NHMRC Funding and WA Dr Nik Zeps Research Committee, NHMRC School of Surgery, UWA SJOG Pathology Radiation Oncology, SCGH

Budget Appropriations

Australian population – March 2010 (percentage by state) 10% 14% Gross State Product (a measure of the value added by economic production; percentage by state)

Percentage of NHMRC research expenditure by state WA share 8.2% 6.8% 5.8%

NHMRC project grants: Success rate by state and year

2010 by State

2010: Top ranking Uni Melb 95 (396) 24.0% Monash93 (289) 32.2 % Uni Syd90 (435) 20.7% UQ56 (243) 23.0% Uni of Ade45 (219) 20.5% UNSW43 (250) 17.2% UWA 40 (190) 21.1% MCRI28 (93) 30.1%

Grant Admin Institution Proportio n of 2001 Funding Proportio n of 2010 Funding University of Melbourne13.2%13.4% University of Sydney9.5%12.2% Monash University8.7%9.4% University of Queensland8.7%8.6% University of New South Wales6.0%7.6% University of Adelaide6.3%6.1% Walter and Eliza Hall Institute5.2%4.9% University of Western Australia7.5%4.7% Queensland Institute of Medical Research3.1%3.8% Baker IDI Heart and Diabetes Institute2.1%2.6% Murdoch Childrens Research Institute1.0%2.5% Garvan Institute of Medical Research2.3%2.1% Australian National University1.9%2.0% University of Newcastle1.6%2.0% Menzies School of Health Research0.9%1.5% Flinders University3.1%1.2% Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research0.5%1.1%

NHMRC postdoctoral fellowships: Success rate by state in % WA accounted for 4% of the total applications

WA comparative data: Other recent examples of NHMRC funding Program grants – WA 35% success rate, national success rate 39% – WA had 8% of the total number of applications Career Development Awards 2007 – WA 3% success rate, national success rate 18% – WA had 8% of the total number of applications Postgraduate scholarships 2008 – WA 2% success rate

Postgraduate scholarship 2010

WA comparative data Summary Based on data, Western Australia – Has 10% of the national population – Contributes 14% of national production – Gets 6% of total NHMRC funding – Has the lowest recent success rate of any state for project grants – For other schemes (program grants and people support), WA submits relatively low numbers of application per capita and has low success rates

Project Grants 2010 by Institution (for funding >$3 million)

UWA comparative data UWA is by far the most successful WA institution However, by implication, low WA application numbers and success rates are also those relating to UWA

Possible reasons for NHMRC disappointment Research institutes in WA are not as well developed as those in other states Collaborations from WA are more difficult because of the tyranny of distance Local expert and peer support needed to buttress applications are not as well developed as elsewhere Greater involvement of WA researchers on key NHMRC committees and panels would ensure – national awareness of WA medical science – enhanced local knowledge of application procedures, standards and strategies

State Investment WA is significantly behind other states Victoria: Secret of success? – Biogrid ($11million) – VCA (VCB $13 million) – VCCC ($1 billion)