The public benefits of health and
medical research
Professor Warwick Anderson
Chief Executive Officer
NHMRC Act amended 2006
Establishes NHMRC as an independent statutory
agency within the health portfolio
(a)
To raise the standard of individual and public health throughout Australia
(b)
To foster the development of consistent health standards between the
various States and Territories
(c)
To foster medical research and training and public health research and
training throughout Australia; and
(d)
To foster consideration of ethical issues relating to health
NHMRC’s Strategic Plan - Parliament
Must contain “the CEO’s assessment of the major national health issues
that are likely to arise during the period (of the Strategic Plan)”.
“Highways to Health”
IMPROVED INDIVDUAL AND
COMMUNITY HEALTH
Prevention
New
treatments,
therapies
PROSPERITY
Improved delivery
of primary,
hospital health
care
Innovative
industry
development
KNOWLEDGE
RESEARCH
Improving
health
globally and
regionally
NHMRC Funding Schemes Summary
Support for health and medical Research –
•Program Grants
•Project Grants
•Development awards
Building Australia's Research capacity
•People:
•Fellowships
• Career Development Awards
• Training Fellowships
• Scholarships
•Fields
•Capacity Building Grants in Population health Research
•Capacity Building Grants in Health services Research
•Centres of Clinical Research Excellence
•Research Infrastructure:
• Infrastructure Grants for Independent Medical Research Institutes
• Enabling Grants
• Equipment Grants
Grants for support of research
Grant
$
Number
Program Grants
$103,319,442
65
Project Grants
$281,747,558
1719
Development Grants
$3,084,852
36
Priority & Strategic Grants
$7,471,287
25
NHMRC Project Grants
More could be funded
Number of applications
3200
2800
2400
37%
25%
2000
Not recommended
for funding
(score <4)
39%
1600
44%
42%
1200
33%
41%
43%
800
37%
36%
34%
34%
36%
30%
23%
23%
22%
22%
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
42%
48%
21%
21%
27%
2005
2006
2007
40%
400
0
Year of Application
Fundable, but
not funded
(score ≥4)
Funded
Where the Funding Goes
Administering Institution
NHMRC research expenditure in 2007
ni
ve
r
U sity
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ve ity si a o o
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en
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U
NHMRC Funding to all
Universities (2000 and 2007)
$80,000,000
$70,000,000
$60,000,000
$50,000,000
$40,000,000
$30,000,000
$20,000,000
$10,000,000
$0
2000
2007
Walter
and Eliza
Hall
Institute
UWA
Uni
Adelaide
Baker
Heart
Institute
UNSW
70
QIMR
UQ
Monash
Uni
Sydney
Uni
Melbourne
Funds ($m)
NHMRC Funding of top 10
Institutions - 2008
80
Top 10 = 66.9% of total funds
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
Where the Funding Goes
Percentage of NHMRC research expenditure
to each state and territory 2000 – 2007
“Highways to Health”
IMPROVED INDIVDUAL AND
COMMUNITY HEALTH
Prevention
New
treatments,
therapies
PROSPERITY
Improved delivery
of primary,
hospital health
care
Innovative
industry
development
KNOWLEDGE
RESEARCH
Improving
health
globally and
regionally
National Health
Priority Areas (NHPA)
Millions
$150
Asthma*
$120
Arthritis and
Osteoporosis*
Cancer *
$90
Cardiovascular
Disease*
$60
Diabetes*
$30
Injury
Mental Health #
$0
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
Aboriginal & Torres
Strait Islander Research
• NHMRC has a target of allocating 5% of the
Medical Research Endowment Account
(MREA) to Aboriginal and Torres Strait
Islander related research
NHMRC Funding for
Indigenous Health Funding
(2000-2007)
$30,000,000
$25,000,000
$20,000,000
$15,000,000
$10,000,000
$5,000,000
$0
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
Intellectual Property
Patents in NHMRC project grant applications
(2000 – 2006)
A Study of NHMRC
final reports
The following slides are an analysis of data received
on final reports from NHMRC funded grants. This
includes:
• 1208 final reports from grants that ended in 2003,
2004 and 2005
• With a total value of $460.1 million of NHMRC
funding between 1998 and 2005.
• Scholarships, equipment grants and block funding
are excluded.
Intellectual Property
Has this research award resulted in the
development of Intellectual Property?
Yes
No
Not Answered
Total
2%
79%
227
953
28
1208
19%
79%
2%
100%
19%
Commercialisation
Reported commercial actions arising out of the research includes
29 start up companies, 11 reports of sales of products, and 3
IPO listings.
