Annual Report 2015–2016

Obesity and metabolic disease
NHMRC and A*STAR are continuing discussion regarding a joint research call on obesity and metabolic
diseases. This will promote and encourage research and development activities between researchers from
Singapore and Australia.
Tropical health research program
NHMRC called for applications from teams to undertake innovative, high quality research into the prevention,
diagnosis and treatment of tropical diseases through the Northern Australia Tropical Disease Collaborative
Research Program. The Program opened for applications on 24 February 2016 and closed on 6 April 2016.
As at 30 June 2016, these applications had undergone peer review to determine funding recommendations.
PART 2 Performance Report
Dementia-focused research
NHMRC has allocated funding to support a small number of Australian-based researchers who are
participating as external collaborators on international consortia under the European Union Joint Program
– Neurodegenerative Disease (JPND) Call for Proposals: European research projects on neurodegenerative
diseases: risk and protective factors, longitudinal cohort approaches and advanced experimental models
(JPco-fuND).
In September 2015, the Minister for Health, the Hon Sussan Ley MP, announced $2.6 million in funding for
two grants as part of the NHMRC National Institute for Dementia Research Grants Priority Round 1
– JPco‐fuND.
Outcome 1: Support translational research
NHMRC has achieved its goal of supporting translational research, including research focused on the
National Health Priority Areas, the Australian Government Science and Research Priority in Health and
other major health issues by funding the range of schemes listed above, as well as by establishing the
HTAC. These actions ensure bridging of the gap between the knowledge created through research and the
translation of that knowledge into policy and practice.
NHMRC ensures the recognition of achievements in research translation is captured in aspects of its
scheme’s assessment criteria such as in the Program Grants selection criteria, and the Partnership Projects
category descriptors.
58
Annual Report of the National Health and Medical Research Council 2015–2016