Author: Koshala Shanmugakumar

The Australian Medical Research Advisory Board (AMRAB) has released new priorities which will help guide future funding investments from the Medical Research Future Fund (MRFF).

In addition to announcing the new priority focus areas AMRAB has also provided much more guidance on how the priorities should be tackled.

The new priorities are:

1. One health – antimicrobial resistance
2. Global health and health security
3. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health
4. Ageing and aged care
5. Digital health and Intelligence
6. Comparative effectiveness research
7. Primary care research
8. Clinical researcher capacity
9. Consumer driven research
10. Drug repurposing
11. Public health interventions
12. Translational research infrastructure

Further details are available in the priorities document.

AAMRI welcomed the release of the priorities document in a media release.

In the interests of providing the best possible short course in WA for researchers who are incorporating economic evaluation into their research, the WAHTN via its research education platform, the Research Education & Training Program (RETP), is setting up a 3 day course in late November this year.

Presenters: Professor Suzanne Robinson & Professor Liz Geelhoed

Cost: $1500 pp OR $1200 pp (groups of two or more from the same institution)

Maximum of 30 participants

Registrations open on 13 August 2018. Click here to book

**Participants may like to complete the RETP online module “Health Economics: Application to Research” prior to attending for an introduction and overview of health economics in research.

Queries via email to : researcheducation@retp.org

Please click here to see flyer for more information

Murdoch University Phenome Centre – media release

Whether you’ve got a napkin sketch of an idea, or are figuring out your first customer milestone, MedTech commercialisation resources will help launch your startup with a bang!

Please find the attached flyer of the competition and a checklist that helps participants throughout their application process.

Visit http://medtechchallenge.com/ for more information

MTGT publicity videos:

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gnrWxkgy9qo
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zhDbtMLM6Lo
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r2HE7lm8mVQ

Deadline for this completion is on 27 September

The Department of Health, is currently advertising three positions

To view vacancies please click here

Director Research

Director Health Networks

Director System Clinical Support and Innovation

The closing date is Monday 17 September 2018 at 4.00pm.

For enquires please contact the Executive Director Clinical Leadership and Reform, Ms Karen Bradley on telephone (08) 9222 6451 (not to be contacted for questions about lodging your application).

Applications close 27 September 2018, 1.00 pm (AWST)

Raine Visiting Professor Awards

These Awards facilitate the visit of distinguished scholars to Western Australia for the purpose of advancing medical research. Nominations are invited for 2019 and are open to medical researchers from academic institutions or affiliated medical research institutions in Western Australia.

Charter Hall Visiting Postdoctoral Scholar Award

This Award facilitates the visit of a high-achieving postdoctoral research scholar who is in the early stages of their career, for the purpose of advancing medical research. Nominations are invited for 2019 and are open to medical researchers from academic institutions or affiliated medical research institutions in Western Australia.

Healy Research Collaboration Awards 

These Awards are for early-career researchers in Western Australia to establish and develop research collaborations, both nationally and internationally, to seek a better understanding of the cause and treatment of human disease. A maximum of $30,000 shall be available for each Award.

Cockell Research Collaboration Awards

These Awards are for researchers in Western Australia from early-career, mid-career, to senior scientists, to develop research collaborations that investigate the cause and treatment of mental illness. A maximum of $30,000 shall be available for each Award.

BrightSpark Research Collaboration Awards

These Awards are for early-career researchers in Western Australia, to develop research collaborations that investigate the cause and treatment of childhood illness and disease. A maximum of $30,000 shall be available for each Award.

Raine Research Prize

This Prize is awarded for the best scientific paper arising from research undertaken by an early-career medical researcher in Western Australia. The successful applicant will receive a travel allowance to the value of $5,000 and a medallion.

Strachan Memorial Prize

This Prize is awarded to a Western Australian early-career clinical scientist for the most outstanding scientific paper that may translate medical science into better health outcomes. The successful applicant will receive a travel allowance to the value of $5,000 and a medallion.

Please visit  website for Guidelines and Conditions and online application forms.

For enquiries, please contact Amanda Cleaver on 9386 9880 or amanda.cleaver@rainefoundation.org.au.

The Department of Health invites applications from Western Australian medical and health researchers for infrastructure support through the Medical and Health Research Infrastructure Fund (MHRIF).

Applications close:  1.00pm Thursday 11 October 2018

Applicants must have received a minimum of $510,000 in medical or health research grant income from nationally and internationally competitive, peer-reviewed funding sources during the previous three consecutive calendar years (2015-2017).

The Guidelines and Conditions document and the Application Form are available on the Research Development Unit MHRIF webpage: 

http://ww2.health.wa.gov.au/Corporate/Articles/J_M/Medical-and-Health-Research-Infrastructure-Fund

For further information please email the Research Development Unit via ResearchDevelopment@health.wa.gov.au  or phone 9222 2069.

Information on other funding programs administered by the Research Development Unit can be found on the Research Funding Programs webpage:  http://ww2.health.wa.gov.au/Corporate/Articles/N_R/Research-funding-programs

Please find below a link to an announcement by the Federal Minister for Health, the Hon Greg Hunt

https://www.greghunt.com.au/18-million-for-medical-research-to-improve-womens-health/

While the detail is unclear hopefully the WAHTN as a member of the Australian Health Alliance (AHRA) hopefully will be involved. AHRA is at present forming a Women’s Health Network which should be well placed to be involved in many of the proposed projects. We hope that members of your research community can benefit from this investment in Women’s Health.

WAHTN’s representative is Dr Jacqueline Frayne, she is a GP and works at the University of Western Australia as a Senior Lecturer within the School of Medicine. Jacqueline can be contacted on email via jacqueline.frayne@uwa.edu.au for any queries.

What is iPREP?

iPREP WA is a unique collaboration between the five WA universities and has been established for PhD candidates who may not have had previous industry experience. The program involves interdisciplinary teams, working on a six week project (with scholarship) for an industry partner during their thesis examination period.

How to get involved:

The next round of iPREP will be 8^th October – 16^th November 2018. We are currently recruiting PhD students so we can match to industry projects. The deadline for both industry EOIs and student applications is 20^th August 2018.

If you are interested in participating in iPREP WA 2018 and submitting a project for an EOI (Round 2, 2018 EOI), please see the website for more information about what the iPREP program can offer and how you can support this initiative as an industry host.

Website for more information: www.iprep.edu.au