Sixteen health and medical research projects will receive a total of $14 million in funding through the NHMRC’s Partnerships for Better Health – Projects (Partnership Projects) scheme.

 

The Partnership Projects scheme brings together decision makers, policy makers, managers, clinicians and researchers. It assists researchers and policy makers to work together to define research questions and undertake research, and also to interpret and implement the findings.

 

Examples of this year’s recipients include:

 

  • Professor Michael Sawyer from the University of Adelaide will use Australian Government funding of $877,246 to introduce the New Technology for New Mums program. This will provide mothers of children aged four weeks to 18 months with nursing and internet-based support, and monitor the outcomes to see what benefits are provided to women who may feel isolated or uncertain. Additional financial support will come from the SA Department of Health.

 

  • Associate Professor Mark Parsons from the University of Newcastle will work with neurologists and medical imaging specialists in NSW and Victoria to develop and implement standardised CT scans for all acute stroke patients. NHMRC will provide $1.075 million, which is augmented by financial support from the National Stroke Foundation, medical imaging providers and the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Radiologists.

 

  • Dr Catherine Sherrington and colleagues at the George Institute for International Health, University of Sydney and University of NSW, will use funding of $1.5million to assess the effectiveness of preventative education and exercise programs being introduced by the NSW Department of Health to prevent
    falls in older people. Additional funding will come from the NSW Department of Health.



  • Nine of the competitively-awarded Partnership Project grants will go to NSW based organisations, four to Victoria, two to South Australia and one in Queensland.

 

The third call for funding under the NHMRC Partnership Projects scheme will close 29 April 2011. More information is at www.nhmrc.gov.au/grants/partnerships/index.htm