{"id":"F2021L01522","name":"Australian Medical Research and Innovation Strategy 2021-2026 Determination 2021","slug":"australian-medical-research-and-innovation-strategy-2021-2026-determination-2021","collection":"legislative_instrument","jurisdiction":"commonwealth","status":"in_force","isInForce":true,"actNumber":null,"makingDate":null,"administeringDepartment":null,"currentVersion":{"id":441060,"registerId":"F2021L01522-fast-fetch-1775956480952","compilationNumber":null,"startDate":"2026-04-12","status":"InForce","reasons":null,"registeredAt":null},"sections":[{"sectionNumber":"1","sectionType":"section","heading":"Australian Medical Research and Innovation Strategy 2021-2026 Determination 2021","content":"---\nmeta-content-style-type: text/css\nmeta-content-type: application/xhtml+xml; charset=utf-8\n---\n\n?xml version=\"1.0\" encoding=\"utf-8\" standalone=\"no\"?>\n\n![Commonwealth Coat of Arms of Australia](image.001.jpeg)\n\n \n\nAustralian Medical Research and Innovation Strategy 2021-2026 Determination 2021\n\nI, Ian Frazer, Chair of the Australian Medical Research Advisory Board, make the following instrument on behalf of the Advisory Board, under subsection 32D(1) of the Medical Research Future Fund Act 2015.\n\nDated  2 November 2021   \n\nProfessor Ian Frazer, AC\n\nChair, Australian Medical Research Advisory Board\n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\nContents\n\n1.  Name\n\n2.  Commencement\n\n3.  Cessation\n\n4.  Authority\n\n5.  Schedules\n\nSchedule 1\n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n1.  Name\n\n  This instrument is the Australian Medical Research and Innovation Strategy 2021-2026 Determination 2021.\n\n2.  Commencement\n\nThis instrument commences on the day after it is registered.\n\n3.  Cessation\n\nThis instrument will cease to be in force as if repealed at the end of five years after the instrument is registered.\n\n4.  Authority\n\n  This instrument is made under 32D(1) of the Medical Research Future Fund Act 2015.\n\n5.  Schedules\n\n  Schedule 1 to this determination contains the Australian Medical Research and Innovation Strategy 2021-2026.\n\n\n\n\nSchedule 1\n\n \n\n![Medical Research Future Fund logo](image.002.jpeg)\n\nAustralian Medical Research and Innovation Strategy 2021-2026![](image.003.png)\n\n \n\nGuiding principles to support the strategy\n\nThe following principles recognise the unique role of the MRFF within the health and medical research system in Australia and are intended to guide the activities and initiatives funded by the MRFF.\n\nTo the greatest extent possible, these Principles will inform the identification of the MRFF’s Priorities and serve as the foundation upon which all grant opportunities are designed in order to realise the strategic objectives of the MRFF for 2021-26.\n\nResearch funded through the MRFF will address:\n\n1.              New or emerging areas of health need with high potential for generating innovative approaches, tools, or technologies to transform health care and practices.\n2.              Existing areas of unmet health need, to address underinvestment and support capacity development with a focus on achieving equity in health outcomes, particularly for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and other priority populations[[1]](#_ftn1).\n3.              Improvement in the efficiency and effectiveness of the health system, by promoting adoption of evidence-based practices, enabling equitable health outcomes, and focussing on the needs of patients, their families, and carers.\n4.              Social, environmental, and cultural factors that impact health and wellbeing, including strengths-based approaches that leverage patient/consumer and community knowledge and experience to deliver improvements in population health and wellbeing.\n5.              Enhancements to the translation of research outputs to deliver impact through health and economic outcomes, including through commercialisation of research outcomes and implementation of policy changes nationally and globally.\n6.              Promotion of capacity and capability in the health and medical research workforce, through investments in priority areas, by fostering collaboration between research groups and across disciplines and addressing gender equity.\n7.              Encouragement of adaptive approaches to emerging challenges[[2]](#_ftn2), supporting rapid response and effective collaboration both nationally and internationally with other public and private sources of health and medical research funding.\n\n\n![hex crop](image.004.jpeg)\n\n---\n\n\n[[1]](#_ftnref1) ‘Priority populations’ is intended to be read broadly as including, without being limited to, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, rural and remote Australians, Australians with a disability, the elderly, those experiencing socioeconomic disadvantage, and LGBTQIA+ communities.