The Australian Health Research Alliance welcomes $5 billion investment into Health and Medical Research including $218 million in Rapid Applied Health Research and Translation.
Australia's unprecedented collaborative Alliance of Translation Research Centres, bringing together hospitals, healthcare organisations, universities, and research institutes for better health through research, collectively welcome these announcementsand congratulate Treasurer Frydenberg and Minister Hunt on their $5 billion investment into Health and Medical research, announced in the 2019-2020 Budget.
The Australian Health Research Alliance (AHRA), encompasses all nine National Health and Medical Research Council accredited Centres, over 90 per cent of researchers, 80 per cent of hospitals and extensive primary care and regional reach. Our Centres and national Alliance was singled out by Minister Hunt as highly worthy recipients of $218 million funding over ten years, to continue our world leading collaborative research and translation to deliver a "better health system fully informed by research".
The investment plan, drawn from the transformational Medical Research Future Fund (MRFF), will ensure Australia takes it rightful place as a world leader in Health and Medical research, firmly focused on addressing the needs and priorities of our communities and health services.
AHRA inaugural Chair and Executive Director of Monash Partners Advanced Health Research Translation Centre, Professor Helena Teede said; "We fully appreciate the importance of this recognition, endorsement and support for our collaboration and integration across healthcare, research and education to deliver direct health impact. This enduring funding will allow us to continue to deliver and expand better health through research for the Australian community".
Professor Steve Wesselingh, the current chair of AHRA and Executive Director of the South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute (SAHMRI) noted "that the MRFF funding provides the opportunity for the NHMRC accredited translation centres to rapidly move research and evidence into health care delivery over a sustained period thus having the impact on the health system we have always anticipated they would".
AHRA was formed to provide asingle Australian voice for integration of research, education and health care to drive better health outcomes . Together we expedite cutting-edge research and ensure rapid translation into improved health outcomes for all Australians. Our scale and scope is unprecedented in Australia and this announcement by Minister Hunt will support our delivery of world class, evidence-based patient care when, where and how it is needed, regardless of where we live or who we are as Australians.
AHRA and its member Centre's work in lock step with health professionals, patient groups and our communities to identify needs and rapidly develop evidence based, practical and cost-effective solutions. This creation of a learning health system is supporting unprecedented acceleration of Australia's ability and opportunity to pre-empt, prevent and innovatively manage the burden of chronic and preventable disease.
Our collective work is preventing congenital abnormalities in babies, improving quality of life for children with chronic illnesses, increasing access to new treatments for those with cancer, saving lives of those with heart attacks and strokes, reducing hospital infections, applying artificial intelligence and creating new devices to deliver innovative care, and assisting the elderly to live better quality independent lives . This funding allows us to work hand in hand with our communities across Australia including regional areas and Indigenous communities, to expand and scale our vital work.
