Medical Research Future Fund
The Medical Research Future Fund (MRFF) is a $20 billion vehicle for investment in health and medical research. It represents the single largest boost to research funding in Australia’s history. It will support research and innovation activities with the objective of improving the health and wellbeing of Australians.
For further information on previous, current and potential future schemes or to discuss how your research might attract MRFF funding, please contact enquiries-MRFF@unimelb.edu.au
Sign up to the MRFF mailing list to stay up-to-date with MRFF related activities and new scheme announcements
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Current Funding Opportunities
MTPConnect Researcher Exchange and Development within Industry (REDI) Fellowship Program
Current round closes 1 July 2021
Applications are reviewed three times annually, with submission deadlines of 1 March 2021, 1 July 2021 and 1 November 2021.
Up to $250,000 of funding is available per Fellow, per annum, for up to 40 industry Fellowships giving Australian, international and/or multinational MTP companies the financial support to bring Australian academics, clinicians and MTP professionals in-house for up to twelve months to work on priority medical research projects.
View the REDI Fellowship Program on MTPConnect's website
2021 Rare Cancers, Rare Diseases and Unmet Need (RCRDUN) - Stream 2
Opens 12 May 2021, closes 7 July 2021
Applications for Streams 1, 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7 are due 5pm, Wednesday 18 August 2021.
Up to $70 million of funding is available over three years from 2021/22 to support Australian medical research and medical innovation that:
- Stream 2: conduct a single clinical trial of potential new drugs for treatment refractory, low survival breast cancer in women who have been identified through molecular testing.
2021 Innovative Therapies for Mental Illness
Opens 17 March 2021, closes 21 July 2021
Up to $15 million of funding is available over three years from 2021/22 to support Australian research projects that use clinical trials to assess the safety and efficacy of innovative therapies using hallucinogens and stimulant drugs supported by psychological/ psychiatric care for treatment resistant mental illness, compared to standard therapies.
View Innovative Therapies for Mental Illness scheme
2021 COVID-19 Health Impacts and Vaccination Schedules
Opens 12 May 2021, closes 18 August 2021
Up to $15 million of funding is available over three years from 2021/22 to support Australian medical research and medical innovation that:
- Stream 1: study individuals that have tested positive for COVID-19 to improve understanding of the long-term health impacts of COVID-19
- Stream 2: conduct clinical trials to generate evidence on how individuals or populations with immunocompromising conditions respond to COVID-19 vaccination, to inform vaccine schedules
- Stream 3: conduct clinical trials to generate knowledge on the efficacy of vaccine schedules that combine different COVID-19 vaccines.
View COVID-19 Health Impacts and Vaccination Schedules scheme
2021 Rare Cancers, Rare Diseases and Unmet Need (RCRDUN) - Streams 1, 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7
Opens 12 May 2021, closes 18 August 2021
Applications for Stream 2 are due 5pm, Wednesday 7 July 2021.
Up to $70 million of funding is available over three years from 2021/22 to support Australian medical research and medical innovation that:
- Stream 1: conduct a single clinical trial in women of potential new treatments and therapies for rare cancers of the reproductive system
- Stream 3: conduct a single clinical trial of potential new treatments and therapies for rare diseases caused by genetic mutations
- Stream 4: conduct a single clinical trial of non-drug treatments and therapies (for example surgery, radiation, rehabilitation) for rare cancers, rare diseases and conditions with unmet medical need
- Stream 5: conduct a single clinical trial assessing the comparative effectiveness4 of health interventions in improving outcomes for individuals with rare cancers, rare diseases and conditions with unmet medical need
- Stream 6: conduct a single clinical trial of new treatments and therapies for individuals with low survival cancers and low survival rare diseases
- Stream 7: conduct a single clinical trial of treatments and therapies for conditions with unmet medical need.
View RCRDUN - Streams 1, 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7 scheme
2021 International Clinical Trial Collaborations - Round 1
Opens 17 March 2021, Round 1 closes 8 September 2021
Up to $6.3 million of funding is available in this round to support Australian medical research and medical innovation projects that:
- utilise clinical trials to promote Australian involvement in international collaborative investigator-initiated clinical trials research through the establishment and co-ordination of clinical trial site/s in Australia.
- provide high-quality evidence of the effectiveness of novel health treatments, drugs or devices in ‘usual care’ settings, which will support a decision on whether to deliver the intervention in an Australian setting.
Novel health treatments include new and innovative applications of existing interventions.
View International Clinical Trial Collaborations 21.1 scheme
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Helpful Links
Successful MRFF Proposal Library
Register your Notice of Intent (NOI)
Accepting and Managing your MRFF Grant
Useful media links
MTPConnect's 'Preparing Successful Commercilisation Funding Applications' webinar
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UoM MRFF Success Stories
Life-improving research for brain cancer survivors
Frontiers health outcomes for stroke and epilepsy patients
Doherty Institute receives MRFF funding for COVID-19 vaccine Phase I clinical trial
Researchers receive $17 million investment in pathogen genomics
Million dollar MRFF boost for understanding COVID-19 immunology
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MRFF Strategy and Priority Areas
MRFF Governance in Summary:
- The Medical Research Future Fund Act 2015 sets out rules for the fund, including the establishment of the Australian Medical Research Advisory Board (AMRAB) and compels it to consult the public. AMRAB sets the strategy and priorities for the Medical Research Future Fund and consults the public regularly before updating these.
- AMRAB sets the Australian Medical Research and Innovation Strategy every 5 years. It takes into account Australia's health needs and areas that need greater investment. The current Strategy (2016-2021) can be found here.