Western Australian researchers have triumphed in the latest round of National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) partnership project grants, with four projects having secured money from the national research funding body.
Researchers Professor Elizabeth Armstrong, Dr Peter Arrow, Professor David Atkinson, and Professor David Mackey are chief investigators of the projects which have been awarded Commonwealth research money totalling almost $3.7 million – an amount the State has committed to top up with around $1 million.
Chief Medical Officer, Professor Gary Geelhoed, has described the result as outstanding saying it is a remarkable turnaround for Western Australia which had traditionally fared poorly in the NHMRC funding carve-up. Professor Geelhoed also said the four NHMRC-funded projects would be particularly beneficial to Aboriginal people living in rural and remote parts of the State.
The Major Research Grant Support initiative invited WA health and medical researchers intending to apply for a partnership-type grant from a major research funding body to apply for a Department of Health funding commitment.
The scheme is among a host of Department of Health innovative and strategic initiatives supported by the WA Health Translation Network.