that seek to assess the potential and feasibility of novel strategies to address critical or intractable health issues.
Stream 2 is intended to support large-scale interdisciplinary research programs that drive implementation of substantial improvements to health care and/or health system effectiveness.
Stream 3 is intended to support projects that progress research that addresses a specific health need.

Note: Applicants should note the additional eligibility criteria that apply to individuals or organisations for this grant opportunity.

A person must not be named as a Chief Investigator (CI) on more than one application submitted to a Stream of this grant opportunity (i.e. a person may be named as a CI on a maximum of one application per Stream). If a CI is named on more than one application s

The intended outcome of the research funded by this grant opportunity is to improve the health and wellbeing of Australians by:

• Stream 1 (Incubator): supporting early-career researchers to develop innovative solutions for addressing significant health challenges in Priority Populations.
• Stream 2 (Accelerator): supporting mid-career researchers to transform health practice and/or policy for Priority Populations.
• Stream 3 (Targeted Call for Research): supporting early to mid-career researchers to translate new therapies and/or products into practice.

Funding and Grant Period:

The maximum grant period that can be applied for in each Stream is as follows:

• Stream 1 (Incubator): 2 years
• Stream 2 (Accelerator): 5 years
• Stream 3 (Targeted Call for Research): 4 years.

The amounts available for a single grant in each Stream are as follows:

• Stream 1 (Incubator): The minimum amount available for a single grant is $200,000 and the maximum amount available for a single grant is $1.0 million.
• Stream 2 (Accelerator): The minimum amount available for a single grant is $3.0 million and the maximum amount available for a single grant is $5.0 million
• Stream 3 (Targeted Call for Research): There is no minimum grant amount, and the maximum amount available for a single grant is 2.0 million.

Managing Agency: MRFF (via Sapphire)

• MRFF Opening Date: 07 February 2024
• Strategic Review: On or before 25 June 2024 (book via this link)
• Minimum data deadline(Stream 4): 5 pm ACT local time on 26 June 2024
• Compliance and Eligibility check (mandatory):  On or before10 July 2024 2024 (book via this link)
• Applicant submits final application in Sapphire (Streams 4): 5 pm ACT local time on 21 July 2024
• Research Services submission to MRFF(Stream 4): 5 pm ACT local time on 24 July 2024

2024 Survivorship Care and Collaborative Research Prioritisation Grant

About:

The objective of this grant opportunity is to provide grants of financial assistance to support medical research and medical innovation projects that: -

• Stream 1 (Targeted Call for Research): develop scalable and sustainable approaches, in partnership with consumers, to improve survivorship care and quality of life for individuals who have survived severe health conditions and their families, careers, and communities. Research proposals in this Stream must focus on one of the following topics:
  • Topic F: Research projects that focus on adolescents and/ or young adults (aged 15-24) who have survived a severe health condition
  • Topic E: Research projects that focus on culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) people who have experienced a severe health condition
  • Topic D: Research projects that focus on First Nations people who have experienced a severe health condition
  • Topic C: Research projects that focus on those who have experienced severe physical and/or psychological or emotional trauma
  • Topic B: Research projects that focus on those who have experienced severe diseases other than cancer
  • Topic A: Research projects that focus on those who have experienced cancer
• Stream 2 (Incubator): conduct pilot projects co-led with communities that scope and address priority health issues and:
  • are conducted with and in communities experiencing socioeconomic disadvantage and with limited opportunity for engaging in research
  • are co-produced and/or co-designed with the community
  • are in partnership with local health and community service providers
  • address health issues and/or access barriers that are a priority for the community by identifying new solutions.

Funding under Stream 2 is available based on the geographic location of the organisation undertaking the majority of the research:

• Topic A: The organisation undertaking the majority of the proposed research is located in, and the Chief Investigator A and 50% or more of all Chief Investigators are primarily resident in, a metropolitan area according to the Modified Monash Model (MM1)
• Topic B: The organisation undertaking the majority of the proposed research is located in, and the Chief Investigator A, 50% or more of all Chief Investigators, and all research participants are primarily resident in, a regional, rural, remote or very remote area according to the Modified Monash Model (MM2-7).

