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Cancer Council WA, in partnership with Government of Western Australia, Western Australian Health Translation Network, Curtin University, Edith Cowan University, The University of Western Australia and Telethon Kids Institute, are seeking EOI applications for the Collaborative Cancer Grant Scheme. A total of $321,309 is available in this grant round.

Expressions of Intent are being sought, for cancer research projects to commence in 2019;  funding support of $25,000 – $50,000 will be awarded for each project to encourage collaboration among early to mid-career researchers (E-MCRs).

Two unique features of these grants are: each application is required to have at least one chief investigator from a minimum of three West Australian Research Institutions; and all chief investigators must be E-MCRs.

For EOI details and guidance please visit the Cancer Council WA website: https://www.cancerwa.asn.au/research/funding/collaborative_cancer_grant_scheme/. Shortlisted applicants will move to the full application stage which opens in May.

Cancer Council Closing date: 4pm Monday 19 March 2018

Please submit the following documents by the internal closing date, Monday 05 March 2018:

• One fully completed UWA Grant Application Cover Sheet (pages 1-2): http://www.research.uwa.edu.au/staff/rgco/forms#acdn-2 .
• One electronic version of the application to sina.mesiti@uwa.edu.au

The Department of Health is inviting applications for New Independent Researcher Infrastructure Support (NIRIS) Awards.

The purpose of these Awards is to recognise outstanding new independent health and medical researchers and provide funding to help them meet the infrastructure costs associated with their research programs.  This supports them in their research activities in WA and assists them to develop their independent careers.

NIRIS Awards of up to $15,000 each are available and will be awarded on competitive merit.

These awards are for infrastructure costs associated with research programs for a period of 12 months commencing in the 2018 calendar year.

Applicants must meet eligibility criteria that are set out in the Guidelines and Conditions document.

The application period closes at 1.00pm on Monday 19 March 2018.

For the Guidelines and Conditions and Application Form, visit the Department of Health, Research Development Unit website http://ww2.health.wa.gov.au/Articles/N_R/New-Independent-Researcher-Infrastructure-Support-Awards

For more information contact the Research Development Unit via email CMOResearchDevelopment@health.wa.gov.au or phone 9222 2069.

The Raine Medical Research Foundation provides Priming Grants for health and medical research scientists and clinicians at an early stage in their career, to assist them to become more competitive for national and international peer-review grants. This program is intended particularly for those who are progressing towards an independent research career.

Key dates:
Call for Applications – 8 February 2018
Applications Close – 22 March 2018 at 1.00 pm
Successful Grants Announced – December 2018

The Raine Medical Research Foundation will award a number of two-year Priming Grants and “grants-in-aid” for 2019-2020. These Grants provide funding for research into any area of health and medical science that investigates the nature, origin and cause of human disease, and the prevention, cure, alleviation and combating of such disease.

Ranking of applications is based on scientific excellence. If a successful application is in the area of child health research or mental illness, support funding by the BrightSpark Foundation or the Cockell Bequest, respectively, may be considered.

Successful applicants must be employed by a Western Australian University or affiliated institution in Western Australia.

Grants may include funding (or part funding) for salaries of researchers and/or technical staff, small equipment, and consumables, and shall not normally exceed $200,000 total.

Please click here for Guidelines and Conditions and the online application form.

Are you involved with research in the WA health system?  Then be sure to sign up to the Research Governance Service (RGS).

The RGS is a collaborative, one-stop information technology system for both researchers and research administrators.

As a registered user you will be able to:

• network
• approve research projects
• hear about research-related events, training and information
• receive quarterly newsletters with research-related updates.

As an RGS-registered researcher you will also be able to add your profile to the publicly-available Investigator Speciality List, enabling potential sponsors and collaborators to get in touch with you.

You can also use the Project Search function to find other research projects in your area of expertise or track down particular researchers working at specific hospital sites.

For more information or to join the other 2500 registered users, visit the RGS.

If you are already an RGS user and need assistance email RGS.Support@health.wa.gov.au

This year a special initiative in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health is being offered through NHMRC Partnership Projects, with support from the Department of Health. Special Initiatives are health areas in which additional funding from other parties is used to support research.

