The National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) offers funding opportunities via three types of support for all areas of research relevant to human health and medical research.

More information

If you have any questions about applying for NHMRC grants, contact Maya Roberts. Visit the NHMRC's Funding Calendar. The RSO provides seminars and workshops for Flinders staff navigating NHMRC applications. Presentations from past workshops and seminars can be accessed here .

Research Grant Management System (RGMS)

The NHMRC have developed a new on-line application system which will simplify application submission and allow for more effective management of the processes both pre and post award of the grant funding.

The new system was implemented with a few of the smaller funding schemes in 2009 but will be used for all schemes in 2010.

It is important if you are planning to submit an application to the NHMRC, that you familiarise yourself with this system. Information, FAQs, 'How to' sheets, and a demonstration of adding data for creation of your CV and profile are available from the RGMS web page on the NHMRC site. At this same page you can obtain a login and password, or if you are a return user, you can access the RGMS from here.

Any questions relating to the RGMS, should be directed to the NHMRC GrantNet Help desk by email or by telephoning 1800 500 983.

People support

Career Development Awards

This scheme aims to further develop Australian health and medical researchers early in their career. It will enable investigators to establish themselves as independent, self-directed researchers early in their research career; expand capacity for biomedical, clinical and public health and health service delivery research, and for evidence-based policy development in Australian health systems; and encourage the translation of research outcomes into practice.

For more information:

Fellowships

The purpose of NHMRC Training (Postdoctoral) Fellowships is to provide opportunities for Australian researchers to undertake research that is both of major importance in its field and of benefit to Australian health.

Training (Postdoctoral) Fellowships

Training (Postdoctoral) Fellowships provide a vehicle for training in basic research either in Australia or overseas (where appropriate), to enable Fellows to work on research projects with nominated advisers. Awards are offered to a limited number of persons of outstanding ability who wish to make research a significant component of their career. 

For more information:

Australia Fellowships, Research Fellowships, Practitioner Fellowships

For more information on each of these schemes:

Scholarships

The aim of the Scholarships scheme is to support outstanding Australian health and medical graduates early in their career so that they can be trained to conduct research that is internationally competitive and develop a capacity for original independent research. This is usually achieved by NHMRC funding its scholars to attain a PhD by full-time research.

For more information:

Project Grants

The Project Grants Scheme is the NHMRC’s main avenue of support for individuals and small teams of researchers undertaking biomedical, public health and health services research in Australian universities, medical schools, hospitals and other research institutions. NHMRC determines Priority Research Areas which vary as research needs change. 

New Investigator Grants are standard NHMRC Project Grant applications with Chief Investigators who meet the New Investigator criteria. Criteria is available in the NHMRC Project Grants Funding Policy available on the NHMRC website.

More information

An information session is generally organised for NHMRC Project Grant applicants and is held in conjunction with the Health Sciences Faculty Research Administration. Further details such as the date and location for the session will appear on the Office of Research Blog as the annual Project Grant rounds approach. 

For more information:

  • phone the Research Services Office on (08) 8201 7972
  • refer to the NHMRC website.  

Program Grants

The aim of this scheme is to provide support for teams of high calibre researchers to pursue broadly-based collaborative research activities. Teams will be expected to contribute to new knowledge at a leading international level in important areas of health and medical research. The scheme is available for all research approaches relevant to better health (ie. biomedical, clinical, public health or health services research).

More information

For more information:

  • phone the Research Services Office on (08) 8201 7972
  • refer to the NHMRC website.

Development Grants

The NHMRC Development Grant Scheme aims to:

  • support the development of health and medical research that has commercial potential and which has the potential to benefit the Australian community
  • provide funding for research commercialisation at the early proof-of-concept stage.

This scheme is not intended to be an alternative to the NHMRC Project Grant scheme, nor is it meant to be an alternative to industry development schemes. Rather the scheme is pitched at the perceived funding gap between the end of a high quality basic research program and the developments required to make the project commercially attractive to potential investors.

Consequentially, Development Grants provide funding for research commercialisation at the early proof-of-concept stage, and while commercial partners, if they exist, are encouraged, it is not required that applicants have a commercial partner in place.

 

For more information:

  • phone the Research Services Office on (08) 8201 7972
  • refer to the NHMRC website.

Equipment Grants

The funding for Equipment Grants is given on a pro rata basis to institutions. The statistics used to award funding for these grants is based on the total amount of funding received by an institution from the NHMRC compared to the total amount of funding awarded by the NHMRC to all institutions from the end of the financial year. The NHMRC then use a calculation to formulate the percentage of funding received by each institution and this percentage of funding is then used to allocate the funding awarded for Equipment Grants. The funding is filtered down from those institutions with higher percentages to the lowest. These grants are awarded annually.

The NHMRC has clearly defined objectives in regards to the purpose of awarding equipment grant funding:

  • institutions should be strategic in the purchase of larger items of equipment that will benefit health and medical research in Australia
  • institutions are encouraged to support equipment that will be used collaboratively
  • where possible, Australian made equipment should be purchased.

Selection criteria

The Selection Committee ranks grant applications in accordance with the following selection criteria:

  • the equipment should support highest quality health and medical research funded by the NHMRC (or through another competitive grant process)
  • consideration is given to the lack of access to similar equipment in the institution or region
  • consideration is given to the collaborative gain to be achieved through the use of the equipment (eg. multi-user equipment which crosses disciplines, research groups and departments).

Potential applicants should note this scheme would not normally support requests for what would be described as ‘general research infrastructure’. This scheme is designed for the purchase of equipment that is clearly strategic in nature.

Application process

While there is no application form for these grants, applications should include the following:

1. Name(s) of applicant(s).

2. Detailed description of equipment sought and how the purchase of this equipment would meet the above selection criteria, in particular how the funding will improve productivity, collaboration and expertise.

3. Each item of equipment must be costed and listed in order of priority.

4. The percentage of total cost of equipment sought from the NHMRC and a detailed account of where the other funding will be derived. Applicants are also encouraged to include a justification of the relative percentage funding that they are seeking.

5. List of NHMRC and other competitive grant(s) held, including:

  • funding body
  • project title
  • dollar amounts
  • investigators list of significant publications/patents for the past 5 years.

 Note: Items 3, 4, and 5 above must not exceed 4 pages.

Applicants should note that Flinders is no longer required to match on a dollar-for-dollar basis the allocation provided by the NHMRC. However, the university is keen to maximise the opportunity provided by the NHMRC funding for equipment to attract matching funding from other external bodies. Therefore applications that can match NHMRC funds with other existing funds will be viewed favourably.

More information

For more information about this process, contact Maya Roberts.