Celebrating a year of achievements at the Office for Health and Medical Research
As 2024 draws to a close, I would like to take the opportunity to reflect on the accomplishments of the Office for Health and Medical Research over the past 12 months and to acknowledge my colleagues for their dedication. I also want to recognise the contributions of our partners and organisations that collaborated with us on this work.
In May of this year, I was appointed as Executive Director of the Office for Health and Medical Research and welcomed on board with great warmth and generosity. Since starting this role, I have been greatly impressed by the depth and range of skills and expertise of the team and their valuable contributions to the NSW health sector.
NSW is recognised as having one of the best health systems in the world, and the Office is proud to contribute to that consistently high standard with its support for healthcare innovation, advancement and delivery through its wide range of programs and initiatives.
Throughout 2024 we partnered with local health districts, pillar organisations, researchers, experts and entrepreneurs, primary care providers and the non-government sector. This collaborative work supports the richness and diversity of the NSW health research ecosystem we work within. By showcasing the work of the state’s researchers and institutions to national and global audiences, we are providing opportunities for stronger partnerships to ensure the people of NSW benefit from optimal healthcare policy, options, systems and delivery, whether they live in cities or in rural and remote regions.
This year we also played a central role in the development of a new NSW Health Research and Innovation Strategy. The strategy sets a clear vision for the future – A vibrant research and innovation ecosystem that improves the experience of delivering and receiving care, system efficiency and sustainability, and equity in access and health outcomes. I’m excited to report that we expect to publish early in 2025, and we look forward to working together to bring the strategy to life.
During the past 12 months, the Office for Health and Medical Research has provided funding, infrastructure, and support to guide health and medical researchers and innovators through the research pipeline, from basic science to proof of concept, development and clinical trials, through to commercialisation. Underpinning and guiding this work are NSW Health’s core frameworks and strategies for regional health, Aboriginal health, the workforce plan and NSW Future Health.
The Office has continued to progress an ambitious agenda in priority areas including clinical trials, advanced therapeutics, research investment, research ethics and governance, technical innovation and commercialisation. Key achievements in 2024 include:
Progressing cutting edge research and innovation
This year we began development of the NSW Health Research and Innovation Strategy, which has been a major undertaking. Currently in the consultation stage, this collaboration will result in a ten-year vision, five-year strategy and three-year action plan which is person-centred, clinically-led, evidence-based and value-driven. The vision of the Strategy is a vibrant research and innovation ecosystem that improves system efficiency and sustainability, the experience of delivering and receiving care, and equity in health access and outcomes.
We have also been working with the NSW health system, to map the health and innovation precincts of the State, including defining the specialty areas of multi-disciplinary research and innovation of each precinct, and the partners who collaborate, support and promote innovation and commercialisation. These key strengths and opportunities across the precincts will be leveraged to drive research and innovation in NSW.
Closing the gap in Aboriginal health
The Aboriginal Heart Health Grants program which opened in October, will further high impact Aboriginal-led research. The $5 million in funding, will support researchers working on projects in areas including coronary heart disease, stroke, heart failure, cardiovascular complications of diabetes and obesity, and congenital heart disease. The NSW Government also committed $1.4 million for the ground-breaking Aboriginal led, Precision Medicine for Public Health project. This funding will be used to design, implement and evaluate a platform to collect and store Aboriginal genome sequences. Both of these projects involved ongoing collaboration with NSW Aboriginal communities and Aboriginal representatives from NSW Health as well as other stakeholders and academic experts. They are part of our commitment to increase equity of access to culturally safe and responsive healthcare for Aboriginal people.
Expanding use of non-animal technologies
Another significant initiative has been the Non-Animal Technologies Network, launched in July. Administered through the Office, this consolidates our resolve to reduce and replace animals in medical research. It will support further development of animal-free testing models, which include data modelling and organoids (mini versions of organs grown from human cells in the lab). The results of Non-Animal Technologies may more accurately model our human biology and predict which therapies are safe and effective in humans, accelerating discoveries and personalised medicine that could save people’s lives.
Providing research funding support
This year the Office provided significant infrastructure and research funding across the NSW health and medical research sector, including for translational research, early-mid career researchers, and cardiovascular research.
In February, we launched the eighth round of the Translational Research Grant Scheme which provides funding for doctors, nurses and allied health clinicians in NSW to conduct research that will improve care and treatment while also supporting a culture of research excellence in our public health system. Key priority research areas of round eight include models of care, surgical innovation, locally identified needs, Aboriginal and rural health. In May, nine projects were awarded funding through round seven of the Scheme in areas including food policy, diabetes management, mental health, virtual pharmacy and environmental health. Since 2016, the Scheme has awarded over $45 million to 89 projects, with projects going on to impact policy and practice statewide and nationally.
Also in May, the fourth round of the Medical Research Support Program opened, with up to $40 million per annum of funding available to support medical research institutions to cover infrastructure costs for critical research needs, such as equipment, commercialisation, data security and support staff. Employing more than 3000 staff and students, independent medical research institutes are an integral part of a thriving research ecosystem. Thirteen institutes were funded in the 2020-2024 Program round. Collectively they leveraged more than $600 million in research funding and established collaborative partnerships with more than 800 institutions worldwide.
In June, the Early Mid-Career Grant Program awarded $5 million to ten promising researchers in advanced therapeutics including gene therapy, precision medicine and RNA nanomedicine. The funding will support these researchers to begin building multidisciplinary teams and progress their health and medical research careers, strengthening the capacity and capability of our future research and healthcare workforce in NSW. Since 2016, almost 19 million has been awarded to 57 early-mid career researchers. Evaluation of the first two rounds of the Program found that almost all the grant recipients (97%) were still working in the NSW health and medical research sector five to six years after being awarded an NSW Health Early-Mid Career Grant, and many credited the Program with keeping them in research and progressing their careers.