Stream 1 is intended to support projects that progress research that addresses a specific health need. Stream 2 is intended to support early stage, small scale research projects that seek to assess the potential and feasibility of novel strategies to address critical or intractable health issues.

Applications to this grant opportunity must propose research that addresses one of the two Streams of research. An application may only be submitted to one of the above two Streams only. Applicants must specify the Stream to which they are applying in their application. The intended outcome of the research funded by this grant opportunity is to improve the health and wellbeing of Australians by:

• Stream 1 (Targeted Call for Research): providing better care to those who have survived serious health conditions
• Stream 2 (Incubator): developing effective approaches for addressing health priorities for communities. If applicants propose research that is not relevant to the desired outcomes they will be considered against the relevant assessment criteria and found to be uncompetitive.

Note: Applicants should note the additional eligibility criteria that apply to individuals or organisations for this grant opportunity.
A person must not be named as a Chief Investigator (CI) on more than one application submitted to a Stream of this grant opportunity (i.e. a person may be named as a CI on a maximum of one application per Stream).

Funding and Grant Period:

The amounts available for a single grant in each stream are as follows:

• Stream 1: The maximum amount available for a single grant is $2.0 million, and maximum grant period is 5 years
• Stream 2: The minimum grant amount is $200,000 and the maximum amount available for a single grant is $1.0 million, and maximum grant period  is 2 years

Managing Agency: MRFF (via Sapphire)

• MRFF Opening Date: 07 Feb 2024
• Strategic review (optional): On or before 02 July 2024 2024 (book via this link)
• Minimum data deadline(Stream 4): 5 pm ACT local time on 03 July 2024
• Compliance and Eligibility check (mandatory):  On or before  16 July 2024 (book via this link)
• Applicant submits a final application in Sapphire (Streams 4): 5 pm ACT local time on 28 July 2024
• Research Services submission to MRFF(Stream 4): 5 pm ACT local time on 31 July 2024

2024 Cardiovascular Health Grant Opportunity

About:

The objective of this Grant Opportunity is to provide grants of financial assistance to support medical research and medical innovation projects that:

• Stream 1 (Priority area 1.2, Targeted Call for Research): reduce the number of Australians experiencing cardiovascular disease and stroke by developing and implementing early, more effective preventive health interventions, by developing, optimising and implementing clinical pathways that embed evidence-based treatment, including for risk factors.
• Stream 2 (Priority area 2.1, Targeted Call for Research): conduct research to foster the uptake of best-practice care, including to reduce care inequities, by improving uptake of evidence generated from the program into acute care guidelines or policy.
• Stream 3 (Priority area 3.3, Targeted Call for Research): conduct a large-scale project that builds on the development projects (i.e. the short-term, small-scale development projects under Priority area 3.3 that were supported through the 2020 Cardiovascular Health grant opportunity) that are focused on new models of rehabilitation and recovery support that increase equity of access for all people (e.g. digital or online delivery of services like tele-rehab for heart and stroke).
• Stream 4 (Priority area 3.3, Targeted Call for Research): conduct research to support effective national adoption and best-practice use of rehabilitation and recovery programs.

Applicants to this grant opportunity must propose to conduct research that delivers against the above objectives and those of the Cardiovascular Health Mission as described in the Roadmap and Implementation Plan.

Note: Applicants should also note the additional eligibility criteria that apply to individuals or organisations for this grant opportunity. 

Applicants must nominate a Chief Investigator A (CIA) who will take the lead role in completing the application, conducting the research, and reporting as required under the grant agreement. A person must not be named as a Chief Investigator (CI) on more than one application submitted to a Stream of this grant opportunity (i.e. a person may be named as a CI on a maximum of one application per Stream). If a CI is named on more than one application submitted to a Stream of this grant opportunity, both applications will be considered ineligible.

