Boost of NHMRC grants critical for early stage researchers, says AAMRI

Medical: NHMRC Ideas Grants are the primary funding source for early- and mid-career researchers and their innovative research. Retaining Australia’s existing talent is far more efficient and cost-effective than recruiting hundreds of new or less-experienced researchers to fill the gaps.

“In real terms, NHMRC funding has flatlined over the last decade, and the total number of funded grants for innovative research projects has halved,” said Professor Kathryn North AC, President, Association of Australian Medical Research Institutes (AAMRI).

Each year, the NHMRC is only able to fund 9% of applications received by this critical cohort of researchers. This is due to several factors including larger amounts of funding going to fewer applicants, more researchers applying for funding over time and the cost of research increasing while funding has remained flat.

Although research funds like the Medical Research Future Fund (MRFF) and newly created Research Translation Fund are funding options, their focus is on specific government priorities and not aimed at early stage or investigator-led research.

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AAMRI estimates show that the Australian Government should fund an additional 288 Ideas Grants per year through the NHMRC to support the next generation of early stage researchers. This will enable them to make the medical research discoveries Australia needs to respond to future health challenges.

“Early- and mid-career researchers are at a critical stage of their career development where they are about to establish new research teams, but also face the greatest funding challenges to continue with their work,” said Professor North.

“Every time one of these highly skilled medical researchers is unable to secure funding to continue with their research, up to 20 years of investment in past training and expertise is lost.”

The additional grants should be specifically targeted at researchers who are in the first ten years of their career post-PhD, where the workforce continuity challenge is most fragile. A gender equity commitment should be made to ensure their fair allocation.

Without action, billions of dollars of previous investment, and a generation of knowledge and experience will be lost, as new economic challenges result in hundreds of early- and mid-career researchers leaving the health and medical research sector.