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Tasmania to receive almost half a million dollars in research funding

Two health and medical research projects at the University of Tasmania will receive almost half a million dollars in research funding from the National Health and Medical Research Council next year.

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30 October 2002

Tasmania to receive almost half a million dollars in research funding

Two health and medical research projects at the University of Tasmania will receive almost half a million dollars in research funding from the National Health and Medical Research Council next year.

One project, its researchers regarded as world-leaders in their field, hopes to develop new drugs for treating type 2 diabetes, based on improving muscle capillary blood flow. The other will investigate a new method to regenerate damaged nerve fibres.

Announcing the funding today, Federal Minister for Health and Ageing, Senator Kay Patterson, congratulated the successful applicants saying the NHMRC's annual project funding round was highly competitive.

"In total, 406 important health and medical research projects across Australia will receive more than $150 million in funding from the NHMRC next year. Funding applications are extensively peer reviewed and successful applicants can be justly proud of their achievement," she said.

"While the University of Tasmania has received just a small portion of the total the available funds, these two projects are recognition of the quality of research being undertaken by Tasmanian scientists."

The funding for health and medical research in Australia was doubled by the Commonwealth in the 1999-2000 Federal Budget, as a result of the Wills Review.

Details of the 406 Project Funding Agreements are at: www.nhmrc.gov.au/funding/outcom02.htm

Media Contact: Randal Markey, Media Adviser, (02) 6277 7220
Jeanne Klener, Media Unit, NHMRC, (02) 6289 5796