The intended outcome of the research funded by this grant opportunity is to improve the health and wellbeing of Australians by:

• Stream 1 (Priority area 1.2, Targeted Call for Research): reducing the incidence of cardiovascular disease and stroke through effective clinical pathways.
  Stream 2 (Priority area 2.1, Targeted Call for Research): generating evidence to support the effective implementation of equitable access to best-practice care. -
  Stream 3 (Priority area 3.3, Targeted Call for Research): identifying new approaches to improve rehabilitation and recovery support and drive equitable health outcomes. -
  Stream 4 (Priority area 3.3, Targeted Call for Research): generating evidence to support the national adoption of best-practice rehabilitation and recovery care. If applicants propose research that is not relevant to the desired outcomes they will be considered against the assessment criteria and found to be uncompetitive.

Funding and grant period:

The amounts available for a single grant in each Stream are as follows:

• Stream 1 (Priority area 1.2, Targeted Call for Research): The maximum amount available for a single grant is $5 million and the maximum grant period is 5 years.
• Stream 2 (Priority area 2.1, Targeted Call for Research): There is no minimum grant amount and the maximum amount available for a single grant is $5 million, and the maximum grant period is 5 years.
• Stream 3 (Priority area 3.3, Targeted Call for Research): There is no minimum grant amount and the maximum amount available for a single grant is $3 million,, and the maximum grant period is 5 years.
• Stream 4 (Priority area 3.3, Targeted Call for Research): There is no minimum grant amount, the maximum amount available for a single grant is $5 million, and the maximum grant period is 5 years.

Managing Agency: MRFF (via Sapphire)

• MRFF Opening Date: 07 Feb 2024
• Strategic review (optional): On or before 02 July 2024 2024 (book via this link)
• Minimum data deadline(Stream 4): 5 pm ACT local time on 03 July 2024
• Compliance and Eligibility check (mandatory):  On or before  16 July 2024 (book via this link)
• Applicant submits a final application in Sapphire (Streams 4): 5 pm ACT local time on 28 July 2024
• Research Services submission to MRFF(Stream 4): 5 pm ACT local time on 31 July 2024

2024 International Clinical Trial Collaborations Grant

This grant opportunity is  is to provide grants of financial assistance to support medical research and medical innovation projects that:

• promote Australian involvement in international collaborative investigator-initiated clinical trials research through the establishment and coordination of clinical trial site/s in Australia.
• provide high-quality evidence of the effectiveness of novel health treatments, drugs or devices in ‘usual care’ settings, which will support a decision on whether to deliver the intervention in an Australian setting.

This grant opportunity is intended to support projects that progress research that addresses a specific health need. For the purposes of this grant opportunity, novel health treatments can include innovative applications of existing interventions.

The intended outcome of the research funded by this grant opportunity is to improve the health and wellbeing of Australians by investing in new clinical trials that support increased access to high-quality, evidence-based and effective health care.

Note: Applications to this grant opportunity must propose a clinical trial in Australia in collaboration with international counterparts. The clinical trial should not have commenced recruitment at the Australian trial site/s.

A person must not be named as a Chief Investigator (CI) on more than one application submitted to a Round of this grant opportunity (i.e. a person may be named as a CI on a maximum of one application per Round). If a CI is named on more than one application submitted to a Round of this grant opportunity, both applications will be considered ineligible.

Funding and grant period:

There is no minimum grant amount and the maximum amount available for a single grant is $3.0 million and the maximum grant period that can be applied for is five years.

Managing Agency: MRFF (via Sapphire)

For Round 1

• MRFF Opening Date: 06 March 2024
• Strategic review (optional): On or before 02 July 2024 2024 (book via this link)
• Minimum data deadline:5 pm ACT local time on 03 July 2024
• Compliance and Eligibility check (mandatory):  On or before  16 July 2024 (book via this link)
• Applicant submits a final application in Sapphire : 5 pm ACT local time on 28 July 2024
• Research Services submission to MRFF: 5 pm ACT local time on 31 July 2024

