Qld launches health research and translation roadmap

Health Translation Queensland (HTQ) has launched its Roadmap for Strengthening Health Research and Translation in Queensland (the Roadmap) laying a pathway to a healthier Queensland.

Born out of HTQ’s Funding Analysis Report undertaken in 2021, the roadmap sets out actions required within three priority areas: strengthening the Queensland healthcare and medical research ecosystem; building workforce capability and capacity; and optimising health and research funding opportunities.

HTQ Board Chair Sue Scheinpflug said, “HTQ’s funding analysis found that while 20% of the Australian population lives in Queensland and Queensland contributes 19% to Australia’s GDP, Queensland receives less than 14% of NHMRC funding and less than 12.9% of MRFF funding.”

“This equates to an estimated loss of $65 million per annum to Queensland or roughly 600–700 skilled workers. And this impacts our ability to improve the health and wellbeing of all Queenslanders.

“We’ve had the Smart State, Advance Queensland and now the HTQ Roadmap to refocus and rebuild for research, jobs, the economy, and the health of Queenslanders.

“Queensland has world-class health and research systems, but they are not well integrated,” Scheinpflug said.

“The Roadmap will help us to better integrate our health and research systems. This brings cutting edge research and innovation into our health system more quickly and safely, which improves health care, makes Queenslanders healthier and makes our health system more sustainable.

“Under the Roadmap’s three priority areas — ecosystem, workforce, and funding — the Roadmap outlines 33 actions for the health and medical research sector to take to strengthen health research and translation in Queensland.

“The actions are wide ranging, from better leveraging the strengths in our health system, to establishing near-miss schemes for unsuccessful grant applicants, to supporting consumer and community involvement in health research.”

The Roadmap is aligned with the Queensland Government’s Innovation for a Future Economy 2022–23 Roadmap; and the Australian Academy of Health and Medical Sciences’ (AAHMS) recently released policy report ‘Research and innovation as core functions in transforming the health system: A vision for the future of health in Australia’.

Image credit: iStockphoto.com/holgs