Volume 195 - Issue 10
NHMRC funding for primary care research 2000–2008
Author: Warwick P Anderson
Med J Aust 2011; 195 (10): 583. || doi: 10.5694/mja11.11252
Published online: 21 November 2011
Published online: 21 November 2011
To the Editor: I am responding to the letter from McIntyre and colleagues in which they strongly urged the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) to increase support for primary health care research.1 Primary health care research is essential to the future of the Australian health system. Unfortunately, few primary care researchers apply to the NHMRC for support.
Reflecting our concern about the low application numbers, we held a workshop on primary health care research last year (see http://www.nhmrc.gov.au/media/events/2010).
Our statistics show that from 2008 to 2010, just 1% of total applications to the NHMRC for project grant funding designated the field of research as primary health care.
The overall success rate for these primary health care grants over the period 2008–2010 (24%) compares favourably with the overall success rate for all project grants (24%) and clinical research project grant success rates (20%) over the same period.
It is notable that the annual number of primary health care grant applications peaked early in the decade and have plateaued since 2004 (Box). This possibly reflects the additional funding for primary health care research from other sources, notably the Australian Primary Health Care Research Institute (APHCRI), which has funded a number of research projects since 2001. In 2010, the APHCRI announced funding of more than $3 million in the form of three centres of research excellence,2 four project grants3 and four fellowships.4,5
Competing interests
No relevant disclosures.
References
- McIntyre EL, Mazza D, Harris NP. NHMRC funding for primary care research 2000–2008. Med J Aust 2011; 195: 230.
- Australian National University. $2.5M health research centres launched [media release]. 20 Dec 2010. http://www.anu.edu.au/aphcri/Media/20_DEC_COE.pdf (accessed Oct 2011).
- Australian National University. $600,000 awarded for health policy research [media release]. 8 Oct 2010. http://www.anu.edu.au/aphcri/Media/8_OCT_2010_APHCRI_research_grants.pdf (accessed Oct 2011).
- Australian Primary Health Care Research Institute. APHCRI/Robert Graham Center Visiting Fellowship 2010. http://www.anu.edu.au/aphcri/Spokes_Research_Program/2010_APHCRI_RGC_fellowship.php (accessed Oct 2011).
- Australian Primary Health Care Research Institute. International visiting fellowships 2011. http://www.anu.edu.au/aphcri/Spokes_Research_Program/2011_Visiting_Fellowships.php (accessed Oct 2011).