Research Projects: Round 3 : MTPConnect

Artwork used in image above by Ngarrindjeri artist, Jordan Lovegrove, shows the growing ripple effect that Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander-led research has on health and wellbeing. See 'More about the artwork' below.

WATCH OUR RECENT WEBINARS TTRA ROUND 3 PRIORITY SETTING DISCUSSION PAPER ROUND 3 GUIDELINES

Round 3 Research Projects - Applications NOW CLOSED

The Targeted Translation Research Accelerator (TTRA) program, a Medical Research Future Fund initiative delivered by MTPConnect, CLOSED Round 3 of its Research Projects funding opportunity on Friday 28 April 2023 at 16:00 AEST.

This round will provide funding of between $200,000 - $1,000,000 to support eligible organisations to develop or progress innovative preventative, diagnostic, therapeutic and/or disease management products, services and/or models of care for diabetes and/or cardiovascular disease (D&CVD) to address one of the following Priority Areas:

Priority 1: Strengths-based perspectives to chronic disease – A need to adopt a strengths-based perspective to chronic disease, which builds and develops the existing strengths, skills and capacities of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
Priority 2: Culturally safe programs and supports – Development of culturally safe programs and supports for D&CVD prevention and promotion of 'healthy lifestyles' among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, using empowering, evidence-based, health promotion campaigns.
Priority 3: Culturally safe strategies to address cardiometabolic disease – Culturally safe strategies to address cardiometabolic disease / risk factors to improve the health of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women prior to and during pregnancy. This should also include a focus on babies through the life course, including management of women with pre-existing and gestational diabetes.

Indigenous Led Priority Setting

The Indigenous-specific priority areas for this third and final round of TTRA Research Projects funding are designed to deliver real benefit for health and wellbeing of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities. They were determined through a prioritisation project led by the Lowitja Institute – a community-controlled organisation and Australia's National Institute for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Research.

Partnering with the Lowitja Institute has ensured that the voices of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities were centred in every aspect of the process of determining the Indigenous-specific priority areas.

As part of this process, the Lowitja Institute and MTPConnect have published a discussion paper title ‘Targeted Translation Research Accelerator Needs Assessment and Prioritisation Project’ which provides a framework for how Indigenous-led priority setting can inform important funding decisions.

The report can be downloaded here or from the Lowitja Institute Publications page.

TTRA Research Projects Round 3 Webinar Series

To coincide with the launch of TTRA Research Projects Round 3, MTPConnect is hosting a series of webinars to highlight key elements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health research. This series is intended for anyone with a broad interest in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health research but may also provide potential applicants with key elements to consider when building their projects and teams.

The first webinar in the series was held in November 2022 and focused on ‘Principles of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health research and engaging meaningfully with community’; the second webinar in the series on 'Ethics and Reciprocity' was held in February 2023, and the third webinar on 'Implementation Science' was held in March 2023. You can watch recordings of all webinars here. The webinars are also available to listen to on the MTPConnect Podcast - episodes 142, 147 and 149 respectively.

Future webinars will be announced here and you can join the MTPConnect mailing list to stay up to date.

TTRA Indigenous Advisory Group

For Round 3, MTPConnect engaged the TTRA Indigenous Advisory Group to guide the design and delivery of a process to identify Indigenous-specific priority areas that could maximise the impact of the available funding. MTPConnect is honoured to be supported by this group, including prominent Indigenous researchers, clinicians and thought leaders, as well as representatives from organisations that have deep engagement with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities through direct healthcare delivery:

Professor Alex Brown, Professor of Indigenous Genomics, Australian National University | Telethon Kids Institute
Dr Fergus Gardiner, Director, National Emergency Response, Public Health and Research, Royal Flying Doctor Service of Australia
Professor Lisa Jackson Pulver AM, Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Indigenous Strategy & Services, University of Sydney, and Professor Public Health and Epidemiologist, Sydney Medical School
Ray Kelly, Indigenous Allied Health Australia
Chris Lee, Assistant Director – Programs, National Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation (NACCHO)
Professor Ray Mahoney, Professor of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health and Discipline Lead for Population Health, Visiting Scientist, Australian eHealth Research Centre (AeHRC), CSIRO, College of Medicine & Public Health, Flinders University
Dr Janine Mohamed, CEO, Lowitja Institute
Dr Simon Quilty, Medical Advisor, Purple House (Western Desert Nganampa Walytja Palyantjaku Tjutaku Aboriginal Corporation)
Dr Tanya Schramm, Senior lecturer of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Education, University of Tasmania
Dr Sean Taylor, Executive Director Aboriginal Health & Diversity, NT Health; Deputy Director Indigenous Leadership and Engagement, Menzies School of Health Research; and Adjunct Associate Professor, Public Health and Tropical Medicine, James Cook University.

It is important to note, MTPConnect is carefully managing any potential conflicts of interest. Indigenous Advisory Group members are eligible to apply for Round 3 unless they have been involved in the subcommittee that has designed the application process and guidelines.

More about the artwork featured above:

The artwork by Ngarrindjeri artist, Jordan Lovegrove, shows the growing ripple effect that Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander-led research has on health and wellbeing. The big meeting place in the centre represents Lowitja Institute and MTPConnect. The smaller coloured meeting places connected by footprints that surround it represents our connection and work with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities and other partners. The other small meeting places with pathways between, represent the communities that this research positively impacts. MTPConnect is pleased to licence this artwork from Lowitja Institute for the purposes of promoting TTRA Round 3 activities.