News and Events
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WA Near-Miss Awards strengthen pipeline of nationally competitive health and medical research 03 July 2026 A total of 39 Western Australian early- and mid-career researchers have been supported through the WA Near-Miss Awards (WANMA), reinforcing the State’s growing strength in health and medical research with $3.9 million awarded through the program. Delivered through the Future Health Research and Innovation (FHRI) Fund, the WANMA program provides targeted support to high-quality research applications that narrowly miss out on National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) funding. The program plays a critical role in maintaining research momentum, retaining talent and strengthening Western Australia’s competitiveness on the national stage. The latest cohort includes 13 recipients awarded through the WANMA Ideas Grants 2025–26 and 26 recipients through the WANMA Investigator Grants 2026–27, supporting researchers who were near-misses in the 2025 NHMRC Ideas Gra... -
Strengthening grant success for Western Australia’s health and medical researchers 19 June 2026 Western Australia has a diverse and highly capable health and medical research sector. As national funding schemes become increasingly competitive, there is an opportunityto further strengthen how the system supportsWAresearchers to develop high‑quality, competitive grant applications. The Office of Medical Research and Innovation is developing a WA Grant Success Framework to support a coordinated, evidence-informed, statewide approach to grant competitiveness. Two complementary consultation streamsareinformingdevelopment of theFramework: Asector‑wideonline surveyopento individual WA health and medical researchers, seeking input on barriers,enablersand opportunities to strengthen grant success. Targeted consultation with WA research organisations and system leaders, coordinated by OMRI, to understand existing grant support approaches, pressurepointsand opportunities for a... -
Supporting future talent in health: McCusker Centre intern reflection from Thilini Hettiarachchi 18 June 2026 During my internship with the Office of Medical Research and Innovation (OMRI), I had the valuable opportunity to experience a real-world public health work environment and contribute to work supporting health research and innovation in Western Australia. When I began as a communications intern, I had little idea of how I could contribute, as I do not have a communications background. However, through my Master of Public Health, I had learned that communication plays a key role in any health initiative, and I saw this as a great opportunity to develop practical skills in this area. From the first day, I was assigned a variety of tasks that helped me understand how to translate complex information into clear, communication-friendly language that can engage different audiences. I had the opportunity to develop content for a range of platforms, including the website, newsletters and socia... -
FHRI Fund Open Day marks major milestone with RHD Spotlight announcement 11 June 2026 Western Australia’s health and medical research sector came together last weekat the Future Health Research and Innovation (FHRI) Fund Open Day: RHD Spotlight Awarded to mark a significant milestone — the announcement of the inaugural Spotlight Program recipient. Held at Perth Town Hall on 4 June 2026, the event brought together leaders from government, research, healthcare and the community to share progress, strengthen partnerships, and align on future priorities for the sector. The Open Day formally commenced with a Welcome to Country by James T Webb, followed by remarks from John Van Der Wielen, Chair of the FHRI Fund Advisory Council, who highlighted the role of the Fund in bringing the sector together to address Western Australia’s most pressing health challenges. Spotlight on Rheumatic Heart Disease A key highlight of the event was the announcement of the inaug... -
$25 million to transform approach to Rheumatic Heart Disease in Western Australia 04 June 2026 The FHRI Fund has awarded a major $25 million grant to transform outcomes for Rheumatic Heart Disease in WA and beyond as part of the Spotlight 2025-26 program. The award represents the single largest grant ever awarded by the FHRI Fund and will see a dedicated team deliver transformational solutions for Rheumatic Heart Disease. The Future Health Research and Innovation (FHRI) Fund’s Spotlight Programprovides up to $25 million funding over 5 years to enable leading researchers and their teams to deliver solutions to Western Australia’s most pressing health challenges, with a new topic selected each year. The recipient of the Spotlight 2025-26 Rheumatic Heart Disease grant was selected based on competitive review by a distinguished expert assessment panel. The Spotlight 2025-26 Rheumatic Heart Disease recipient is shown below: Recipient R...
Last Updated:
12/03/2026