Driving innovation in medicine: Avant Foundation’s 2026 Member Grants
Apply for a 2026 Member Grant now
Tuesday, 24 March 2026
Driving innovation in medicine: Avant Foundation’s Member Grants
Avant Foundation is dedicated to advancing medical research and championing Australia’s brightest medical minds.
Since 2012, our Member Grants program has funded Avant members - placing a strong emphasis on early-career doctors - to support innovative research that enhances patient care and strengthens medical practice nationwide.
Avant Foundation grants have served as a catalyst for clinician researchers addressing a broad spectrum of medical challenges, from oncology and obstetrics to cardiology and hepatology. By empowering medical researchers, the Foundation continues to build its reputation as a trusted and leading research partner for doctors across Australia.
Eligibility for the program includes medical practices covered under Avant’s indemnity policies.
2025 Member Grants awarded
The Foundation awarded $560,000 in Member Grants in 2025, supporting 28 projects designed to enhance medical quality, safety, and professionalism. The grants included:
- Seven $50,000 grants for 12 months of research
- Five $25,000 grants for flexible, part-time research
- Sixteen $5,000 microgrants to support education, career development, equipment, or early research phases
- One $5,000 grant for the Miss Lewis Award.
These grants, whether large or small, have funded innovative projects across diverse fields, contributing to vital advancements in patient care.
The Miss Lewis Award
The Miss Lewis Award recognises the most outstanding applicant among the Member Grant recipients, awarding $5,000 to support excellence in medical research. Named in honour of Miss Elizabeth Lewis - a pioneer of paediatric and spinal neurosurgery - the award celebrates a legacy of clinical excellence, leadership, and mentorship, qualities that continue to define this prestigious accolade.
In 2025, the highly sought-after Miss Lewis Award was presented to Associate Professor Alireza Ahmadvand, a new fellow researcher whose work demonstrates exceptional innovation. His research focuses on artificial intelligence (AI) scribes - digital tools designed to assist clinicians by automatically generating medical notes from patient consultations.
Notable research funded in 2025 that stood out for their innovation and potential impact are listed below:
Dr Debjyoti Karmakar – $50,000 Grant - “Development of a Hybrid AI System for Early Detection of Fetal Asphyxia During Labour”
Dr Karmakar is developing a hybrid AI system to detect early signs of foetal asphyxia, a leading cause of stillbirth and long-term disability. Trained on over 32,000 CTG recordings, the system provides fully explainable insights to support clinical decision-making, aiming to improve birth outcomes and reduce unnecessary interventions nationwide.
Dr Jun Hee Hong – $25,000 Grant - “Predictive Tools for Improved Heart Failure Management”
Dr Hong’s research focuses on creating predictive tools for patients with heart failure. By integrating clinical data and novel biomarkers, his project aims to help clinicians identify patients at high risk of complications earlier, improving outcomes and reducing hospital admissions.
Dr Akash Konantambigi – $25,000 Grant – “Evaluating Patterns of Testosterone Prescribing Practices in Regional Australia: A Retrospective Observational Study”
Investigating how testosterone therapy is prescribed and monitored in regional Australia using 10 years of clinical data, this project aims to identify prescribing patterns, guideline adherence, and opportunities to improve safe and effective care in non‑metropolitan settings.
Dr Emilia Nan Tie – $5,000 Microgrant - “Improving Access to Essential Medical Services in Rural Communities”
Dr Tie’s project explores strategies to enhance healthcare access for underserved rural populations. This microgrant supports early-stage research that could inform larger interventions to reduce healthcare disparities and ensure equitable care across Australia.
Dr Kathryn Woodward – $5,000 Microgrant – “Health and Wellbeing Across Settlement Geographies: A Longitudinal Analysis of Refugee Health Trajectories in Rural and Urban Australia”
Analysing refugee health outcomes over a decade, this research will compare how rural, regional and urban settlement affects long-term wellbeing, helping inform policies and programs that support equitable health for resettled refugees across Australia.
These grants highlight Avant Foundation’s commitment to nurturing medical researchers at every career stage, supporting innovative projects that drive meaningful improvements in patient care and medical practice.
For more information, see the full list of 2025 recipients.
2026 Member Grants Now Open
The 2026 round of Avant Foundation Member Grants is now open. Doctors at all career stages and medical practices covered under Avant indemnity policies are encouraged to apply. Whether you’re starting early research, leading a major project, or developing innovative solutions for patient care, these grants provide vital funding to help bring your ideas to life.
Apply or learn more here: Avant Foundation’s Member Grants.
The case discussed in this article is based on a real case. Certain information has been de-identified to preserve privacy and confidentiality.
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