Shared advisory committees are to be established following the Australian Government’s consultation on improving alignment between the Department of Health and Aged Care’s Medical Research Future Fund and NHMRC’s Medical Research Endowment Account.
The Department of Health and Aged Care and the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) are seeking nominations for four advisory committees that will support both federal funds by advising on research strategies and funding policies.
This comes after the Australian Government’s 2023 national consultation on Improving alignment and coordination between the Medical Research Future Fund and NHMRC’s Medical Research Endowment Account (MREA), which AusBiotech responded to with an industry-led submission.
While the Government is considering its formal response on the consultation, the NHMRC and Department are progressing work to improve alignment and coordination, including establishing a range of shared advisory committees.
The four shared advisory committees are:
- NHMRC-MRFF Consumer Advisory Group – to advise on consumer and community involvement in health and medical research, including on strengthening consumer involvement in MREA and MRFF grant programs
- NHMRC-MRFF Industry, Philanthropy and Commercialisation Committee – to advise on industry and philanthropic involvement in health and medical research and strategies to foster greater research commercialisation
- NHMRC-MRFF Public Health and Health Systems Committee – to advise on strategies for strengthening preventive health, public health, primary care and health services, and for embedding research translation in the Australian health system
- NHMRC-MRFF Indigenous Advisory Group – to advise on health research involving Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities and capacity building for health researchers who identify as Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander.
Nominations are being sought from individuals interested in the role of research in improving health outcomes for the Australian community, including but not limited to; consumers and community members, industry representatives, philanthropy representatives, physicians and other clinicians, and researchers in all areas of health and medical research and at all career stages.
Nominees may be asked to serve more than one committee, noting that all committees will have a consumer representative/s and an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander representative/s.
To apply to be an advisory committee member, visit the NHMRC website here. A diagrammatic overview of the advisory committee structure is also available to download on the NHMRC website.
Nominations close 5PM AEST on Wednesday 31 July 2024.