Australia Announces $98 Million in Medical Research Funding Through MRFF

Australia's Medical Research Future Fund (MRFF) has announced two grant opportunities for 2026 totaling $98 million to support medical research infrastructure and international clinical trial collaborations.

The 2026 National Critical Research Infrastructure grant opportunity will provide up to $85 million for projects that find solutions to areas of unmet medical need. Unmet medical needs are serious health conditions where existing diagnosis or treatment options are not working well for patients.

The infrastructure funding will support projects developing or using new research infrastructure such as biobanks, tissue repositories, novel platforms and secure health data environments. Projects applying artificial intelligence technologies into health applications will also be eligible, with this integration promising to benefit multiple areas of health. The funding will support forming co-investment partnerships to build research capacity, capability and effectiveness and to support studies using new platforms, systems and services. Projects using and enhancing new mRNA technologies, platforms and equipment to accelerate the development of mRNA vaccines and treatments are also eligible.

Funding for the infrastructure initiative is from the MRFF's National Critical Research Infrastructure initiative.

The MRFF's 2026 International Clinical Trial Collaborations grant opportunity will provide up to $13 million for medical research and innovation projects that promote Australian involvement in international clinical trials. Australian researchers and clinicians will set up and run trial sites locally and collaborate with overseas partners. The funding will support projects that provide high-quality evidence of the effectiveness of novel health treatments, drugs, or devices to support decisions on their use in Australia.

Funding for the clinical trials program is from the MRFF's Clinical Trials Activity initiative.

Information on all MRFF grant opportunities is available on GrantConnect and the MRFF calendar.