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Australian Capital Territory to receive more than $7 million in research funding

Twenty-two health and medical research projects in the ACT, including efforts to identify new ways to combat malaria and to better understand organ-specific autoimmune diseases, such as Type 1 diabetes, multiple sclerosis and thyroid disease, will receive more than $7 million in research funding next year.

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30 October 2002

Australian Capital Territory to receive more than $7 million in research funding

Twenty-two health and medical research projects in the ACT, including efforts to identify new ways to combat malaria and to better understand organ-specific autoimmune diseases, such as Type 1 diabetes, multiple sclerosis and thyroid disease, will receive more than $7 million in research funding next year.

Announcing the funding today, Federal Minister for Health and Ageing, Senator Kay Patterson, congratulated the successful applicants saying the National Health and Medical Research Council's annual project funding round was highly competitive.

"In total, 406 important health and medical research projects across Australia will receive more than $150 million in funding from the NHMRC next year," she said.

"Funding applications to the NHMRC are extensively peer reviewed and successful applicants can be justly proud of their achievement. This year's projects reflect the increasing effort being directed into providing money for research into a wide variety of health issues affecting Australians."

Two ACT institutions, the ANU and the Canberra Hospital, have received five per cent of available funds, recognition of the high quality of proposals submitted by researchers from the National Capital.

"The 21 ANU projects also include a study of the effects of parental working conditions on children's health and the mechanisms controlling antibody production. At Canberra Hospital, there'll be a trial to see whether altering upper bedding will reduce asthma severity in children with asthma," Senator Patterson said.

The funding for health and medical research in Australia was doubled by the Commonwealth in the 1999-2000 Federal Budget, as a result of the Wills Review.

Details of the 406 Project Funding Agreements are at: www.nhmrc.gov.au/funding/outcom02.htm

Media Contact: Randal Markey, Media Adviser, (02) 6277 7220
Jeanne Klener, Media Unit, NHMRC, (02) 6289 5796