This special initiative provides the opportunity for community organisations that are contributing to health outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples to develop a relationship with a researcher, to strengthen the evidence in Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) and obesity research.

More information on the initiative can be found in Section 9 of the Partnership Projects scheme-specific funding rules available via the Partnership Projects Grant Opportunity on GrantConnect.

Applications for this opportunity opened in RGMS today, Wednesday 17 January 2018. We are hoping you might be able to help us promote this initiative on your website and via social media by re-tweeting NHMRC’s promotional tweet that was posted this morning. We are also hoping you will share this information with Indigenous researchers involved in your organisation.

We have included a blurb below to help with your communications activities:

Partnership Projects Special Initiative

In 2018, a special initiative in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health is being offered through Partnership Projects with support from the Department of Health. The special initiative provides the opportunity for community organisations that are contributing to health outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples to develop a relationship with a researcher, to strengthen the evidence in Foetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder and obesity research.

Please see section 9 of the Partnership Projects scheme-specific funding rules available via the Partnership Projects Grant Opportunities on GrantConnect.

Key application dates

Partnership Projects—opens for applications in RGMS on Wednesday 17 January 2018.

Further Information

Further information on the Special Initiative can be found on the GrantConnect website. Type in key words such as Partnerships Projects or NHMRC to help you find full details. NHMRC Help Centre can also provide information on the Special Initiative: Phone: 1800 500 983, Email: help@nhmrc.gov.au

In the 2017 Federal Budget, $10million was allocated to the 7 accredited AHRTC’s and the 2 accredited CIRH’s; $2million to each of the 4 initial AHRTC’s (South Australia, Monash, Melbourne and Sydney) and $2million to be shared across all centres for programs of national significance. The accredited centres comprise membership of the Australian Health Research Alliance (AHRA), which agreed on 4 areas of support; health care systems; data handling and security; Aboriginal Health; Consumer and Community Involvement (CCI) in health research. WAHTN has representation on steering committees for all these initiatives, and co-chairs the CCI initiative with Sydney Partners.

The budget allocation for the shared programs is $222K per centre. WAHTN will use that money to drive three initiatives: 1. Consumer and Community Initiatives (CCI) Project (led by John Challis, Anne McKenzie and Pip Brennan); 2. Raine Secure Data Project (led by Leon Straker and Peter Eastwood); 3. Biobank Project (led by Aron Chakera).

Project outlines and deliverables are as follows:

1. Consumer and Community Initiatives (CCI) Project
Description: Consumers increasingly are involved in the design, conduct and output translation of biomedical and health research. Consumer involvement in biomedical research speeds and enhances the quality of translation of research outcomes. Presently there is no proper assessment of consumer involvement across Australia, no national standard and no comparison with international best practice. This project will provide an environmental scan of CCI activities across the AHRA network, make comparison to international (including UK, Canada, USA) efforts and recommend models to enhance consumer involvement in health research across the country.

Outcomes: Include a report scan of Australian CCI, comparison with international best practice and recommendation for implementation in Australia.

2. Raine Secure Data Project
Description: Australian health and medical research is increasingly collaborative across institutions, states and countries. Collaborative teams require secure analysis and archive spaces that are well governed, easy to access, technically secure, provide the appropriate analytic tools and can archive completed analyses for peer scrutiny subsequent to their publication. This project will develop a secure data analysis and archive space, using the Raine Cohort as exemplar that can then be developed and applied nationally.

Outcomes: Include a pilot study of processes and software developed to enhance data security in a known cohort, the Raine Study, and make recommendations for future development and scale.

3. Biobank Project
Description: There is a need in WA, and elsewhere to establish a harmonised sample collection, storage, curation and management system, that will allow ethically acceptable standardisation across cohorts and registries. The project, which can be scaled to national activity, will produce an international scan of biobank resources, facilities ethics and economics across Australia, the UK and Japan. In Japan, the Sendai experience has generated a facility that is an international exemplar of excellence. Business models will be compared leading to a recommendation for establishment of a facility that will be State wide, and harmonised with the best comparators in the Country.

