New 10-Year Plan Aims to Boost Australia’s Health and Medical Research

New 10-Year Plan Aims to Boost Australia’s Health and Medical Research

22 May 2026

The National Health and Medical Research Strategy 2026–2036 sets out a long-term vision to improve research, close existing gaps, and attract more scientists and investment to Australia’s medical research sector.

The strategy was developed after broad consultation with stakeholders and was formally handed to the Government in March 2026 by chair Ms Rosemary Huxtable AO PSM.

The plan began in May 2024 when the Australian Government announced it would create a national strategy to guide future research priorities. Ms Huxtable was appointed later that year to lead its development.

In the 2026–27 Federal Budget, the Government committed around $500 million over four years to support medical research through the Medical Research Future Fund. Funding is expected to increase each year, reaching about $1 billion annually by 2030–31.

Alongside the release of the strategy, the Government also outlined new investment priorities for medical research, aimed at supporting high-value projects identified under the national plan.

New 10-Year Plan Aims to Boost Australia’s Health and Medical Research

 
Source: newsGP (RACGP)