UNSW excels in NHMRC grants

12 November 2004

Twenty-six project grants, representing new funding of $11 million, were awarded to UNSW researchers in the latest round of National Health and Medical Research Council grants, announced this week.

UNSW academics also won eight research fellowships, five new and three continuing, and a NHMRC Capacity Building Grant of $2.3 million was awarded to Professor Caroline Finch of the NSW Injury Risk Management Centre.

"This project grant total is the best result for UNSW since 1997," James Walsh, director of Research Services, said. "We are particularly pleased with Professor Finch's Capacity Building Grant."

Projects to receive funding include a falls prevention trial of long distance glasses for the elderly (led by Professor Stephen Lord); a treatment study for methamphetamine dependence (Professor Richard Mattick); therapy for childhood neuroblastoma (Associate Professor Murray Norris); a sexual survey of Australian prisoners (Dr T Butler); the development of new antimicrobial agents (Professor Staffan Kjelleberg); genetic aspects of familial cancer (Associate Professor Robyn Ward) and risk aspects of childhood leukaemia (Dr Lesley Ashton).

Career development awards went to Doctors Miles Davenport, Brett Garner, Katharina Gaus and Bettina Meiser. Research fellowships went to Professors Simon Gandevia and Glenda Halliday, Associate Professors Levon Khachigian and Ann Williamson and Dr James Brock. Continued fellowships went to Professor Erica Potter and Doctors Vaughan Macefield and Janet Taylor.

More information is available from the NHMRC website.