Gender-based discrimination in the NHMRC Investigator Grants Scheme

The NHMRC Investigator Grants scheme continues to discriminate against women, and NHMRC has proposed further changes to the scheme.

Potential changes to funding structure:

• Introduce quotas for women
• Create separate Investigator Grant budgets for men and women and manage them as separate competitions
• Equalise funded rates for men and women
• Encourage advancement of women’s careers by increasing funding for L1 and L2 within the Leadership category
• Require institutions to submit equal numbers of applications from women and men

Potential changes to peer review:

• Review assessment criteria and weightings for gender bias
• Fund the research, not the person
• Blind peer reviewers to applicant’s name
• Ensure there are equal numbers of male and female peer reviewers
• Bring back Grant Review Panels

NHRMC CEO, Anne Kelso AO, is holding a webinar to discuss these issues on :

• Thursday 24 February 2022 2:00 - 4:00 PM (AEDT). REGISTER HERE
• Thursday 3 March 2022 12:00 - 2:00 PM (AEDT) REGISTER HERE

SCS Women in Science, Discovery and Medicine (WiSDoM) Committee will be seeking your feedback after this event, so stay tuned!