Medical Research

Support for medical research has been a cornerstone of the Foundation’s funding since it was established, with commitments of $54 million made to the sector. The Foundation has a proud history of supporting Australia’s leading medical research institutes, particularly in their formative stages when leverage is crucial for funding and endorsement. Even before he established his foundation, Sir Ian Potter, together with Ken and Baillieu Myer, provided start-up funding for The Howard Florey Institute of Experimental Physiology and Medicine.

Since then The Ian Potter Foundation has made establishment grants to a number of major centres and institutes, including Research Australia; The Ian Potter Centre of Cancer Genomics and Predictive Medicine at The Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre; the National Trauma Research Institute at Alfred Hospital; The Bionic Ear Institute; The Ian Potter Malaria Laboratory at Burnet Institute, and The Blood and Bone Cancer Centre at St Vincent’s Institute, to name just some. 

Our latest major medical research grants continue this tradition with a commitment of $15 million over six years to the Peter MacCallum Cancer Foundation towards the new Victorian Comprehensive Cancer Centre project, as well as $3 million to a collaboration between the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute and Murdoch Children’s Research Institute to create The Ian Potter Centre for Genomics and Personalised Medicine.

Moreover, our Medical Research program area prioritises support for world class biomedical research to bring new preventions and cures closer to reality, through the use of new technology, innovative practices and knowledge. Many of our grants support major initiatives by leading Australian research institutes, universities and teaching hospitals in innovative biomedical research, the anticipated benefits of which are likely to advance the research outcomes of the institution as a whole, and we also place emphasis on research into major diseases.

The Foundation also supports the Cynthia Banham Burns Fellowship to enable clinical research by an early-career researcher under the guidance of renowned burns specialist, Dr Fiona Wood at Royal Perth Hospital.

Important to know

• Applicants are required to speak with a Program Manager prior to submitting an application.
• Medical Research applications are considered by the Board of Governors once a year.
• The Foundation only makes grants over $100,000 in this program area. 
• The Ian Potter Foundation prioritises applications with evidence of collaboration. Please ensure that you have alternative providers of funding, and that your application clearly considers any possible grant from the Foundation in this context.  We are unlikely to fund 100% of a project cost.
• Applications must be accompanied by a letter from the requesting organisation's Chief Executive Officer or equivalent person (e.g. Director of Institute, University Vice-Chancellor or Deputy Vice-Chancellor Research) attesting to the value of each application to the organisation. In the case of multiple applications in one or more categories, advice must also be provided as to the priority ranking of all such applications.
• Please also refer to our Funding Principles for further guidance.

The Foundation has a long-established commitment to supporting innovation and excellence in medical research. Our Medical Research program area aims to advance understanding and improve treatment of major diseases by supporting major initiatives by leading Australian research institutes, universities and teaching hospitals in innovative biomedical research.

The Foundation is particularly interested in projects that encourage cross-institutional collaboration.

Objectives

• To support the provision of equipment and capital infrastructure to support outstanding research groups. 

The Ian Potter Foundation can only make grants to organisations with BOTH Deductible Gift Recipient (DGR) Item 1 and Tax Concession Charity (TCC) status.

It is important that you check the Eligibility section to ensure your organisation meets these Australian Tax Office requirements.

Under the terms of the deed of The Ian Potter Foundation and Australian taxation laws, The Ian Potter Foundation can only make grants to organisations with BOTH Deductible Gift Recipient (DGR) Item 1 and Tax Concession Charity (TCC) status.

Please make sure you read the funding objectives and specific exclusions for the Medical Research program area before you apply for a grant.

Funding Exclusions Specific to Medical Research

• Projects suitable for submission to the Australian Research Council (ARC) and/or the National Health and Medical Research Council (NH&MRC)
• Salaries for researchers or research assistants and for equipment which should be the subject of submissions to the ARC or NH&MRC
• Purposes which are core to the operations of the organisation and should more appropriately be funded from institutional operating funds
• Research projects for which there would be a reasonable prospect of attracting commercial funding
• Research funding, scholarships or projects which would be awarded by the grantseeker to third parties.

General Exclusions

Projects that fall into any of the following categories will not be considered for funding:

• Retrospective funding – projects which are already underway or which will commence prior to the date indicated in our online application information are not eligible for consideration
• Recurrent expenditure for which there is no future provision
• Capital or endowment funds established to fund a chair or to provide a corpus for institutions
• Auspicing* is not permitted – the organisation applying must be the one that will run the program or project
• Applications for public charitable purposes outside the Commonwealth of Australia**
• Applications for projects that have previously been declined by the Foundation cannot be resubmitted
• Applications will not be accepted from organisations that have not successfully acquitted previous grants from the Foundation

*Auspicing
Auspicing refers to the practice of an ineligible organisation (one that does not have DGR and TCC status) applying to the Foundation via an eligible organisation. Auspicing arrangements are excluded under the Foundation's guidelines. The organisation applying to the Foundation must be the organisation that will run the project or program for which a grant is being sought.

** Geographical constraints on grants
The Foundation is limited to providing money, property or benefits for public charitable purposes in the Commonwealth of Australia. However, the Foundation is able to provide a grant for activities outside the Commonwealth if the grant is made for a public charitable purpose in the Commonwealth. For example, a grant might be made to an Australian university to enable it to fund an overseas study tour by an Australian researcher engaged by the university.

It is the aim of the Foundation that the projects that it funds will have long-term impact beyond immediate key performance indicators and outputs. In your Medical Research application, you will be asked to select up to three long-term outcomes.

The Ian Potter Foundation also recognises that we all can play a small part in broader global movements and adopts a collaborative approach, both in our grant-making and our outcomes measurement. As such, we are beginning to offer relevant indicators from the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals as options for outcomes measurement. 

Technical long-term outcomes include:

• Improved financial sustainability
• Improved health and wellbeing
• Dissemination of best practice/new knowledge

Strategic long-term outcomes include:

• Improved service system/sector collaboration

In your final report, you will be asked how you progressed on your long-term outcomes. It’s helpful to select your metrics early on, so you can begin to collect information about your success as soon as your project begins. Some suggested metrics can be found in the Medical Research Outcomes & Metrics guide.

Ready to begin?

Grant requests in the Medical Research area are via a one-step application process. You can preview the application questions and supporting documents you will be required to submit.

Please note there are specific instructions you need to follow if you are a University.

The online application can only be accessed when a funding round is open.

Application Process

Applicants are required to speak with a Program Manager prior to submitting an application.

Step 1: Read ALL the information on this program area page to ensure you meet the eligibility criteria and program area objectives before you begin.

Step 2: Select 'Apply for a Grant' tab below. This tab will only appear when applications are open.

Step 3: You will then need to login by entering your username and password or create an account by clicking New Applicant?.

Step 4: Complete the Eligibility Quiz. If you meet eligibility requirements, you will proceed to the Application form.

After you save and close you can re-access your Application via the My Account link using your username and password. 

Step 5: Complete your online application form. Ensure your Application is submitted by 5pm EST on the closing date.

We require a hard copy including all supporting documents as well as the online application. Both must be received by the 5.00pm EST deadline on the closing date. Applications postmarked with the closing date will not be accepted. Note that applications may be sent by courier or hand-delivered.

What happens next?

All grant applications are considered at the Foundation’s board meetings, which are held three times a year.

You will be advised by phone or email of the outcome of your application.