GO8477: MRFF – PHCRI – 2026 Primary Health Care Research Grant Opportunity

The Medical Research Future Fund (MRFF) – Primary Health Care Research Initiative (PHCRI) aims to enable or support an increase in Australia’s evidence base in primary health care through research to improve service delivery and patient outcomes, and translate this knowledge into action.

The objective of this grant opportunity is to provide grants of financial assistance to support medical research and medical innovation projects that: investigate and trial approaches, including adapting successful trials, to advance equity in primary health care services. are co-designed with primary health care services and consumers.

Two streams of funding are available: Stream 1 (Targeted Call for Research): The organisation undertaking the majority of the research must be located in any area according to the Modified Monash Model (MM1-7).

Stream 2 (Targeted Call for Research): The organisation undertaking the majority of the research is located in, and the Chief Investigator A and 50% or more of all Chief Investigators, and all research participants, are primarily resident in a regional, rural or remote area according to the Modified Monash Model (MM2-7).

The intended outcome of the research is to improve the health and wellbeing of Australians by advancing equity in primary health care services.

Applicants to this grant opportunity must propose to conduct research that delivers against the above objectives and those of the Primary Health Care Research Initiative.

This grant opportunity is being administered by NHMRC on behalf of the Australian Government Department of Health, Disability and Ageing.

Further information on the Medical Research Future Fund is available from the Department of Health, Disability and Ageing's website.

A list of Eligible Organisations can be found on the NHMRC List of MRFF Eligible Organisations webpage.

The applying organisation must be an NHMRC-approved MRFF Eligible Organisation.

Joint applications are encouraged where there is an eligible lead organisation that is the main driver of the project.

Applications must address one stream only.

For Stream 1, the organisation undertaking the majority of research may be located anywhere in Australia; the Chief Investigator A (CIA) must be a Primary Care Clinician Researcher, and at least 20% of the Chief Investigator team must be Early to Mid-Career Researchers and/or Early Career Clinician Researchers.

For Stream 2, the organisation undertaking the majority of research must be in a Modified Monash Model (MMM) MM2-7 regional, rural or remote location; the CIA must be a Primary Care Clinician Researcher and have primarily resided in an MM2-7 location for at least 12 months before application submission; at least 20% of the CI team must be Early to Mid-Career Researchers and/or Early Career Clinician Researchers; at least 50% of CIs must have primarily resided in MM2-7 locations for at least 12 months before submission; and all research participants must be primarily resident in MM2-7 locations.

A maximum of 15 CIs and 15 Associate Investigators may be named.

The CIA must generally be an Australian citizen or permanent resident at application submission; otherwise, they must hold the required work visa when accepting the grant.

The CIA must be based in Australia for the grant duration, excluding reasonable eligible overseas travel.