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MRFF Frontier Health and Medical Research Program

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Key dates for MRFF Frontier Health and Medical Research Program

  • Release of Guidelines: 16 December 2022
  • Expressions of Interest open: 13 February 2023
  • UQR&I Information Session (link to previous session and slides)

MRFF Assessment Round 5 – Applications due to UQ R&I 10 March 2025

  • UQ R&I NOI Due: 10 March 2025
  • EOI due to UQR&I: 10 March 2025
  • EOI Close in the Business Portal: 31 March 2025

MRFF Assessment Rounds 6 to 7 – Applications due to MRFF March 31 and September 30

  • UQ R&I NOI Due: ~3 weeks in advance
  • EOI due to UQR&I: ~3 weeks in advance
  • EOI Close in the Business Portal: 31 March & 30 September

Overview

The MRFF's Frontier Health and Medical Research Opportunity will provide $400 million over 9 years for ambitious, exploratory and ground-breaking programs of research (‘moonshots’) that deliver treatments for serious and incurable health conditions through a series of linked projects.

The application process for this continuously open grant opportunity is in two stages:

  1. applicants can submit an expression of interest any time over the life of the grant opportunity until the expected close date of 31 March 2026
  2. shortlisted applicants can submit full applications for a project of up to 5 years by invitation only.

The grant opportunity has been redesigned to:

  • refine the focus of the grant opportunity to support earlier stage research with a 10-year time horizon for the program of research (called a ‘moonshot’) to reach the market (up from the previous 5-year time horizon)
  • replace a full application at the first stage with a short expression of interest, to minimise workloads for applicants and assessors, and award funding only as an outcome of a second, invitation only, full application stage
  • use a continuously open application process to give research teams the flexibility to prepare and submit their expressions of interest when it suits their programs of research
  • sequentially fund a series of linked projects (constituting a program of research) that build toward a ‘moonshot’ – an ambitious, exploratory and ground-breaking program of research that utilises health technology to address a challenging clinical problem, and thereby aims to develop a novel treatment for, or means of prevention of, a current or predictable future serious and incurable health condition
  • revise the assessment process to support novel, early stage, future-looking projects by focussing on impact, novelty and the strength of the research team in the first, expression of interest stage, and then feasibility and implementation in the second, full application stage
  • provide up to $25 million of funding to programs of research, reflecting a quantum of support that would be effective and appropriate for investments in earlier stage research with a focus on preparing for private investment.

How to Apply

Internal notice of intent process

UQ researchers interested in applying for or developing an application into the MRFF Frontier Health and Medical Research Program (Frontiers) are invited to submit a Notice of Intent to the UQ Research Office.  The NOI is used to capture information on UQ's pipeline of Frontiers Program Expressions of Interest and will remain open for future founds.

Round 5 NOIs (EOI due to MRFF 31 March 2025) are requested to be submitted to UQ R&I no later than 10 March 2025.

Step 1. Scheme reading

  • Access the full scheme documents at Grant Connect or Business.gov. Login or registration will be required.
  • Familiarise yourself with the key Department of Health, Medical Research Future Fund (MRFF) and UQ documentation.

Step 2. Completing the application

Step 3. UQ R&I internal review and feedback

  • Ahead of internal review, ensure all components are complete/valid and send the completed application form to UQ R&I.
  • To initiate internal review, add grants-manager@research.uq.edu.au as the primary contact email in your application within the portal, and email your completed Funding Coversheet to UQ R&I at mrffgrants@research.uq.edu.au.

          Do not submit the application in the portal at this stage.

  • Internal review by UQ R&I/feedback provided (compliance/eligibility/grantscrafting).

Step 4. Final submission

  • Final submission is to be completed by UQ R&I, or nominated lead organisation.

Readership and researcher support

Before applying, we recommend you:

Key documents

MRFF/government documents

UQ

 

Scheme queries

Round coordination
Pre-Award Health Team