NHMRC and the Consumers Health Forum of Australia (CHF) have today released the new Statement on Consumer and Community Involvement in Health and Medical Research (the Statement).
The Statement sets a clear expectation that consumer and community involvement in Australian health and medical research is integral and should be conducted in a way that is consistent, respectful, and effective.
The Statement reflects the reality that consumer and community involvement is essential for high quality health and medical research. It is intended to guide individuals involved in health and medical research, and to influence involvement in policy, practice, and decision making.
The Statement sets out how each stakeholder group can support involvement across the wider research system, not only within individual research projects.
People are at the centre of health and medical research. When consumers and communities shape research priorities, design, delivery and translation, research is more relevant to real world needs and better positioned to improve health outcomes.
Between 2022 and 2025, 1,130 people attended consultation workshops, and 219 written submissions were received from individuals and organisations. With oversight from the NHMRC-MRFF Consumer Advisory Group, all consultation feedback was carefully considered when finalising the Statement.
In the Statement, you will find:
- a national vision for embedding involvement across all health and medical research
- values, principles, and practical examples to support consistent involvement across the research lifecycle
- clear roles and responsibilities for consumers, consumer organisations, communities and community members, researchers, research institutions, and research funders (including shared responsibilities)
- a focus on inclusion, respect for lived experience, trust and reciprocity, equity and diversity, safety, and transparency and accountability.
NHMRC will continue working with the sector to support implementation and uptake of the Statement, and will strengthen the systems and capabilities that make effective involvement possible.
We encourage everyone involved in health and medical research, consumers and communities, researchers, institutions and funders, to use the Statement as a shared reference point for what good involvement looks like, and to keep strengthening partnerships that are safe, respectful, and reciprocal.
