University of Queensland researchers have been awarded almost $14 million as part of the latest round of National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) funding announced this week.
UQ’s share of funding ($13,967,288) was the largest in Queensland and third largest in the country behind the University of Sydney ($24,938,109) and the University of Melbourne ($17,652,464).
Of the 59 projects to receive more than $22.7 million in Queensland for health and medical research, UQ was successful in 36 confirming the University’s place as one of the top research institutions in the State and around the nation.
Dr Komla Tsey, from UQ’s School of Population Health, and his team or researchers were awarded UQ’s largest single grant ($693,750) for a project looking into indigenous men’s health.
The project is an extension of work currently being done with an Aboriginal men’s health group in Yarrabah near Cairns, which demonstrates that by encouraging such groups it can lead to behavioural and social change.
Professor Thomas Marwick, from UQ’s School of Medicine, was awarded $543,450 for research into how exercise may help people who have suffered diastolic heart failure.
Commonly occurring in the elderly, it is hoped the research will shed new light on how exercise can be used to manage the symptoms of this type of heart failure and improve the sufferer’s quality of life.
Other projects include world-leading research into the effectiveness of a new form of fetal monitoring during labour and a study of the cognitive and psychological problems in children with traumatic brain injury.
UQ projects related to basic science include a study on how a normal cell becomes a tumour cell in common skin and brain cancer and efforts towards a more effective anti-inflammatory drug.
UQ Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research) Professor David Siddle said he was pleased with the University’s performance, but recognized that there was still room for improvement.
“I congratulate all those researchers whose talent and dedication has resulted in NHMRC funding," he said.
“The results mean that there will be an exciting array of research being conducted across all areas of health and biomedical science.”
Across the country 412 projects are being funded by the NHMRC in the 2004 round to the tune of more than $165.6 million.
Media: for more information contact Andrew Dunne at UQ Communications (telephone 07 3365 2802).
