Sydney awarded over $97 million in NHMRC funding for 2017
Today the NHMRC announced University of Sydney scholars will receive more than $69 million in the final round of funding for 2017, bringing the total amount of NHMRC funding for the year to over $97 million.
Sydney scholars have been awarded more than $69 million in the latest round of funding from the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) to develop new drugs that can reduce cancer spreading and create new ways to predict whether a kidney transplant will fail, among many other critically important projects.
Announced on Wednesday (6 December), Sydney researchers received more than $40 million for 49 Project Grants and $25 million for two Program Grants. A further $813,000 was awarded for one Global Alliance for Chronic Diseases Grant and 12 Sydney students also received postgraduate scholarships, valued at almost $900,000.
Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research) Professor Duncan Ivison said the results were outstanding, bringing the total amount of NHMRC funding received this year to $97.1 million, the second highest awarded to a single institution nationally.
“It’s an incredible result that our health and medical researchers should be proud of and reflects the University’s strength in medical sciences,” he said, adding that this year, the University was again ranked 1st in Australia for medicine in the QS World University Rankings by Subject.
“We’re proud to support some of the best medical researchers in the world – as well as the next generation of talented postgraduate scholars – to develop new preventions and treatments for devastating diseases such as cancer, multiple sclerosis and diabetes. This important work will vastly improve the health and quality of life for millions around the world.”
Highlights of grants awarded to Sydney researchers in this round include:
- Professor John Simes was awarded $12.2 million for a Program Grant to fast-track clinical trial evidence to the clinic, advancing personalised medicine and tackling major health care questions in cancer and cardiovascular disease
- Professor Stephen Simpson will lead a $12.9 million Program Grant to advance evidence-based precision nutrition to prevent disease
- Professor Alicia Jenkins will use her $715,000 Project Grant to identify novel biomarkers to predict diabetes complications and treatment response
- Professor Philip O’Connell was awarded $1 million in Project Grant funding to further investigate the 13 genes his team has discovered that could predict kidney transplant failure
- Professor Christopher Semsarian will use his $845,000 Project Grant to study and ultimately prevent sudden cardiac death in young people
- Associate Professor Fabienne Brilot was awarded a $913,000 Project Grant to improve diagnosis and prognosis of brain autoimmune conditions, such as multiple sclerosis
- Professor Michael Murray will use his $599,000 Project Grant to develop omega-3 fatty acid-based drugs that can decrease the risk of cancer spreading throughout the body
- Associate Professor Martin Ng was awarded a $3.2 million Project Grant to conduct a randomised trial to improve heart function in heart attack patients
- Professor Andrew Dawson was awarded $813,000 for a Global Alliance for Chronic Diseases Grant to scale a community-based alcohol education program in rural Sri Lankan villages.