\n\n[[2]](#_ftnref2) ‘Emerging challenges’ is intended to be read broadly as including, without being limited to, pandemic responses, emerging pathogens, the health impacts of climate change, and antimicrobial resistance.\n","sortOrder":0}],"analysis":{"flash_summary_failed":{"failed":true,"reason":"A positive credit balance is required for all requests, including BYOK, so fallback providers remain available. Add credits at https://vercel.com/d?to=%2F%5Bteam%5D%2F%7E%2Fai%3Fmodal%3Dtop-up to continue.","source":"analysis-cron"},"kimi_summary":{"content_quality":"ok","complexity_score":2,"scope_assessment":{"changed":false,"description":"This is a strategic planning document made under the Medical Research Future Fund Act 2015. It operates exactly as intended by the parent Act - setting five-year funding priorities for the MRFF. The scope remains confined to establishing guiding principles for research funding allocation."},"complexity_factors":["Very short document (approximately 2 pages of substantive content)","No defined terms section - only two footnotes explaining 'priority populations' and 'emerging challenges'","No cross-references to other legislation beyond the enabling provision (Medical Research Future Fund Act 2015)","Simple structure: name, commencement, cessation, authority, and a single schedule containing seven bullet-pointed principles","No conditional logic, exceptions, or procedural requirements","High-level strategic document rather than operational rules"],"plain_english_summary":"Australia's 2021–26 Medical Research Future Fund strategy sets principles and national priorities guiding how MRFF grants are awarded, steering public investment toward new health technologies, system efficiency, equity, and pandemic preparedness.  \n\nIt affects researchers, universities, hospitals and the communities—especially Indigenous, rural, older, disabled and LGBTQIA+ Australians—by shaping which projects get billions in funding and what kinds of health outcomes are prioritized."},"flash_summary":{"complexity_score":3,"scope_assessment":{"changed":false,"description":"The determination sets strategic priorities and guiding principles for MRFF funding for 2021–2026 (Schedule 1) but does not, on its face, expand or remove the statutory functions or powers granted by the Medical Research Future Fund Act; its effect is to guide exercise of existing funding discretion under s32D(1) (cl.4)."},"complexity_factors":["Concise instrument: 5 operative clauses plus Schedule 1 (clauses 1–5 and Schedule 1) — structurally simple.","Relies on external statute for legal force: made under s32D(1) of the Medical Research Future Fund Act 2015 (cl.4) — interpretation depends on that Act.","Schedule contains broad, non‑exhaustive principles and definitional footnotes (Schedule 1 and its footnotes) that create interpretive discretion for implementers.","Operational discretion: principles are guidance for identifying MRFF Priorities and designing grant opportunities, placing decision-making weight on the Advisory Board and grant administrators (Schedule 1).","Temporal trigger: commencement is on registration (cl.2) and automatic cessation after five years (cl.3), requiring periodic replacement or renewal.","Implementation depends on subsequent policy instruments (priority statements, grant rules) not included here — practical effects arise from secondary instruments."],"plain_english_summary":"This determination sets the Australian Medical Research Future Fund’s strategy and guiding principles for 2021–2026. It lays out what kinds of health and medical research the MRFF will prioritise—such as translation, workforce capacity, equity for priority populations, and rapid responses to emerging challenges—and directs how grant opportunities should be designed.\n\nIt affects the Advisory Board’s and administrators’ funding decisions and therefore researchers, institutions and communities seeking MRFF grants by shaping which projects are prioritised and how funding is structured (cl.4; Schedule 1)."}},"importantCases":[],"_links":{"self":"/api/acts/australian-medical-research-and-innovation-strategy-2021-2026-determination-2021","history":"/api/acts/australian-medical-research-and-innovation-strategy-2021-2026-determination-2021/history","analysis":"/api/acts/australian-medical-research-and-innovation-strategy-2021-2026-determination-2021/analysis","conflicts":"/api/acts/australian-medical-research-and-innovation-strategy-2021-2026-determination-2021/conflicts","importantCases":"/api/acts/australian-medical-research-and-innovation-strategy-2021-2026-determination-2021/important-cases","documents":"/api/acts/australian-medical-research-and-innovation-strategy-2021-2026-determination-2021/documents"}}