Melbourne on top in latest NHMRC Program Grants

The University of Melbourne has led the way nationally among all universities in the latest round of NHMRC outcomes, with program grants totalling $28.7 million and scholarships worth $1.26 million.

Announced yesterday, the two program grants will help Melbourne researchers contribute to finding innovative solutions to global health problems.

A team led by Professor James McCluskey, and including scientists from Microbiology and Immunology in the Doherty Institute and at Monash University, will improve understanding of immunity during infection of inflammatory diseases, improving our ability to design new generation vaccines for combating infectious diseases.

And research led by Professor Stephen Davis at the Melbourne Brain Centre in Melbourne Health will develop new approaches to enhance brain recovery after a stroke.

The Melbourne Biomedical Precinct dominated program grant funding, with partners contributing towards a precinct total of more than $70.4 million.

Professor McCluskey, also the University’s Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research), said the University was particularly proud of the performance of the broader precinct.

“We’re very happy with not just the University’s success, but that of our partners at the Doherty Institute, the Royal Melbourne Hospital and Walter Eliza Hall Institute,” he said.

“As a University research community, we are proud of our role in such a successful, collaborative research model. These grant results are further proof of the important linkages between the University and its partners.”

The University also received 13 Postgraduate Scholarships, worth $1.26 million, contributing towards a total of 21 scholarships worth almost $2 million across the Biomedical Precinct.

Finally, the University was one of only three institutions to receive an EU Collaborative Research Grant, with Professor Stephen Kent leading a team to assist European researchers in advancing multiple HIV vaccines into human testing.

In total, the NHMRC announced $129.4 million worth of grants in this latest round, with Chief Executive Officer Professor Anne Kelso commenting on the breadth and depth of medical research expertise available in Australia.