The Australian Government is investing $3 million to support the mental health and wellbeing of boys and men, by backing new research from Flinders University that responds to significant gaps in evidence and support for boys' and men's mental health.
This investment will be used to help establish the 'WellMen': Centre for the Mental Health and Wellbeing of Boys and Men, which will be led by Professor James Smith of Flinders University.
Professor Smith and his team are aiming to improve the mental health and wellbeing of boys and men in Australia by working with them to develop new strategies to promote mental health at critical life stages and in places where they feel most comfortable including schools, sports clubs, and online. The project will also lead to developing, supporting and growing the boys' and men's mental health promotion in the workforce.
WellMen will be supported by a range of industry partners including the Movember Institute of Men's Health, The Man Cave and Deadly Male.
This funding forms part of a larger investment of $66 million under NHMRC's Centre of Research Excellence (CRE) 2026 grant opportunity. The CRE scheme provides support for teams of researchers to pursue collaborative research and develop capacity in basic science research, clinical research, health services research and public health research.
