The Department of Health, via AusIndustry, advise that the Frontier Health and Medical Research Program has been deferred.
The Office of Medical Research responsible for administering MRFF scheme have made this decision in light of the COVID-19 situation in an attempt to alleviate some of the pressure upon researchers who may be unable to submit an application at this time. The scheme deadline is being pushed back by a couple of months and a new deadline will be announced in the coming weeks.
Please note that there was never any suggestion that the round has been cancelled nor that the money is to be used elsewhere. Furthermore, the Stage 2 Guidelines will be ready by the time the round reopens – this will be of benefit to all applicants. It will enable existing applications to be adjusted accordingly or not – this will be the choice of applicants.
Applicants who have already submitted will get a chance to amend their applications, and those who have yet to submit may submit when the scheme reopens.
An announcement with the new deadline will be advised and emailed out to all relevant contacts, but the MRFF encourage interested parties to pay close attention to the business.gov.au website as any announcements will be communicated there.
The Department is encouraging all researchers who have submitted applications to date to also hold copies of these documents offline to ensure nothing is lost in the interim, and to keep login codes somewhere memorable for future access
You will feel frustrated and let down by the system, given the effort you have made to prepare your application in such challenging times. Monash will continue to advocate strongly for the Frontiers program and will communicate any developments that come to light in the coming weeks and months.
This is devastating news for all who have worked night and day to prepare applications and apology to pass on this news.
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