For Round 2

• MRFF Opening Date: 06 March 2024
• Strategic review (optional): On or before 02 December 2024 2024 (book via this link)
• Minimum data deadline):5pm ACT local time on 4 December 2024
• Compliance and Eligibility check (mandatory):  On or before  16 January 2025 (book via this link)
• Applicant submits a final application in Sapphire ): 5 pm ACT local time on 3 February 2025
• Research Services submission to MRFF: 5pm ACT local time on 5 February 2025

2023 Multidisciplinary Models of Primary Care Grant( Stream 4)

About:

This grant opportunity is the first under the $50.0 million Primary Health Research Plan, which was developed by an independent Expert Advisory Panel in mid-2023.The objective of this grant opportunity is to provide grants of financial assistance to support medical research and medical innovation projects that:

• Stream 1 (Aim 1, Objective #1 of Research Plan; Targeted Call for Research): details provided above
• Stream 2 (Aim 1, Objective #2 of Research Plan; Targeted Call for Research): details provided above
• Stream 3 (Aim 3 of Research Plan; Targeted Call for Research): details provided above
• Stream 4 (Aim 2 of Research Plan; Targeted Call for Research): develop and implement multidisciplinary, collaborative, regional consortia that design, implement and evaluate (including cost-benefit analyses) system-level reform strategies for local health system integration. Research proposals in this Stream must focus on one of the following topics:
  • Topic A: The organisation undertaking the majority of the research is based in any area according to the Modified Monash Model Locator (MM1-7)
  • Topic B: The organisation undertaking the majority of the research, the Chief Investigator A and 50% or more of all Chief Investigators, and all research participants are primarily resident in a rural, regional or remote area according to the Modified Monash Model Locator (MM2-7).

Note: This grant opportunity is intended to support projects that progress research that addresses a specific health need. For all Streams, applications must clearly demonstrate activities for capacity building for primary care practitioners and early career clinicians and/or researchers, including salary stipends for PhD scholarships or clinician time where relevant.

Applicants should also note the additional eligibility criteria that apply to individuals or organisations for this grant opportunity. 

Applicants must nominate a Chief Investigator A (CIA) who will take the lead role in completing the application, conducting the research, and reporting as required under the grant agreement. A person must not be named as a Chief Investigator (CI) on more than one application submitted to a Stream of this grant opportunity (i.e. a person may be named as a CI on a maximum of one application per Stream). If a CI is named on more than one application submitted to a Stream of this grant opportunity, both applications will be considered ineligible.

For applications to Streams 1, 2 and 4, the Chief Investigator A must be a Primary Care Clinician Researcher, and 20% or more of the CI team must be Early to Mid-Career Researchers or Early Career Clinician Researchers.

For applications to Stream 3, 20% or more of the CI team must be Early to Mid-Career Researchers or Early Career Clinician Researchers.

For Stream 4, the Primary Health Research Plan requires that the proposed research will:

• bring together Primary Health Networks, local health networks/districts, local primary care practices, Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Services, pharmacies and other health care providers
• facilitate integration of healthcare, including service integration to improve patient access to quality care by overcoming barriers between services such as, but not limited to, specialist and hospital services, primary care, mental health, aged care, community and disability services
• evaluate how local services work together to commission or jointly fund multidisciplinary, person-centred care
• bring together existing funding mechanisms already available from partners for service delivery in innovative ways, to create new funding packages, to ensure sustainability beyond the life of the project
• assess feasibility, costs and cost effectiveness
• embed co-design with consumers and health services in all aspects of research design and implementation and
• address health issues that are a priority for the community including timely access to information.

The intended outcome of the research funded by this grant opportunity is to improve the health and wellbeing of Australians by: -

• Stream 4 (Aim 2 of the Research Plan; Targeted Call for Research): improving the patient journey through the interface between primary, secondary and tertiary care with the goal of achieving seamless transitions.

Funding and grant period:

Stream 4: The maximum funding available s $2.8 million, and maximum grant period is 5 years.

