Australian medical researchers overjoyed as MRFF Bills pass Senate

Last week’s passing of the legislation for the Medical Research Future Fund (MRFF) in the Senate has brought hope not just to the Australian health and medical research sector but also to the entire country, according to the Association of Australian Medical Research Institutes (AAMRI).

“As we have noted throughout this process, we need to act today to ensure Australia’s future health and wealth through research that saves and improves lives and, at the same time, delivers an economic return for the nation,” said AAMRI President Professor Doug Hilton.

“The passage of the MRFF bill paves the way for greater security of funding for medical research across Australia,” said Head, School of Clinical Sciences at Monash Health Professor Eric Morand.

“Questions remain about the source of long term funding, and the status of peer review in the process of funding, and Monash will continue to monitor this space carefully but this is a vital first step."

The MRFF is expected to deliver more than $400 million in disbursements to researchers over the next four years, building to $1 billion per year within the decade. This funding is in addition to that allocated to the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC).

For more information, please read the Federal Government's media release and the Association of Australian Medical Research Institutes (MRFF)