In the lead up to the hand down of the Federal Budget on 14 May 2024, the Hon Mark Butler MP, Minister for Health and Aged Care has announced the National Strategy for Health and Medical Research.

Luminesce Alliance welcomes the announcement and the inclusion of two new 10-Year Medical Research Future Funds (MRFF) focused on reducing reduce health inequities and low survival cancers, that Luminesce Alliance has also identified as key areas of focus in our Enabling Platforms Program.

The announcement states that the strategy will ensure that patients get easier and earlier access to potentially lifesaving clinical trials, Australia gets better value from the $1.5 billion in research grants awarded each year, and health priorities get more funding including reducing health system inequality, and cancers with low survival rates.

The Medical Research Future Fund (MRFF) and the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) deliver $1.5 billion in grants each year.

The need for a National Strategy has been one of the consistent messages the Government has heard from the health and medical research sector. The Government consulted the sector throughout 2023 on ideas to better align the work of the NHMRC and MRFF.

The National Strategy will cover the entire sector and include all levels of government, industry, philanthropy, academia and consumers.

Minister Butler has made this commitment in the context of the “Health Research for a Future Made in Australia” package which has a total investment of $1.89 billion, and includes:

• A new 10-Year Low Survival Cancers MRFF Mission;
• A new 10-Year Reducing Health Inequities MRFF Mission; and
• $18.8m to progress the National One Stop Shop for clinical trials and health research.

For more details see:

• Luminesce Alliance Enabling Platforms
• Minister Butler’s press release