EU-Australia agree health research deals
More than AUD $5m (~€3.1m) has been awarded to Australian researchers collaborating with international experts to solve global health problems.
The National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) announced nine grants awarded under its EU Collaborative Research Grant scheme that will support international collaborative research on health issues such as heart attacks, dementia, stroke and leukaemia. The EU scheme supports Australian researchers who are contributing to projects that were selected for funding through Horizon 2020.
Commenting, NHMRC CEO Professor Anne Kelso said: “In participating in international collaborations like these, Australian researchers share their knowledge and skills. In turn, they gain access to technology that is potentially not available in Australia, and they get to work with some of the brightest scientific minds overseas. When they bring that experience back to our shores, it benefits Australian research immeasurably.”
Adding his thoughts, Sem Fabrizi, head of the delegation of the EU to Australia, praised the collaboration between Australian and European researchers. He remarked: “The funding from the Federal Government will allow Australian researchers to pool their considerable talents with European experts to address global societal challenges in health, demographic change and wellbeing.”
Winners of the NHMRC grants include Professor Karlheinz Peter of the Baker IDI Heart and Diabetes Institute in Melbourne, and Professor Georgia Chenevix-Trench of the QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute in Brisbane.
Australia can access Horizon 2020 as a third country, bringing their own money to research projects.
