Research Story, Media Release

$35 million confirms Uni's reputation

The University of Adelaide has confirmed its reputation as the leading medical research institution in South Australia after winning more than $35 million in funding from the National Health and Medical Research Council [1] (NHMRC).

This represents the lion's share of the $47.1 million awarded to South Australian universities, with the remaining $12 million shared between institutions including Flinders University [2] and the University of South Australia [3].

Major beneficiaries in the Faculty of Health Sciences [4] include a $10.3 million program grant for reproductive health research, a $2 million Clinical Centre of Research Excellence [5] (CCRE) grant for nutritional physiology and a $1 million project grant for prenatal corticosteroids research.

This year's funding is an increase of $11.1 million on the 2005 NHMRC funding awarded to the University.

"This is an outstanding result for the University," Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research) Professor Alan Johnson said. "I am pleased that the NHMRC has recognised our research strength in areas such as reproductive medicine, orthopaedics, children's health, infectious diseases and biomedical science.

"The $35 million awarded to the University is further proof that we are one of the top universities in Australia for research and our work continues to make a significant impact on society," Professor Johnson said.

Funding highlights include:

• Professor Rob Norman, the Director of the Research Centre for Reproductive Health [6], has been awarded $10.3 million for a program to investigate periconceptual foundations for a healthy start to life;

• Professor Michael Horowitz from the Discipline of Medicine [7] has received $2 million for research into nutritional physiology, interventions and outcomes;

• Professor Caroline Crowther from the Obstetrics & Gynaecology Discipline [8] has been awarded $1 million for a randomised controlled trial of early school-age outcomes after exposure to repeat prenatal corticosteroids.
  
  In all, the University received 46 new Project grants, a Clinical Centre for Research Excellence grant, five fellowships, as well as the substantial Program grant. Researchers come from the University's Faculty of Health Sciences, Faculty of Sciences and its research partners at the Women's and Children's Hospital [9], Royal Adelaide Hospital [10], Queen Elizabeth Hospital [11], Institute of Medical and Veterinary Science [12], the Child Health Research Institute [13] and the Hanson Institute [14].