- WA researcher tops highly competitive State and national research grants
- Dr Myles Murphy receives a total of $1.7 million in funding to support project
- Funding to bolster research in injury prevention for police recruits
A project to protect Western Australian police recruits from injuries has been recognised by a national medical research council with a $1.1 million grant being awarded to a local university researcher.
Medical Research Minister Stephen Dawson commended Dr Myles Murphy, from Edith Cowan University, on the groundbreaking research which has now been awarded a total of $1.7 million from both national and State medical research funding sources.
The Cook Government provided $600,000 in funding via the Future Health Research and Innovation (FHRI) Fund to support Dr Murphy in his application for national funding via the National Health and Medical Research Council.
The FHRI funding then enabled Dr Murphy to leverage further funding as part of the Major Research Application Support (MRAS) program.
The MRAS program is designed to provide financial support for WA-based research teams applying for nationally and internationally competitive grants to boost their chance of success.
Dr Murphy is conducting research into injury prevention for police recruits and co-designing and implementing a sustainable injury prevention program for the WA Police Force.
This project aims to improve workforce health and reduce healthcare costs associated with injuries in the Police Force.
The Cook Government established the FHRI Fund in 2020, which is backed by the State's almost $1.8 billion sovereign wealth fund. This has resulted in nearly $250 million being available over the next four years to support health and medical research and innovation in Western Australia.
As stated by Medical Research Minister Stephen Dawson:
"The Cook Government's groundbreaking FHRI Fund continues to provide targeted funding towards inspiring health innovation research projects that make a very real difference to people in our community.
"The MRAS program was established to support innovative and impactful research, and Dr Murphy's accomplishments highlight the high calibre of work we seek to encourage.
"Attracting national funding is vital for the long-term growth of our local research community and ensures our State continues to lead in key areas of research and innovation.
"I look forward to observing the outcomes of Dr Murphy's research program, both for the WA Police Force and the wider community."