Managing Agency: MRFF (via Sapphire)

• MRFF Opening Date: 18 October 2023
• Strategic review (optional): On or before 8-9 July, 2024 (book via this link)
• Minimum data deadline(Stream 4): 5pm ACT local time on 10 July 2024
• Compliance and Eligibility check (mandatory):  On or before 23-24 July 2024 (book via this link)
• Applicant submits final application in Sapphire (Streams 4): 5pm ACT local time on 4 August 2024
• Research Services submission to MRFF(Stream 4): 5pm ACT local time on 07 August 2024
• Expected outcomes (Stream 4): December 2024

2024 BioMedTech Incubator

About:

The objective of this grant opportunity is to provide grants of financial assistance to support Australian medical research and medical innovation projects through the establishment of BioMedTech Incubators.

The BioMedTech Incubators are intended to:

• provide opportunities for leveraging Australia’s research strengths, capabilities and successes to enhance the commercialisation and translation of innovations (such as biomarkers, diagnostics, therapeutics, medical or assistive devices and digital technologies) into practice
• facilitate an environment that brings together the funding, time, and expertise necessary for commercialising and translating research, thereby allowing research projects to be ‘incubated’
• help Australian innovations move through the research and development pipeline, minimising the patchy and stop/start nature of investment that promising Australian treatments and devices need to commercialise, helping bridge the ‘valleys of death’ and disruptions in the pipeline
• support and incentivise the pulling in of private capital and industry ‘know how’ to catalyse the investment and development of emerging biomedtech ventures and a nationally important industry sector
• supporting growth in the number of organisations capable of nurturing and mentoring SMEs in their area of strength.

The grant opportunity will fund suitable organisations to identify and select a number of Australian small and medium enterprises (SMEs) undertaking early-stage medical research and medical innovation projects that have commercial potential (non-SMEs may be supported following consideration by the Program Delegate).

Applicants may propose to support development of innovations in their area/s of strength (i.e. applicants are not required to propose a program that covers the breadth of the biomedtech sector).

Funding:

The maximum funding available is $33 million, and maximum grant period is 5 years.

Managing Agency: MRFF (via DISR)

• MRFF Opening Date: 27 February 2024
• Strategic review (optional): On or before 3 July, 2024 (book via this link)
• Compliance and Eligibility check (mandatory):  On or before 17 July 2024 (book via this link)
• Applicant submits final application in PURE: Sunday 28 July 2024
• Research Services submission to MRFF(Stream 4): 5pm ACT local time on 31 July 2024
• Expected outcomes: December 2024

2024 Dementia, Ageing and Aged Care Grant

About:

The objective of this grant opportunity is  to provide grants of financial assistance to support medical research and medical innovation projects that:

• people from Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander communities
• people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds
• people who live in rural or remote areas o people who are financially or socially disadvantaged
• people who are veterans of the Australian Defence Force or an allied defence force, including the spouse, widow or widower of a veteran
• people who are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless
• people who are care leavers (including Forgotten Australians, Former Child Migrants and Stolen Generations)
• parents separated from their children by forced adoption or removal
• people from lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans/transgender, intersex and queer (LGBTIQ+) communities
• prisoners and ex-prisoners.

Stream 2 (Priority Area 3.1, Incubator): conduct small-scale development projects to develop innovative new approaches for providing optimal care for vulnerable people.

The intended outcome of the research funded by this grant opportunity is to improve the health and wellbeing of Australians by:

• Stream 1 (Priority Area 3.1, Targeted Call for Research): improving the equity of access to quality care for all older Australians
• Stream 2 (Priority Area 3.1, Incubator): improving care for vulnerable people

Applications to this grant opportunity must propose research that addresses one of the two Streams of research.

Note: A person must not be named as a Chief Investigator (CI) on more than one application submitted to a Stream of this grant opportunity (i.e. a person may be named as a CI on a maximum of one application per Stream). If a CI is named on more than one application submitted to a Stream of this grant opportunity, both applications will be considered ineligible.

