Australia allocates $120 million AUD to the Medical Research Future Fund (MRFF), with specific inclusion of Long COVID!

This is incredibly positive news! 🙌🙌🙌

The Australian government has officially announced a funding commitment of $120.1M AUD through the Medical Research Future Fund (MRFF). This investment is designated to support 60 health and medical research projects focused on advancing the prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and care of a wide range of diseases.

Significantly, 13 of these projects are dedicated specifically to the post-acute sequelae of COVID-19. These initiatives will investigate underlying causes, develop better diagnostics, improve symptom management, and research targeted treatments.

In addition to COVID-related research, the funding will facilitate 27 new clinical trials to test treatments for rare cancers and rare diseases, as well as 12 respiratory research projects aimed at enhancing the detection and care of chronic respiratory conditions.

Furthermore, the initiative allocates resources to 8 projects designed to optimize how patient data is utilized in health technology assessment. This ensures that patient insights effectively inform health system decisions and care delivery.

We are always grateful to see governments treating COVID and Long COVID with the seriousness they require. Although research still lags behind where it needs to be, the accumulating scientific evidence clearly demonstrates that this is a crisis demanding urgent attention.

It is very encouraging to see Australia establish this fund—we look forward to seeing what these projects uncover!

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