Melbourne's world-class researchers have been handed more than 40 per cent of Australia’s latest medical research funding to spearhead the next generation of advances.
Research into cancer, cardiovascular disease, diabetes and mental health have been given the greatest priority under $640 million worth of medical research grants to be announced by the Turnbull Government today.
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Victoria’s leading institutes and hospitals will receive the biggest slice of the research spending, provided almost $270 million to undertake 308 separate projects.
The funding includes a mammoth $16.1 million investment in HIV research led by the University of Melbourne’s Prof Stephen Kent to better understand the biology of the disease to push for a cure or effective vaccine.
Health Minister Greg Hunt with announce the latest National Health and Medical Research Council allocations today, which include $109 million for cancer research and more than $96 million for cardiovascular disease and $48 million for diabetes.
“Mental health is a continuing priority area for the Turnbull Government and we are leading a transformation in the way mental health care is delivered in Australia,” he said.
“Over $53 million will be targeted through research projects that aim to help the four million Australians who suffer from a form of mental illness each year.”
Under the National Health Priority Areas agreed upon by Australia’s governments, the NHMRC funding will also be greased towards breakthroughs in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health ($31 million), injury ($28.5 million), dementia ($14 million), Obesity ($13 million), Asthma ($12 million) and arthritis and osteoporosis ($10 million).
Other Victorian-based proposals to successful attract funding include $10 million projects at Monash University project to better use membrane proteins into therapies, and at St Vincent’s Institute of Medical Research to integrate diabetes research.
This was originally published by the Herald Sun.