Funding:

The amounts available for a single grant in each Stream are as follows:

• Stream 1 (Priority Area 3.1, Targeted Call for Research): There is no minimum grant amount and the maximum amount available for a single grant is $3.0 million; The maximum grant period is 5 years
• Stream 2 (Priority Area 3.1, Incubator): the minimum grant amount is $0.2 million, and the maximum amount for a single grant is $1.0 million; The maximum grant period is 2 years

Managing Agency: MRFF (via Sapphire)

• MRFF Opening Date: 14 February 2024
• Strategic review (optional): On or before 9-10 July, 2024 (book via this link)
• Minimum Data Due: 5pm ACT local time on 10 July 2024
• Compliance and Eligibility check (mandatory):  On or before 24 July 2024 (book via this link)
• Applicant submits final application in PURE: Sunday 04 August 2024
• Research Services submission to MRFF(Stream 4): 5pm ACT local time on 07 August 2024
• Expected outcomes: January – February 2025

MRFF successful grant recipients

MRFF successful grant recipients

Macquarie successful grant recipients

Lead Chief Investigator: Professor Jeffrey Braithwaite
Project title: Harnessing implementation science, complexity science and evidence-based care to Keep Australians Out of Hospital: leveraging seven natural experiments in New South Wales
Scheme: Keeping Australians out of Hospital
Funding total: $1,505,612

Lead Chief Investigator: Professor Ralph Martins
Project title: The Australian-multidomain Approach to Reduce dementia Risk by protecting brain health With lifestyle intervention (AU-ARROW) study
Scheme: MRFF International Clinical Trial Collaborations (ICTC) Program
Funding total: $3,115,063

Lead Chief Investigator: Professor Deborah Schofield
Project title: The health, economic and social consequences of genomic sequencing and cascade testing for intellectual disability.
Scheme: MRFF Genomics Health Futures Mission – Ethical, Legal and Social Issues Projects Grant
Funding total: $499,728

Lead Chief Investigator: Professor Viviana Wuthrich
Project title: Screening and Risk Reduction for Dementia in Primary Care
Scheme: 2020 Investigator Grants: MRFF Priority Round to commence in 2021 (EL2)
Funding total: $1,562,250

Lead Chief Investigator: Professor Catherine McMahon
Project title: Improving care pathways for Otitis Media in Aboriginal children (0-12): A case study approach
Scheme: 2019 MRFF Indigenous Health Research 2020
Funding total: $1,961,473.90

Lead Chief Investigator: Professor Sheila Degotardi
Project title: Harnessing the health communication power of the early childhood sector
Scheme: Coronavirus Research Response – 2020 Communication Strategies and Approaches During Outbreaks
Funding total: $174,992

Lead Chief Investigator: Professor Simon French
Project title: Determining the impact of a new primary care model for low back pain: A cluster randomised trial
Scheme: MRFF International Clinical Trial Collaborations (ICTC) Program
Funding total: $2,107,805.90

Lead Chief Investigator: Professor Piers Dawes
Project title: SENSEcog aged care: Hearing and vision support to improve quality of life for people living with dementia in residential aged care
Scheme: MRFF 2020 Dementia, Ageing and Aged Care Grant
Funding total: $1,200,710.20

Lead Chief Investigator: Professor Helen Rizos
Project title: Integrated Multimodal Precision Liquid biopsy to Enhance MElanoma and NSCLC Treatment (IMPLEMENT)
Scheme: MRFF 2020 Genomics Health Futures Mission
Funding total: $2,031,178.80

Lead Chief Investigator: Associate Professor Robyn Clay-Williams
Project title: Working together: innovation to improve Emergency Department (ED) performance, and patient outcomes and experience for five complex consumer cohorts
Scheme: 2022 MRFF Models of Care to Improve the Efficiency and Effectiveness of Acute Care
Funding total: $2,836,550.50

Lead Chief Investigator: Professor Johanna Westbrook
Project title: Transforming residential aged care through evidence-based informatics
Scheme: 2021 MRFF Dementia, Ageing and Aged Care Mission
Funding total: $992,386.00

Lead Chief Investigator: Dr Kylie Gwynne
Project title: Early Artial fibrillation Screening for Indigenous people (EASI)
Scheme: 2021 MRFF Cardiovascular Health Mission
Funding total: $574,883.90