The Australian Society for Medical Research urges government to unlock research funding and support world-class scientists
The Australian Society for Medical Research (ASMR) has submitted its 2026-27 Federal Budget recommendations, calling for urgent action to address a critical funding crisis threatening decades of accumulated research expertise and world-changing discoveries.
With NHMRC grant success rates plummeting to just 8.1% in the 2025 Ideas round, a staggering 91.9% rejection rate, ASMR warns that brilliant researchers are spending excessive time writing applications rather than conducting research, while talented early and mid-career scientists are leaving the sector due to funding uncertainty.
Two Strategic Investment Priorities
ASMR’s submission presents two evidence-based recommendations designed to restore Australia’s research competitiveness:
1. Unlock the Medical Research Future Fund
ASMR is calling for the removal of the arbitrary $647 million annual disbursement cap on the MRFF. Recent Parliamentary Budget Office analysis demonstrates that annual disbursements of $1 billion would still see the fund grow to $30.1 billion by 2035-36; well above its original $20 billion capitalisation. The constraint is not financial but arbitrary, preventing optimal deployment of resources for medical research.
2. Invest 20% More in Discovery Research
The submission recommends an immediate 20% increase to the Medical Research Endowment Account (MREA) beyond current forward estimates. Framed as an initial stepping-stone toward sustainable long-term investment, this would signal commitment to Australia’s research workforce, stabilise the talent pipeline, and begin to address unsustainably low grant success rates.
ASMR’s CEO Dr Shane Huntington OAM emphasised that Australia stands at a crossroads. “When 68% of grant applications deemed to be of internationally excellent quality are unfunded, we’re not just losing research opportunities. We’re losing researchers, their knowledge, their mentorship, and the intellectual capital that makes our sector world-leading.”
ASMR represents medical researchers themselves and advocates that these investments signal to the world that Australia is serious about remaining a leader in medical innovation and supporting the researchers who make it possible.
The full submission is available here.