Australian health and medical research: are we there yet?

We need to increase our investment to maintain and improve our position in the global knowledge economy

Of all human endeavours, health and medical research arguably offers the greatest potential to improve human life. Research discoveries have extended and enhanced our lives, reduced the burden of many diseases in our society, and are changing the shape of health care. In an era of unparalleled promise offered by genomics, bioinformatics, stem-cell technology, biomedical devices, and therapeutic vaccines, the very nature of clinical practice could shift profoundly over the coming decades. There is, however, another very positive outcome of health and medical research — with the right support from government and industry, it could hold the key to Australia’s future prosperity in a global knowledge economy.