But Australia needs to prepare for future pandemics

“Decades of investment in medical research has guided Australia’s response to Covid-19, averting the public health catastrophes that have occurred in most other countries,” the Association of Australian Medical Research Institutes states in its federal budget submission.

And on that basis, AAMRI asks for 300 additional National Health and Medical Research Council, Investigator Grants, to go to early and mid-career researchers.

AAMRI suggests funding them from new money for the NHMRC and from the Medical Research Future Fund’s existing resources.

“It will be our future investment in medical research that will help guard against future pandemics and other health challenges,” the association suggests.