Funding
The Future Health Research and Innovation (FHRI) Fund provides a secure source of funding to support health and medical research, innovation and commercialisation that contribute to one or more of the following:
- Improving the health and wellbeing of Western Australians
- Improving the financial sustainability of the Western Australian health system
- Improving the economic prosperity of the State
- Advancing Western Australia to being, or maintaining Western Australia's position as, a leader in health and medical research, innovation and commercialisation.
The FHRI Fund health and medical research and innovation pages provide further information about the kinds of research and innovation that are eligible for FHRI Fund support.
Funding from the FHRI Account, which is the operational account of the FHRI Fund scheme, will be applied through Programs and Initiatives that have been developed to address one or more FHRI Fund Priority Goal. The FHRI Fund Priority Goals are derived from the FHRI Fund Strategy. See the expandable box below for further details about the Programs and Initiatives, Priority Goals and Strategy.
For the 2020/21 financial year, special provision is made in the Western Australian Future Health Research and Innovation Fund Act 2012 (the Act) for the prioritisation of research and innovation related to human coronaviruses with pandemic potential. Programs and Initiatives developed to fulfil this provision do not need to align with the FHRI Fund Priority Goals or Strategy.
The health and medical research and innovation sectors will be invited to apply for support according to the terms of a Program or Initiative, with applications assessed according to competitive, transparent processes. Generally, all proposals from the research and innovation sectors will flow through a Program or Initiative that is open to applications at the time. Unsolicited submissions to the Minister for Health, the Department of Health or the FHRI Fund Advisory Council will not be accepted.
Refer to the Current opportunities page for details of Programs and Initiatives that are open or under review.
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.