1. Name#
This instrument is the Medical Research Future Fund (Australian Medical Research and Innovation Strategy 2026-2031) Determination 2026.
2. Commencement#
| Commencement information | ||
|---|---|---|
| Column 1 | Column 2 | Column 3 |
| Provisions | Commencement | Date/Details |
| 1. The whole of this instrument | 9 November 2026. | 9 November 2026 |
Note 1: This table relates only to the provisions of this instrument as originally made. It will not be amended to deal with any later amendments of this instrument.
Note 2 Subsection 32D(4) of the Medical Research Future Fund Act 2015 has the effect that an Australian Medical Research and Innovation Strategy is in force for 5 years.
(2)Any information in column 3 of the table is not part of this instrument. Information may be inserted in this column, or information in it may be edited, in any published version of this instrument.
3. Authority#
This instrument is made under subsection 32D(1) of the Medical Research Future Fund Act 2015.
4. Schedules#
Schedule 1 to this instrument contains the Australian Medical Research and Innovation Strategy 2026-2031.
Schedule 1
Transforming health through research excellence and lasting impact.
This Vision positions the Australian Government’s Medical Research Future Fund (MRFF) to deliver world-leading health research focussed on outcomes that improve lives and strengthen health systems. The Strategic Objectives will support the translation of high-quality research into sustained improvements in health outcomes and health equity. There will be a particular emphasis on prevention and implementation.
Under this Strategy, MRFF-funded research will deliver enduring impact, global leadership, and healthier futures for all. It will do this by building workforce capability, embedding research in practice, and strengthening sovereign capability and translation pathways.
The strategic objectives of the MRFF are to deliver:
A research-rich, data-enabled learning health system that continuously improves quality, efficiency, cultural safety, and equity
Transformation of health care through AI and digital health advances that integrate preventive health, diagnostics and therapeutics across the care continuum
End-to-end translation of discoveries and innovation into real-world impact - building sovereign capability and delivering measurable health and economic benefits
Thriving health and wellbeing of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples through research that is community-governed and directed
A health and medical research sector and health system positioned to understand and respond to determinants of health and wellbeing including climate and environment change
A skilled, sustainable, inclusive and future-ready health and medical research workforce that accelerates innovation, translation and system capability.
Cross-cutting principles
The following principles recognise the unique role of the MRFF within the health and medical research system in Australia and are intended to be embedded across all the strategic objectives outlined above and to guide the activities and initiatives funded by the MRFF.
To the greatest extent possible, these Principles will inform the identification of the MRFF’s Priorities and serve as the foundation upon which all grant opportunities are designed to realise the Strategic Objectives of the MRFF for 2026-2031.
Health equity
Translation and implementation
Sustained consumer and community involvement
Prevention and early-intervention
Systems-based and scalability
Partnerships and co-investments.
Shared enablers
The shared enablers describe the common capabilities, infrastructure, coordination mechanisms and workforce needed to deliver the strategic objectives and strengthen the impact of MRFF-funded activity across the strategy. They operate across all strategic objectives, providing the practical, system-wide foundations for measurable, equitable and enduring improvements in health and wellbeing from 2026 to 2031.
These shared enablers will guide the development of MRFF investment and help ensure funded research is coordinated, implemented and sustained across the health and medical research system.
Coordinated & complementary MRFF and NHMRC investment
Connected research workforce across academia, health services and lived experience
Integrated national research ecosystem
Innovative trials design and methodologies
Advanced and emerging research technologies.
Sourced from the Federal Register of Legislation at legislation.gov.au, © Commonwealth of Australia, licensed under CC BY 4.0. Compilations may have been reformatted.