Federal Government’s $150million Indigenous Health Research Funding Package.

Funding for Indigenous health research projects has doubled and increased spending on national health priorities, such as asthma, cancer and mental heath, are part of the Federal Government’s new $150 million research funding package.

Senator Kay Patterson, Federal Minister for Health and Ageing, today announced 406 projects across Australia would receive $150 million through the National Health and Medical Research Council’s annual project funding round.

This is the main avenue of NHMRC support for researchers undertaking biomedical, clinical, public health and health services research in Australian universities, medical schools, hospitals and other research and health care institutions.

‘I am pleased to note that the number of projects related to Indigenous health have more than doubled in this year’s round, with more than $8 million going to a variety of projects throughout Australia-representing more than five per cent of all the new Project Funding Agreements,’ she said.

‘In addition, national health priority areas also fare well, with projects related to mental health research receiving $23.3 million; cardiovascular disease $16.4 million; cancer research $19.2 million and $6.7 million for research into asthma’.

‘More than $8.2 million will establish 26 new investigators, increasing the number of researchers actively working in Australia’.

‘As well, my department is providing additional funding of $2.3 million from the Primary Health Care Research Evaluation and Development Program (PHC RED) over the next five years, to boost the number of project funding offered in the important field of primary health care research.’

Click on the link above to find more information about the 406 Project Funding Agreements at the National Health Medical Research Council’s website.