Why research funding matters
You may not be directly seeking research funding yourself, but the chances are you work alongside colleagues who are, or who have stepped back from a research ambition because the pathway became too uncertain. Doctor researchers are a rare and valuable combination: practitioners who bring clinical insight and patient perspective to scientific inquiry in ways that laboratory researchers alone cannot. Ensuring opportunities to pursue a research project are economically viable matters for the future of Australian healthcare.
Australia's Medical Research Future Fund (MRFF) was established over 10 years ago to support health and medical research. Currently, around $650 million a year is being released, despite the original goal being to deliver $1 billion annually. Following a recent campaign supported by the key research peak bodies, Avant welcomes the Federal Government’s commitment to increase MRFF spending over the next 4 years, reaching the $1 billion goal from 2030-31.
Supporting the research ecosystem's peak bodies
There are a number of peak organisations working across the research industry to advocate for Australian investment in world-class health and medical research. Avant Foundation endorses the critical role the Association of Australian Medical Research Institutes (AAMRI), the Australian Society of Medical Researchers (ASMR) and Research Australia (RA) play to support universities, institutes and individual researchers.
Beyond a clinical focus: driving system improvements
The need for research goes beyond disease-specific breakthroughs. Health systems research – the complex interplay of patient care, technology, workforce and economics that determines whether our healthcare system is safe, sustainable and high quality – is chronically underfunded. The evidence base for how we organise and deliver care affects every practitioner and every patient, yet it rarely attracts the attention or investment that clinical research does.
This is why in 2024, Avant set up a foundation to support research that promotes quality, safety, sustainability and professionalism in the practice of medicine.
Recently, the Avant Board made a landmark decision to commit $50 million of capital to create an enduring philanthropic legacy in support of medical research, education and health programs. The Avant Foundation awarded its inaugural $1 million Transformation Grant in 2025. This initiative aims to create meaningful, lasting change in how healthcare is delivered and experienced in Australia.
As Avant members, you are part of a mutual organisation that does more than protect doctors when things go wrong. Through our foundation, Avant is investing in programs that help things go right – for doctors, for patients, and for the healthcare system as a whole. That's something worth knowing, and worth being proud of.
Transformative treatment for children with neurodevelopmental disorders
In the next decade, Professor Russell Dale and his scientific colleague Dr Shrujna Patel, envision a future where neurodevelopmental disorders in children, such as autism, ADHD and Tourette syndrome, are understood through biological markers. Their groundbreaking research has a goal of enabling personalised treatments tailored to each child’s unique profile. As Professor Dale explains, “It’s about moving beyond symptom management to truly modifying disease pathways.”
Thanks to winning the inaugural flagship $1million Transformation Grant from Avant Foundation, the project team, comprising neuroscientists, clinicians, dietitians and bioinformaticians from University of Sydney and Westmead Children’s Hospital, are moving towards clinical trials. “The clinician-scientist partnership is crucial,” Professor Dale emphasises. “We listen to families and bring cutting-edge science to the bedside.”
Prof Russell Dale, University of Sydney, Avant Foundation Transformation Grant 2025 winner
2026 Avant Foundation Member Grants now open
Explore how clinician-led research is driving better healthcare outcomes and apply for Member Grants before 25 June to access up to $50,000 in support.
This article was originally published in Connect magazine issue 26 in May 2026.
Independent modelling consistently shows that every dollar invested into health and medical research generates strong returns through productivity gains, reduced health expenditure, commercialisation and workforce participation.
The Avant Foundation is administered by Avant Services Co. Pty Limited (ACN 616 529 581).
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