The McGowan Government has invested $2.4 million to springboard Western Australian medical researchers into the national spotlight and improve their chances of securing prestigious and highly sought after National Health and Medical Research Council (NMHRC) grants.
Some examples of the outstanding research ideas that will be supported to improve WA's delivery of health care include:
- artificial intelligence and smart phone imaging for the eye;
- lung development through childhood of premature births;
- a diagnostic urinary test for childhood asthma; and
- gene therapy for hearing loss.
The WA Near-Miss Awards (WANMA) Ideas grants program targets researchers who narrowly missed out on securing an NHMRC grant, which is considered a critical career milestone for emerging researchers.
The WANMA program is funded by the McGowan Government's Future Health Research and Innovation (FHRI) Fund and provides a secure source of funding to drive health and medical research, innovation and commercialisation.
The WANMA Ideas grants funding will be shared between 25 recipients who were the top-ranked based on the NHMRC near-miss application score. The NHMRC deemed these recipients worthy of funding but grants were limited, and in this round missed out.
This funding will be provided as a one-off grant for a 12-month period of activity.
The WANMA Ideas grants, of up to $100,000, will assist recipients to enhance their applications for resubmission to a future NHMRC selection round.
More information on WANMA Ideas Grant 2021 recipients can be found on the FHRI Fund website.
As stated by Medical Research Minister Stephen Dawson:
"This significant financial boost in health and medical research is an investment in our future and the McGowan Government is committed to supporting researchers to realise their full potential.
"As Minister for Medical Research I'm proud to be associated with this significant injection of funds to strengthen fresh ideas for the benefit of the entire Western Australian community.
"The McGowan Government's Future Health Research and Innovation Fund is providing strategic funding that will set local researchers on a stable, self-sustaining career pathway."
