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.

Australia is home to an outstanding health and medical research and innovation sector and we have world-class researchers.

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 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.

The consultation invited participants to respond to a series of questions. Find the Academy’s responses, as well as its full submission, below.