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ACHA, a social enterprise of RDN, has provided a submission in response to the consultation on the draft Australian Medical Research and Innovation Strategy 2026 to 2031 and Australian Medical Research and Innovation Priorities 2026 to 2028.
ACHA supports the overall direction of the proposed Strategy and Priorities, including the focus on health equity, translation and implementation, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community governed and directed research, digital health, workforce capability and stronger connections between researchers, health services and communities.
The submission focuses particularly on how these priorities will be carried through into future Medical Research Future Fund grant opportunities and how research investment can better support rural, remote and other under-resourced communities.
ACHA recommends that health access is considered throughout research design, funding, implementation and evaluation. Rural and remote communities can face additional barriers to participating in and benefiting from research, including workforce availability, service capacity, distance, transport, affordability, infrastructure and digital connectivity.
The submission also calls for research investment to extend beyond major metropolitan hospitals, universities and research institutions. Primary care, community health services, Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisations and rural and remote health services should be supported to participate in research, build local research capability and apply research findings within their services.
Other recommendations include clearer definitions of terms used in funding opportunities, including workforce capability, embedded research, translation and community involvement; greater attention to service access when digital technologies and advanced therapeutics are developed and evaluated; recognition of geographic location and access to health services as determinants of health; and a defined role for priority populations in relevant research.
ACHA also supports Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community governed and directed research as a distinct priority. The submission recommends that research involving Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, communities or data clearly describe community involvement, governance and decision- making arrangements, together with how Indigenous data sovereignty will be addressed.
Through its submission, ACHA is seeking an approach to MRFF investment that supports research across different geographic and service settings and increases the likelihood that funded research can be implemented and used by the communities and health services it is intended to benefit.