Our Partners
At ASMR, we believe that advancing Australian health and medical research requires more than advocacy alone. It takes a strong, connected ecosystem of organisations working toward a common purpose.
Our partnerships are built on shared values: a commitment to research excellence, the advancement of Australia’s health and medical research workforce, and meaningful support for the researchers driving discovery. By working alongside organisations that align with our mission, we are better placed to support PhD students and early-career researchers with the tools, training, and networks they need to thrive.
Together with our partners, we are building a more sustainable and supportive environment for Australian health and medical researchers.
Bionics Institute
The Bionics Institute is a world leader in medical device research. Where much of medical research ends at publication, the Bionics Institute pushes further: its track record includes EpiMinder, an FDA-authorised implantable device for continuous brain monitoring in drug-resistant epilepsy; Neo-Bionica, which supports neurotechnology innovators through to clinical trials; and EarGenie, a diagnostic device improving paediatric hearing aid and cochlear implant programming.
Each began as research and became a spin-off company, staffed with the regulatory, investment and marketing expertise needed to get a device from lab to clinic. It’s a practical demonstration of commercialisation as translation, not a departure from research but its logical endpoint.
Walter and Eliza Hall Institute (WEHI)
Founded in 1915 with a vision to become “the birthplace” of discoveries that prevent and cure disease, WEHI has grown into a research powerhouse: over 1,200 staff and students, 90+ laboratories and platforms, and close to 500 active patents, working across cancer, immune health and infection, developmental disorders and healthy ageing.
More than a century on, that founding ambition still holds. For a sector often measured in short funding cycles, WEHI is a reminder of what sustained investment in discovery can build over time.
La Trobe Institute for Molecular Science (LIMS)
LIMS brings together researchers from across La Trobe University in shared, multidisciplinary facilities, working across cancer, cardiovascular biology, and infection and immunity, alongside emerging technology programs in biosensors, digital biology, space biology and synthetic biology.
What distinguishes LIMS is its insistence that research stay answerable to the people it’s meant to help. Community perspectives are built into research design from the outset, not consulted after the fact. It’s a model worth paying attention to as our sector grapples with how to make research genuinely responsive to public need.
Bio21 Institute
A flagship University of Melbourne institute, Bio21 brings together more than 800 members across every STEM faculty, backed by some of the largest scientific equipment platforms in the country. Its embedded industry tenant model is what sets it apart: discoveries made on site move directly into commercial and clinical application through partners based in the Melbourne Biomedical Precinct.
For EMCRs, that proximity to industry is rare and valuable; it’s a chance to see research translate into real-world impact without leaving the building. Established in 2002 and officially launched in 2005, Bio21 continues to be a place where molecular science and commercial reality meet.
Avant Foundation
Avant’s work is built around three objectives: supporting research that improves quality, safety, sustainability and professionalism in the practice of medicine; funding programs that help medical practitioners improve patient care and health outcomes; and assisting doctors who face disadvantage in pursuing their medical or healthcare studies.
For Australia’s medical researchers, this means real backing at both ends of the career pipeline. Avant Foundation Member Grants are open to all Avant members, with a particular focus on early career doctors as well as practices holding an Avant indemnity policy, giving emerging researchers a genuine entry point into funded research.
The Burnet Institute
Since its beginnings at Fairfield Hospital in 1986, Burnet has built deep expertise across life sciences, public health and international development, driven by a simple but demanding belief: that access to medical research and health programs shouldn’t depend on who you are or where you live. That conviction was forged during the HIV epidemic of the 1980s, when stigma stood in the way of effective response as much as the virus itself and it still shapes how Burnet works today, in direct partnership with the communities most affected by the health issues it researches.
Today Burnet’s team of more than 600 staff and students works across some of the most pressing global health challenges, with a footprint spanning Australia, Papua New Guinea, Myanmar and Vanuatu. This is exactly the partner our members need standing alongside them. Health equity isn’t a footnote to good research; it’s often the hardest and most necessary part of the job, and Burnet has spent almost 40 years proving it can be done well. We’re glad to have them join the ASMR partner network.
The Florey
For over 50 years, The Florey has been building the knowledge base behind neurological and psychiatric conditions, drawing on deep expertise, collaboration and world-class facilities to translate discovery into treatments that improve the lives of people living with brain and mental health conditions. As global urgency grows around finding causes, interventions and cures for conditions affecting the brain, The Florey’s work sits squarely at the frontier of that effort.
This partnership supports ASMR’s mission to advance health and medical research across Australia, with a particular focus on Early Career Researchers (ECRs) and campaigning for stronger government support for the sector.
The GrantEd Group
Founded in 2014 by Kirsten Bartlett and Lyn Airey, The GrantEd Group has grown into a trusted partner for researchers nationwide, supporting thousands of researchers to secure over $1 billion in competitive funding by delivering practical, highly regarded grant development support.
Driven by the belief that great research can change the world, GrantEd’s work aligns closely with ASMR’s role as the peak professional society representing Australian health and medical researchers and our vision for providing high-quality support for medical researchers to succeed in their chosen careers.
This partnership reflects a shared commitment to strengthening Australia’s research ecosystem and supporting researchers at every stage.
ASMR members will benefit from a 50% discount* on GrantEd’s on-demand grant development products, improving access to high-quality support and training. There will also be opportunities to participate in tailored professional development programs over the coming months (stay tuned for details!). These initiatives are designed to build practical skills, enhance funding success, and ultimately increase the impact of members’ research.
To access your ASMR member discount, contact hello@thegrantedgroup.com.au
*discount applies to GrantEd on-demand grant development products only
Instats
Instats has been ASMR’s National Education Partner since May 2025.
Instats is a mission-driven organization devoted to improving research practices across the globe. Instats does this by facilitating expert-led training for PhD and post-PhD researchers across a broad range of fields, methods, and theoretical orientations through the Instats platform.
Instats shares the ASMR’s vision of supporting and improving multidisciplinary research. Instats helps partners offer their content and expertise by freely providing a full service, technologically sophisticated, easy-to-use platform for delivering seminars and workshops, as well as connecting with the research community more broadly through free community forums, social networking, Q&A boards, and job postings.
All of our 2026 professional development webinars will be hosted through the Instats platform.
Interested in partnering with ASMR? Organisations that share our commitment to supporting Australian health and medical researchers are encouraged to reach out. Contact our CEO at ceo@asmr.org.au to enquire about establishing a partnership.