The Group of Eight (Go8) today released an Issues Paper calling for greater collaboration between universities, Medical Research Institutes (MRIs), and teaching hospitals and clinics, to maximise the benefits of medical research funding.

Go8 Chair, Professor Alan Robson, said the Go8 Vice-Chancellors are particularly concerned to ensure that the results of Australian medical research are translated quickly and efficiently to both delivery of health care in hospitals and clinics, and to the education of the next generation of medical and other health care professionals. Most of this occurs in universities, embedded in the hospitals sector.

"The Issues Paper commits the Go8 universities to develop plans for more effective translation of research results, and for skills development for their higher degree students, regardless of whether they are doing their research in the university, MRI or hospital setting," Professor Robson said.

"It proposes that universities lead initiatives for all organisations involved in medical research to work together to consolidate services and reduce overheads.

"The Go8 is calling on the National Health and Medical Research Council to move quickly to apply accreditation processes which will deliver a high quality research environment and effective translation of research results," he added.

Professor Robson explained that there is growing concern about the longer term sustainability of some MRIs.

"Whether funds for medical research come from community donations, industry or government funding, Australians rightly expect the medical research dollar to be spent effectively," Professor Robson concluded. 

The Go8 Issues Paper - Excellence in Medical and Health Professional Education, Research and Health Care Delivery is available to download from HERE.

FURTHER INFORMATION: Alan Mackay, Director, Information Strategy, Ph: 02 6239 5488