Also in June, funding of $2 million was awarded to three outstanding motor neurone diseases researchers who are working on projects to improve the understanding of distribution rates and diagnostic approaches for Motor Neurone Disease.
Cardiovascular disease continues to be a high priority area as a leading cause of death in Australia. Since 2019, over $96 million has been awarded to 150 projects to drive scientific discoveries, support the development of novel and innovative therapies, and improve health outcomes for patients with cardiovascular disease.
During the year, two Cardiovascular Elite researcher grants were awarded; Cardiovascular Collaborative Grants opened in September to support NSW led collaborations involving multiple institutions with up to $3 million in funding available; and in November $3.75 million was awarded to five senior cardiovascular researchers and $5 million was awarded to 11 early-mid career researchers through the Cardiovascular Research Capacity Program.
The Office is working with the Agency for Clinical Innovation to undertake an interim evaluation of Program outcomes from the first three funding rounds. The evaluation will consider impacts across five domains: advance knowledge, capacity building, policy and practice, community/ patient and economic benefits.
Advancing work in RNA and viral vectors
Phase two construction for the Viral Vector Manufacturing Facility at Westmead has continued to ensure we are ready for the future adoption of viral vectors to treat cancer, genetic diseases and infections. Construction also began on a world-leading RNA research and pilot manufacturing facility at Macquarie University, expanding on the work undertaken by the Office with the NSW RNA Production & Research Network. The facility is the first of its kind in Australia and will enable us to develop vaccines and medical therapies based on cutting edge RNA technology.
Recognising research administrators
Our NSW Health Research Administrator Awards recognised the valued skills and contributions of those who work tirelessly every day to support researchers to navigate areas such as ethics, governance, eligibility checks and finances. This new initiative was led by the Research Ethics and Governance team, which also developed and released the NSW Research Handbook. This contains 20 sections that detail the entire research process and defines roles, responsibilities and governance.
Round 12 of the Medical Devices Fund opened for applications and received an excellent range of projects for consideration by an independent Expert Panel, chaired by Professor Hugh Durrant-Whyte, the NSW Chief Scientist and Engineer. The round has now closed and is in its final stages. Recipients will be named in early 2025, when the next round will also be announced. This funding supports investment in the development and commercialisation of medical devices and related health technologies in NSW to improve patient outcomes. Since 2013, the Fund has awarded $84.5 million to 45 projects, which in turn have raised AUD$1 billion in public and private capital funding, completed over 200 clinical trials and supplied almost 890,000 units of medical devices into the global health system.
We also celebrated ten years of the NSW Health Commercialisation Training Program, with our delivery partners Cicada Innovations. The Program supports researchers, scientists, clinicians and entrepreneurs to turn their cutting-edge work in devices, diagnostics, digital health and therapeutics into optimal health outcomes for patients in NSW and all over the world.
Minister for Medical Research the Hon. David Harris MP delivered the keynote address at the event and acknowledged the valuable contributions of participants in the 2024 program and highlighted the remarkable innovation and success achieved in the past decade.
Launched in 2014, the Program has assisted 350 medical entrepreneurs to develop the business skills to successfully commercialise their products. More than 3,400 participants have been trained in intellectual property protection, regulatory affairs and clinical trials through the program. Graduates have made a considerable impact on the health and life sciences sector by raising more than $134 million in public and private funding through venture capital, establishing more than 40 companies, and generating many new jobs.
Meanwhile, sector growth and learning opportunities throughout the year were funded by grants of up to $10,000 provided through the Health and Medical Sponsorship Program.
The Central Support Service was also established this year to assist NSW public health organisations to manage intellectual property considerations arising from health research.
Another significant milestone was the establishment of three cluster based Clinical Trial Support Units. This was funded through NSW’s Rural Regional and Remote Clinical Trial Enabling Program, to build capacity and capability for the research ecosystem in Northern, Western and Southern NSW. Both NSW Health and ACT Health were awarded $30.6M for this program from the Australian Government Medical Research Future Fund.
The Statewide Clinical Trial Management System expanded its reach across the state. This online software for clinical trial management supports public hospitals and health services to meet accreditation obligations under the National Clinical Trials Governance Framework. This year it incorporated Sydney Children’s Hospitals Network and St Vincent’s Hospital Sydney. The system continues to inform and support the delivery of clinical trials across NSW.
In addition, the Quality Recognition Scheme opened in 2024 to all clinical trial sites in NSW.
Evaluation and outcome reports
Measurement and evaluation are important components of effective program delivery, and the Office uses methodology to assess the impact of research grants to inform future strategic directions and to support continuous improvement.
The COVID-19 Research Program Outcomes Report summarised the many strengths of the large volume of agile research undertaken by NSW Health during the COVID-19 pandemic. The evaluation also acknowledged how the program has successfully facilitated future preparedness for new pandemics and health emergencies.
The Early-Mid Career Grant program evaluation, published in September, confirmed the measurable positive outcomes of this program. These included researcher retention and career progression and positive impacts in relation to policy, practice and the health and care of people in NSW. For every one dollar in grant funding awarded, seven dollars in research funding has been brought into NSW.
I am looking forward to working with the amazing teams across the Office and with our partners during 2025, but first, it is time to relax and recharge our batteries. So, as the holidays fast approach and you spend time with family and friends, I wish you safe travels and a restful and rejuvenating festive season and summer break.
Updated 2 weeks ago