Frontier Health and Medical Research (multi-year)
Funds breakthrough and frontier health and medical research with potential to transform health outcomes.
The 2022 Frontier Health and Medical Research grant opportunity is a multi-year rolling funding mechanism within the MRFF Frontier Health and Medical Research Initiative, which has a total budget of A$700 million over ten years under Australia's MRFF 3rd 10-year Investment Plan (2024-25 to 2033-34). The grant opportunity targets breakthrough and frontier health and medical research in Australia — investigations that push beyond established paradigms and carry significant potential to transform health outcomes. The MRFF's broader endowment stands at A$25.4 billion, with the current 10-year plan disbursing A$6.5 billion across 22 active initiatives and missions.
The 2022 Frontier GO opened on 13 February 2023 and remains open for applications until 31 March 2027, with funding awarded on a rolling basis from June 2024 through June 2028. Eligible applicants are Australian-based nonprofits, universities, and research organisations; for-profit companies and individuals cannot apply. Per-award amounts are not stated in published materials; applicants must review the specific grant guidelines on GrantConnect (grants.gov.au, GO UUID: 92889f68). The program is administered in conjunction with NHMRC, and the MRFF general enquiries contact is MRFF@health.gov.au.
Given the rolling intake window running through March 2027, research teams can plan submissions strategically rather than meeting a single annual deadline. Proposals most likely to succeed are those framing genuinely novel research questions with plausible pathways to clinical or public health impact, supported by preliminary data and investigator track records consistent with frontier-level ambition. Teams should download the current grant guidelines from GrantConnect and check for any assessment round cutoff dates within the broader rolling window, as NHMRC may announce periodic assessment rounds within the open period.
Funds breakthrough and frontier health and medical research in Australia through rolling multi-year grants, as part of the MRFF Frontier initiative with A$700 million over ten years.
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