Commercial Potential Type
End year 2003
End year 2004
End year 2005
Grand Total
Patents assigned or licenced
6
26
25
57
Interest from commercial party
4
17
28
49
Development of therapeutic value
2
21
22
45
Start up company formed
2
14
13
29
Interest from the institutions commercial arm
1
11
16
28
Joint ventures with commercial interests
1
11
8
20
Successful clinical trials
0
5
6
11
Development of Scientific Services
0
6
4
10
Sales in products and therapies
0
3
4
7
Revenue generated from royalties
1
3
0
4
IPO Listing
0
1
2
3
Licence options converted
0
2
0
2
Leverage of National and
International funds
Total investment of $460.1 million for 1208
NHMRC grants resulted in leveraged funds of
$254.4 million from;
•
National sources:
$124.1 million
•
International sources:
$130.3 million
Leverage of National and
International funds
NIH Direct International Investment (FY 2006)
$90.0
$80.0
$60.0
$US31.1 million (10% of total
NIH international investment)
$50.0
$40.0
$30.0
$20.0
$10.0
Is
re
al
Fi
nl
an
d
O
th
er
ly
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C
S w h in
a
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er
la
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s
Sw
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en
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Ki
ng
do
m
Ca
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Au
s
So tra l
ia
ut
h
Af
ric
a
De
nm
ar
k
Ic
el
an
d
$0.0
Un
i
$ million (US)
$70.0
New policy and practice focused
research: NHMRC Partnerships
NHMRC Partnerships will focus on informing both policy and practice in
health. This represents a new focus for the NHMRC in 2008.
The initiative will:
• help create partnerships between policy makers, managers, clinicians and
researchers
• provide funding and support to create new opportunities for researchers and
• policy makers to work together
The aims are to:
• Lead to more effective connections between policy makers and researchers
• Improve the availability and quality of research evidence to inform policy
• Process
NHMRC Partnerships will initially fund two types of awards
• NHMRC Partnership Projects (ARC Linkage -like)
• NHMRC Partnerships Centres for Research excellence
2005 Nobel Prize Winners
Professor Barry Marshall
Professor Robin Warren
University of Western Australia
Marshall and Warren shared
the Nobel Prize in Physiology or
Medicine for their discovery of
the Helicobacter pylori and its
role in gastritis and peptic ulcer
disease.
1996 Nobel Prize Winner
Professor Peter Doherty
John Curtin School of Medical Research
Professor Doherty received the Nobel
Prize for his milestone research into
cellular immunology and discovery of
how the body's immune system
recognises virus-infected cells.
2006 Australian of the Year
Professor Ian Frazer
University of Queensland
Honoured as “Australian of the Year” for his
groundbreaking work on the development
of a vaccine for cervical cancer.
His work will prevent a virus that leads to
half a million cases of cancer in women
around the world each year, and takes
hundreds of thousands of lives.
Commercial outcomes
NHMRC support :
• Development Grants (under review)
• Support Enhancement Options
• Australian success stories:
–
–
–
Cochlear - Total revenue for the year 2006 increased
30% to a record $452.3 million
ResMed - Delivered a record financial performance
achieving $607 million in revenues, an increase of 43%
from 2005
CSL (now with Gardasil!) - Consolidated Group profit
for 2007 $539.3 million
Water Fluoridation
• Australia’s main public health strategy in reducing the
prevalence of dental caries.
• NHMRC has funded evaluative research since the 1980s
(validating the safety, optimal levels and cost-effectiveness
of water fluoridation)
• For each $1 invested in water fluoridation, estimated
savings in dental treatment range from $12.60 to $80.00,
with the greatest benefit to the most disadvantaged.
• NHMRC supported research has:
– informed public debate,
– provided an objective view on costs and benefits, and
– provided reports that enable politically challenging policy decisions.
Source: Access Economics, draft Report – Returns to NHMRC funded R&D (2008)
Venous
Thromboembolism
• It is estimated that, in 2008, there will be:
– 14,700 hospitalisations
– 5,285 deaths
• VET costs $116,970 per case due to lost productivity from premature
death.
• Health system expenditure is $10,007 per case.
• NICS developed and implemented the Stop the Clot campaign.
• Savings from the NHMRC component alone would be 5 lives per
annum and $1.6 million in savings to the health system.
Source: Access Economics, draft Report – Returns to NHMRC funded R&D (2008)
NHMRC
Working to build a healthy Australia
www.nhmrc.gov.au
CSL - Gardasil
• A vaccine against certain types of human
papillomavirus.
• Royalties attribution yields a benefit of
$63 million per annum to Australia.
• Potential benefits include the saving of
225,000 lives each year worldwide.
• CSL Consolidated Group profit for 2007 =
$539.3 million
Source: Access Economics, draft Report – Returns to NHMRC funded R&D (2008)