Outcomes: Include a scan and report of biobank facilities and resources in WA, best in Australia, UK, USA and Japan and recommendations for implementation at a local, state and national scale.

Professor Gary Geelhoed has been appointed as the new Executive Director of the Western Australian Health Translation Network (WAHTN).

Gary is currently the Chief Medical Officer (CMO) at the WA Department of Health, having worked at the Department since 2013. In addition to his role as CMO, Gary also held the position of Assistant-General of the Clinical Services and Research division at the Department of Health. He completed his MBBS at UWA and has held senior positions in hospitals and the Health Department. He has served on numerous WA and national health committees and brings substantial expertise to the position. Gary has actively worked to forge closer ties between WA hospitals and the research community to promote greater innovation and best practice in clinical care. He was involved in the establishment of the WAHTN as a NHMRC-recognised Advanced Health and Research Translational Centre (AHRTC). Gary commences a three-year appointment at WAHTN in April 2018.

WAHTN expresses its sincere appreciation for the immense contribution of the retiring Executive Director, Professor John Challis and wish him the very best as he heads back to Vancouver. John commenced at UWA as Pro Vice-Chancellor (Health and Medical Research) in February 2014. He provided leadership in driving local, national and international collaboration, to build capacity in key areas of strength, and to advise on infrastructure and investment. He was instrumental in promoting the WAHTN towards its recognition as an AHRTC operating at an international level. This state-wide health translation initiative involves the Department of Health, WA universities, Medical Research Institutes and the State’s teaching hospitals, working together to accelerate the translation of research and innovation into clinical care. In September 2015, John became the inaugural WAHTN Director and steered this network to develop into a strong entity. He also initiated the Science on the Swan Conference in Perth, which has now become an annual fixture for medical professionals.

Call for Applications – Closing Date: 1:00pm, Tuesday 13 February 2018

The Telethon-Perth Children’s Hospital Research Fund (TPCHRF) was established by the Department of Health and Channel 7 Telethon Trust. It funds health and medical research that focuses on the health of children and adolescents in WA.

Please see attached information

The annual event hosted by the Australia-Israel Chamber of Commerce (WA) and Western Australian Health Translation Network (WAHTN) was held on Wednesday the 6th December at the State Reception Centre in Kings Park. 251 delegates from corporate, academic and government sectors attended the business breakfast.

The Hon Roger Cook MLA, Deputy Premier; Minister for Health; Mental Health delivered a keynote address on behalf of the Western Australian State Government, followed by an informal Q&A discussion led by the Chief Scientist of WA, Professor Peter Klinken AC.

Delegates also heard from John Cluer, Chief Executive of the AICC(WA) who spoke about AICC initiatives supporting Australia-Israel relations and Professor Steve Wilton, Foundation Chair in Molecular Therapies, Murdoch University, who presented on the exemplary work being done in research translation regarding Duchenne muscular dystrophy.

Other highlights included a presentation by The Hon Malcolm McCusker AC CVO QC CitWA, chair of WAHTN, who discussed the power of collaboration.

The event concluded with a vote of thanks by Professor John Challis, Executive Director, WAHTN.

This was the 2nd year in the series of the AICC(WA) / WAHTN Annual Event’s. In 2016 we featured Professor Anne Kelso AO from the National Health Medical Research Council (NHMRC) speaking on “Medical research in the 21st century”.

From L to R – Professor Steve Wilton, Foundation Chair in Molecular Therapies, Murdoch University and Director, Perron Institute for Neurological and Translational Science, The Honourable Malcolm McCusker AC CVO QC CitWA, Independent Chair, WAHTN Executive Board, The Honourable Roger Cook MLA, Deputy Premier; Minister for Health; Mental Health, Western Australian State Government, Professor John Challis, Executive Director, WA Health Translation Network (WAHTN), Professor Peter Klinken AC, Chief Scientist of Western Australia & WAHTN Executive Board and Mr John Cluer, Chief Executive, Australia-Israel Chamber of Commerce (WA).