1999-2000
Budget 1999-2000 National Health and Medical Research Council - An Overview
The National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) is Australia's premier health body consolidating the functions of health and medical research funding and advice within a single national organisation.
National Health and Medical Research Council - An Overview
The National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) is Australia's premier health body consolidating the functions of health and medical research funding and advice within a single national organisation.
One of the major strengths of the NHMRC is that it brings together the resources of all components of the health system, including governments, medical practitioners, researchers, teaching and research institutions, service administrators, business, social health researchers and consumers.
Meeting up to four times a year, the NHMRC considers and makes decisions on a variety of issues relating to public health, research, and ethics. Reports on these issues are considered by NHMRC and, where appropriate, released and made widely available.
Although its administrative base resides in the Commonwealth Department of Health and Aged Care, the NHMRC comprises nominees of Commonwealth, State and Territory health authorities, professional and scientific colleges and associations, unions, universities, business, consumer groups, welfare organisations, conservation groups and the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission.
The NHMRC was formed in 1936 and became a statutory body in 1992 under the National Health and Medical Research Council Act 1992.
The NHMRC responsibilities are to:
- raise the standard of individual and public health throughout Australia;
- foster the development of consistent health standards between the various States and Territories;
- foster medical research and training and public health research and training throughout Australia; and
- foster consideration of ethical issues relating to health.
- Research Committee (Public Health and Medical);
- Strategic Research Development Committee;
- Health Advisory Committee; and
- Australian Health Ethics Committee.
Research Committee
Through the Research Committee (Public Health and Medical) the NHMRC makes recommendations to the Commonwealth on the awarding of grants based on scientific quality. A rigorous peer review process across the entire spectrum of health, medical and public health research maintains the highest standards of review and ensures that funded research is of the highest quality.
The Committee provides research support through a variety of mechanisms, including support for individual research projects, broad programs of research, training awards and fellowships and special research units.
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Strategic Research Development Committee
The Strategic Research Development Committee is an important contributor to the research program as it provides a complementary research funding mechanism.
This Committee is responsible for defining the research and research training agenda based on identified gaps in knowledge and skills. It enhances the national research capacity, skills and institutional capability to respond in a focused and timely fashion to emerging health research needs.
Health Advisory Committee
The Health Advisory Committee manages and co-ordinates the development of advice and guidelines on health issues and, as such, is the NHMRC's overarching committee for its advice program. The breadth of the Committee's responsibilities is as wide as the health needs of the Australian community and ranges from communicable diseases, to environmental health, to illness prevention and health promotion.
Through this Committee, NHMRC fosters a critical, evidence-based approach to developing health advice on priority health issues. Those issues have included the management of acute pain, drinking water quality, and the nutritional needs of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.
Australian Health Ethics Committee
The Australian Health Ethics Committee provides NHMRC with guidelines for the conduct of medical research involving humans and with advice on ethical issues relating to health.
The Committee has addressed such sensitive and complex issues as the cloning of human beings and the conduct of research involving people. In addition, its work with Institutional Ethics Committees serves to strengthen and support the consideration of ethical issues in research and the development and implementation of national standards.
1999 at a glance
This year, the NHMRC is funding the following:
- 1188 project grants worth a total of $103 million;
- 21 program grants worth a total of $13.6 million;
- 16 R.D. Wright Fellowships; and
- support for six research centres and institutes worth a total of $25.8 million.
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Media contacts:
Robert Wells, Office of the NHMRC: (02) 6298 5599
Ian Watt, Department of Health and Aged Care: (02) 6289 5255 or 0411 255 236.
