The budget may not be top of mind for university research leaders wondering what they will do without student fees from China. But the Association of Australian Medical Research Institutes is focused on funding

AAMRI’s budget bid advocates;

* full capitalisation of the Medical Research Future Fund in the next financial year.

* above CPI increases for research funded by the National Health and Medical Research Council

* resources to support systemic costs of MRFF research undertaken in MRIs

The first, costing $2.8bn, is widely expected to be in the budget (at least it was before the cash-eating, receipts-reducing disasters of the summer).

The second would require a lift on the 1.6 per cent in last year’s forward estimates, annual CPI in the year to December was 1.8 per cent.

The third would provide support as accompanies NHMRC grants, with an estimated annual cost of $30m.