Medical Research Future Fund grants to support clinical trial activity, COVID-19 research, and improved health technology assessments

Eight researchers from the University of Melbourne and partners have been awarded $14 million in funding from the Medical Research Future Fund (MRFF) to lead clinical trial activities, research projects investigating Long COVID, and improved health technology assessments.

Professor Kelly Allott, Professor Piero Perucca, Professor Bernhard Riedel, Dr Elyssia Bourke, and Associate Professor Kylie Gorringe were awarded funding from the 2024 Clinical Trials Activity initiative to evaluate new treatments and health interventions for a range of conditions, including early psychosis, monogenic epilepsy, ovarian cancer, and post-surgery recovery.

The MRFF Clinical Trials Activity initiative supports trials that seek to address rare cancers, rare diseases, and areas of unmet need, while also aiming to attract investigator-led international clinical trials to Australia.

Dr Ruby Biezen and Dr Christopher Armstrong were awarded funding from the 2024 Post-Acute Sequelae of COVID-19 initiative, which funds research investigating diagnostic approaches, therapies and models of care for people living with Long COVID.

Dr Biezen’s project will co-design a new Long COVID care model for culturally and linguistically diverse communities, and Dr Armstrong’s project will consider energy inefficiency experienced by those with the condition.

Professor Gang Chen was awarded funding from the 2025 Incorporating Patient Data in Health Technology Assessment Decision Making scheme for his project that aims to develop a value-based and person-centric enhanced health technology assessment in cancer medicine.

“I congratulate researchers who were successful in securing this vital funding for their work,” said Professor Mike McGuckin, Acting Dean of the Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences.

“These projects all share the important goal of ensuring new treatments, models of care, and diagnostic tools safely reach those who need them.”