The Australian Academy of Health and Medical Sciences has called for the Government to look at the big picture when considering the future of health and medical research funding. The Academy is advocating for a bold strategic vision to ensure investments deliver benefits for health, society and the economy.
The Academy’s submission to the Government’s recent consultation on Australia’s health and medical research funding also advocated for better mechanisms to embed research and innovation as core functions of the health system.
AAHMS CEO Catherine Luckin said the Academy welcomed the opportunity to provide advice to the Government’s consultation on improving alignment and coordination between the Medical Research Future Fund (MRFF) and Medical Research Endowment Account (MREA).
“The commitment by the Government to improve strategic coordination between the MRFF and MREA provides a rare opportunity to shape the health and medical research and innovation landscape now and into the future,” Ms Luckin said.
“We therefore urge the Government to make the most of this opportunity it has created by developing and executing a bold strategic vision that will shape the future of health and medical research and innovation in Australia – one that will have impact beyond the role of any one organisation – and to design an ecosystem to work within that context.
“Better aligning the MREA and MRFF will help make the most of health and medical research and innovation funding, but additional measures are needed to ensure that health and societal benefits flow to patients and the community.”
The Academy’s submission outlines how the Government can use this opportunity to establish mechanisms that will better embed research and innovation as core functions of the health system.
The Academy’s submission focuses on three areas for consideration:
- Creating a big picture vision for health and medical research and innovation.
- Getting governance and administration of the MRFF and MREA right.
- Taking action to better embed research and innovation in the health system.
The submission also stresses that it is important that different purposes of the MRFF and MREA are retained, to ensure that any revised system supports a balance of discovery through to translational research and implementation.
“Australia is home to an outstanding health and medical research and innovation sector and we have world-class researchers,” Ms Luckin said.
“The MRFF and MREA have been crucial contributors to this: these funds sit at the heart of an ecosystem that aims to support the full spectrum of research for the benefit of health, society and the economy.
“Better alignment will further enhance their effectiveness, ensuring Australian research remains world-leading.”
The consultation invited participants to respond to a series of questions. Find the Academy’s responses, as well as its full submission, below.
Download the Academy’s full submission.
Download the Academy’s response to the consultation questions.
Media: AAHMS Communications Manager Katie Rowney, [email protected], 0419 787 551.