Submission to the Evaluation of the Medical Research Future Fund (MRFF) Research Missions program

The Collaborative welcomes the opportunity to contribute to the consultation on the Medical Research Future Fund (MRFF) Research Missions program. The MRFF’s Research Missions bring together researchers, partners and stakeholders to tackle major health challenges across ten priority areas: Cardiovascular Health; Brain Cancer; Dementia, Ageing and Aged Care; Genomics; Indigenous Health; Mental Health; Health Inequities; Stem Cell Therapies; and Traumatic Brain Injury. Together, these Missions play a major role in shaping Australia’s future health system.

Australia’s cultural and linguistic diversity is a major national asset. More than half of Australians were born overseas or have a parent born overseas, and over 5.6 million people speak a language other than English at home. Yet research consistently shows that multicultural communities experience poorer access to health care, a higher burden of preventable disease, and underrepresentation in research design and participation.

Preliminary analysis indicates that research explicitly focused on culturally and linguistically diverse populations accounts for only one per cent of total MRFF and National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) awarded funding. Stronger alignment between research funding and population need is essential to achieve meaningful policy reform and equitable health outcomes for all Australians.

As the national multicultural health peak body, the Collaborative is providing input to ensure that the MRFF Research Missions are assessed not only on scientific excellence, but on their capacity to deliver equitable impact. Multicultural communities are central to Australia’s demographic profile and future health needs. If research investment does not meaningfully include these communities, the evidence base that informs policy and service design will remain incomplete. Our submission draws on our representative membership, sector partnerships, and system-level insights to highlight practical, achievable steps that can strengthen the MRFF’s contribution to health equity and ensure that its benefits extend to all Australians. We have chosen to focus our submission on the themes of the consultation, addressing the evaluation questions directly rather than responding to the online survey items.