Annual Report 2015–2016

RESEARCH FUNDING EXPENDITURE
Funding received for health and medical research from the Australian Government and other sources through
the Medical Research Endowment Account (MREA) amounted to $845.5 million 1 in 2015–16, while grant
payments for health and medical research totalled $825.5 million in the same year.
New grants awarded through the MREA during 2015–16 amounted to $865.7 million to be spent over a
period of up to six calendar years. This is an increase of $39 million, up from $826.7 million in 2014–15.
The increase is due to new grants awarded under the Boosting Dementia Research budget measure,
an increase to the allocation for new Program Grants, an additional round of Partnership Projects, and a new
Targeted Call for Research to Prepare Australia for the Genomics Revolution.
The MREA balance at the end of 2015–16 was $151.4 million.
Figure 2
Medical Research Endowment Account: new grant commitments, revenue,
grant payments and the MREA balance
PART 1 Overview
1,000
900
800
700
$ MILLION
600
500
400
300
200
100
0
2006-07 2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 2012-13 2013-14 2014-15 2015-16
FINANCIAL YEAR
New Grant Commitments
Revenue (Appropriation & Other Receipts)
Grant Payments
MREA Balance
In 2015–16, NHMRC also administered grant programs for activities related to dementia research
($8.8 million, including $2.8 million for Boosting Dementia Research and $6.0 million for dementia
related collaborative and partnership research centres), anti-venom research ($0.5 million) and provision
of research evidence for clinical practice and policy through the Cochrane Collaboration ($2 million).
1 Funding in 2015–16 includes Australian Government appropriations credited to the Medical Research Endowment
Account ($836 million), external funding from other organisations ($6.2 million), and unspent grant funds that have been
recovered ($3.2 million).
Annual Report of the National Health and Medical Research Council 2015–2016
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