FHRI Fund Programs and Initiatives
Disbursements from Future Health Research and Innovation (FHRI) Fund investment income will be guided by a Strategy and Priority Goals.
The Advisory Council for the FHRI Fund is responsible for developing Strategies and Priority Goals. The Department of Health then develops Programs and Initiatives that contribute to achieving one or more Priority Goal and the Advisory Council provides a recommendation to the Minister for Medical Research regarding whether these Programs and Initiatives should be approved. The Strategy, Priority Goals and Programs and Initiatives are approved by the Minister for Medical Research. The FHRI Fund governance page provides further details about the roles and responsibilities for developing the Strategy and Priority Goals. Please see the expandable content at the bottom of this page for definitions of the Strategy, Priority Goals and Programs and Initiatives.
FHRI Fund Programs and Initiatives: 2021/22 to 2023/24
The Programs and Initiatives below have been approved by the Minister under the 2021/22 to 2023/24 Priorities. Note that the table below replicates the Program and Initiative list approved by the Minister and release dates and final Program or Initiative names may vary. Additional Programs and Initiatives may also be added to this page. Please refer to the Current opportunities page for information on Programs and Initiatives that are open to applications, or for which applications are under review. Information on funding outcomes of completed Program and Initiative selection processes is provided on the Funding outcomes page.
Programs and Initiatives |
Priority alignment |
| Consumer and Community Involvement in Research Workforce Advancement Program | Enhance health and medical research literacy, skills and experience of consumers so that they engage more in research |
| Innovation Fellowships | Enhance skills in innovation (including commercialisation), which will advance the quality and capacity of innovation in WA and help WA innovators to obtain funding to support their work
|
| Innovation Seed Fund | Establish an innovation seed fund to support early-stage ideas and enable these innovative ideas to secure follow-on funding from commercial/other funders |
| Co-Funding Partnerships Program | Establish co-funding partnerships that will secure genuinely new non-government funding for research and innovation aligned with Priorities for the FHRI Fund |
| Major Research Application Support Program | Provide cash commitments for submission to major competitive co-funding programs, making Western Australian-led applications more competitive and, therefore, increasing the State's share of national and international competitive funding |
| WA Near-miss Awards | Support the development of early- and mid-career researchers, helping them to achieve an independent and self-sustaining career |
| Research Excellence Awards |
Target high-performing researchers in WA to maintain and/or advance the State's position as a leader in health and medical research Support the development of early- and mid-career researchers, helping them to achieve an independent and self-sustaining career |
| Translation Fellowships – Mental Health |
Rapidly and sustainably build mental health research and/or innovation capacity in WA Support the development of early- and mid-career researchers, helping them to achieve an independent and self-sustaining career |
| Innovation Challenge – Mental Health |
Rapidly and sustainably build mental health research and/or innovation capacity in WA |
| Sector-Initiated Proposals Program | The outcomes of any funded activity must align with one or more Priority |
| Centre of Excellence - Aboriginal Health Research |
Address through research and innovation, key health issues and inequalities for Aboriginal Western Australians Enhance health and medical research literacy, skills and experience of consumers so that they engage more in research Support the development of early- and mid-career researchers, helping them to achieve an independent and self-sustaining career |
| Early-Phase Clinical Trials Capacity |
Enhance clinical trial capacity and expertise to improve the quality of clinical trials in WA and make the State more attractive to funders of clinical trials (grant funding and commercial sponsors) Support the development of early- and mid-career researchers, helping them to achieve an independent and self-sustaining career |
| Clinician Research Fellowships |
Support the development of early- and mid-career researchers, helping them to achieve an independent and self-sustaining career Target high-performing researchers in WA to maintain and/or advance the State's position as a leader in health and medical research |
The Western Australian Future Health Research and Innovation Fund Act 2012 (the Act) provides that the Governance Framework will include a requirement for the development of a Future Health Research and Innovation (FHRI) Fund Strategy and FHRI Fund Priority Goals and that these must be tabled in Parliament and published online.
The Governance Framework describes the Strategy, Priority Goals and Programs and Initiatives as follows:
The Strategy provides a high-level vision and goals for research and innovation in WA and forms the basis from which the Priority Goals are derived. The Advisory Council for the FHRI Fund leads development of the Strategy and the extensive consultations that inform this process. The Advisory Council recommends the Strategy to the Minister for Medical Research for approval.
A Priority Goal is an approach, need or opportunity that has been determined to be critical to achieving the vision of the Strategy that is in place at the time and that aligns with the purpose of the FHRI Fund, as described in the object of the Act. The Priorities are prepared by the Advisory Council and subsequently provided to the Minister for Medical Research for approval.
A Program or Initiative is a mechanism through which funding is directed to a specific purpose and that contributes to achieving one or more Priority Goal. Programs and Initiatives are approved by the Minister for Medical Research based on a proposal by the Director General of the Department of Health. However, the Act provides that the Minister for Medical Research must seek a recommendation from the Advisory Council and consider the recommendation subsequently received before making, or applying FHRI Account moneys to, Programs and Initiatives in the financial year.