Spotlight 2025-26 Rheumatic Heart Disease

The Spotlight program brings WA’s health and medical research and innovation sector together around one bold, uniquely Western Australian challenge each year, to drive lasting solutions with multi-year investment, cross-sector collaboration, and strong community engagement.

Each round will centre on a focus area identified as a strategic priority for WA. The Spotlight 2025-26 focus area is Rheumatic Heart Disease.

Up to $25 million will be provided on a competitive basis to one applicant supported by a Spotlight Coordinating Team, in 2-stages.

Part A will provide up to $1 million over a period of up to 9 months, to enable the Spotlight Coordinating Team to form partnerships and consult with community/consumers and stakeholders to develop a sector-wide Action Plan consisting of multiple research and innovation work streams, which aim to deliver transformative solutions for Rheumatic Heart Disease.

Part B will provide up to $24 million over a period of up to 48 months, to coordinate and implement with Spotlight partners, the defined activities set out in the approved Action Plan. The Responsible Entity will be responsible for forming appropriate agreements with the Spotlight partner organisations for their research and innovation activities.

The Spotlight 2025-26 Rheumatic Heart Disease program is open to all WA entities.

Program Status: Open for Applications

Applications Close: 1.00pm (AWST), Wednesday 11 March 2026

The Guidelines and Conditions can be accessed below.

The Application Form can be accessed and submitted via the Department of Health Grant Management System.

To view the application questions, after starting an application in the Grant Management System select ‘preview’ in the top right corner, which will download the application form questions (and your responses) as a Word or PDF document. For further instructions, please refer to page 9 of the User Guide ‘Downloading the application form’.

Additional information:

• Funding partners can co-invest in future Spotlight programs or with potential applications. Further information on how to co-invest can be accessed here.
• A Spotlight 2025-26 Rheumatic Heart Disease communique is available here.

Queries related to the Guidelines and Conditions can be directed via email to DOH.OMRI@health.wa.gov.au with the subject line beginning with ‘Query – SpotlightRHD2025-26’.

Queries regarding the application process can be directed via email to DOH.GMS@health.wa.gov.au with the subject line beginning with ‘GMS Application Assistance – Spotlight RHD2025-26’.

Information on other FHRI Fund programs can be accessed by subscribing to updates or checking the FHRI Fund current opportunities.