The Pilbara showcased in Perth

The first FHRI Fund Open Day of 2024 was held at the Harry Perkins Institute of Medical Research in Nedlands on Friday 8 March 2024.

Originally scheduled for Karratha, the March Open Day was re-located to Perth due to logistical challenges such as pilot strikes and flooded roads.

Despite these obstacles, over 50 people attending in person and 60 online shared in celebrating the Pilbara’s health and medical research accomplishments.

Aligned with International Women’s Day the theme was women’s and children’s health, with a special focus on projects partnering with Aboriginal communities in the Pilbara.

Co-hosted by the Office of Medical Research and Innovation (OMRI), the WA Centre for Rural Health (WACRH) and the Pilbara Aboriginal Health Alliance (PAHA), the day also included demonstrations from finalists of the Challenge, who are developing innovative solutions aimed at resolving a pressing problem of health service delivery in the region.

Mr Brett Collard, a Whadjuk Noongar man, offered the Welcome to Country and spoke to issues of disparity and distance faced by Aboriginal people in the health system based on his personal experience, as well as the importance of taking a wholistic view that prioritises Aboriginal culture in health service delivery.

The event was formally opened with a recorded message from the Minister for Medical Research, the Hon. Stephen Dawson, who was in the United States as part of the US Connect trade mission.

The Hon. Peter Foster MLC, representing the Minister for Medical Research, also provided some opening remarks, praising the researchers and innovators in attendance for their drive and dedication to enhancing the State’s health and medical research sector. Minister Foster also spoke about the importance of finding new ways to deliver healthcare in regional areas, such as through the WACHS TeleTrial program.

Co-hosts and Master of Ceremonies, PAHA Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Chris Pickett and WA Centre for Rural Health Karratha Director Rohan Rasiah, were fortunately able to travel to Perth at short notice to keep the presentations flowing.

Founding director of PAHA and Wirraka Maya Health Service Aboriginal Corporation CEO June Councillor gave the keynote address and spoke to the key principles for Aboriginal health research in the Pilbara, the crucial issue of Aboriginal data sovereignty, and the exciting regional PAHA project, “Our Story, Our Way” which is creating an Aboriginal community-controlled data ecosystem in the Pilbara.

Dr Stacey Waters, A/Director of OMRI provided an overview of FHRI Fund programs now open for applications, and FHRI Fund Advisory Council member Lesley Nelson spoke about her role as the FHRI Fund Advisory Council’s Aboriginal Health Expert and congratulated recently awarded funding recipients.

To date, the FHRI Fund has awarded approximately $115 million in grants to 507 recipients, with a further $230 million available over the next four years.

Attendees also heard about exciting research and innovation projects underway in the Pilbara.

Challenge finalist Stefan Mazy spoke about the DermR Patch for skin cancer screening, and fellow finalist Mohinder Jaimangal and Sophie McGough presented on the Pilbara Engage project for gestational diabetes.

Innovation Challenge: Child and Youth Mental Health Program (Stage 2) recipient Professor Christopher Lawrence and his team updated attendees on the SoundSmiles project, which is developing an application to boost ear health and mental wellbeing of Aboriginal children in the Pilbara and South West, and Research Translation Projects 2021 recipient Pamela Laird’s team members, Erica Thompson and Roberta Ramirez Smith, spoke about their progress working on the Aboriginal Children’s Excellent (ACE) Lung Health Study.

The following programs are currently open for applications in the March funding cycle:

• Co-Funding Partnerships Program: Designed to establish collaborations and funding partnerships with organisations to co-fund a grant funding program available to the health and medical research and/or innovation sector in WA. 
• Collaborative Centres: Designed to support world-leading, research programs with international partnerships.
• Clinician Research Fellowships (co-funded with the Raine Medical Research Foundation): Designed to encourage clinicians employed by WA Health Service Providers to develop their research capability, while continuing some clinical duties. The program facilitates high-quality research that will ultimately provide better health care outcomes.
• FHRI Fund Enabling Scheme: Provides grants for capital costs associated with facility and equipment upgrades, equipment replacement and purchase of new equipment that is solely used for health and medical research and innovation purposes and to make these more broadly accessible to the health and medical research and innovation sector.
• Innovation Fellowships 2024: Designed to encourage talented individuals to enhance their innovation knowledge, skills and experience, in conjunction with experts who will supervise and mentor them, while developing an innovation of significance to the health and/or wellbeing of the WA community.
• Innovative Solutions – Digital Health: Designed to support the development and advancement of digital health innovations of significance to the health and/or wellbeing of the WA community.
• Major Research Application Support: Provides in-principle financial support for research applications being submitted to nationally and internationally competitive grant funding rounds to boost their chance of success.
• Research Infrastructure Support (RIS): Provides support to medical research institutes, hospitals and universities for the indirect costs of research and for operational costs of shared research equipment, facilities and services.
• Research Innovation and Impact Grants (co-funded by the FHRI Fund & Royal Perth Hospital Research Foundation): Provides funding for researchers to explore innovative solutions to issues across the healthcare sector.
• Translation Fellowships 2024: Burden of Disease and Genomics: Provides fellowships for translational research in the areas of burden of disease and genomics.
• WA Near Miss Awards: Ideas Grants 2023-24: Provides grants for eligible near-miss applications to the 2023 National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) Ideas Grants program.