Platform trials are innovative clinical trials that evaluate multiple interventions through a single study.
The 2025 Australia-UK Platform Studies in Areas of Unmet Clinical Need grant opportunity is a partnership between:
- the Medical Research Future Fund and the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC), which will provide A$10 million and A$5 million, respectively, for Australian-based activities
- the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR), which will provide an equivalent of A$15 million for UK-based activities.
This joint call for research will harness the UK and Australia's mutual strengths, ideas, expertise and infrastructure. Applications across all areas of health are welcome. Topics of high interest include, but are not limited to:
- childhood, brain and prostate cancers
- stroke and traumatic brain injuries
- neurodegenerative diseases
- cardiometabolic conditions including obesity.
Ms Natasha Ploenges, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Health and Medical Research Office, said 'This important collaboration with the UK will fund clinical trials in key areas of unmet clinical need, paving the way for ground breaking treatments that will benefit patients globally.'
Professor Steve Wesselingh, CEO of NHMRC, said 'International collaborations such as this joint call allow us to explore untapped global talent, and it is exciting to think that the outcomes of these platform trials, where multiple treatments are evaluated simultaneously, could help combat many areas of health and medical research where there is an unmet clinical need.'
Professor Lucy Chappell, CEO of the NIHR, said 'International efforts such as this partnership drive innovation in health and care, saving and improving lives. Working with our partners in Australia will allow us to maximise our talent, resources and capacity in order to encourage, fund and support life-changing research for the benefit of people across the UK and Australia who face complex health and social care challenges. I look forward to the benefits this partnership will bring for both our countries.'
To learn more about this grant opportunity:
- read the guidelines for the grant opportunity on Australia's GrantConnect and the NIHR's webpage
- register and attend the webinar at 7:00 pm AEDT on 19 November 2024.
Access the NIHR's Research Awards Lifecycle Management System to submit a joint application with UK research partners to Stage 1 of the grant opportunity.
