University of Queensland health and medical research projects aimed at improving the nation’s healthcare will benefit from a national allocation of more than $483 million announced today.
More than $32 million of the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) funding has been allocated to University of Queensland for 48 research projects.
The three biggest UQ Project Grants in this round are:
- Dr Coral Gartner, School of Public Health - Faculty of Medicine, $1,499,145
- Professor Gita Mishra, School of Public Health - Faculty of Medicine, $1,366,831
- Associate Professor Benjamin Hogan, Institute for Molecular Bioscience, $1,228,364.
Research into neuroscience was a stand-out, with UQ’s Queensland Brain Institute (QBI) receiving funding for 15 projects – almost half of those it applied for.
QBI Director Professor Pankaj Sah congratulated the successful recipients.
“This is a stunning validation of the quality of research under way at QBI,” Professor Sah said.
“We are tackling some of the most pressing health issues in an ageing society, but also doing groundbreaking work in discovery neuroscience.
“My congratulations to all our successful recipients who worked incredibly hard to secure these highly competitive grants. I wish them well.”
Professor Sah himself received $941,000 over four years to investigate the neural circuits that prompt fear, in an effort to find better treatments for anxiety disorders.
UQ was also awarded six new Career Development Fellowships, with funding totalling $2.73 million over four years, bringing UQ’s success in NHMRC Fellowship schemes for 2017 to 21 Fellowships and funding totalling $9.407 million.
Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research) Professor Robyn Ward said the funding would help UQ researchers continue their efforts to find solutions to some of the world’s toughest health problems.
“Our researchers excel at tackling the tricky health issues that affect not only Australians, but people the globe over,” she said.
“This funding helps them in finding practical solutions to improve medicine and healthcare, with projects ranging from finding better ways to quit smoking, to tracking the health of more than 58,000 Australia womenover 20 years.
“I look forward to seeing what our outstanding researchers will achieve next.”
Media: UQ Communications, communications@uq.edu.au, +61 7 3365 3439, 0413 601 248.
