Achieving Gender Equity in Research Funding by NHMRC’s 50:50 Investigator Grant Initiative
The National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) of Australia has implemented an important initiative to promote gender equity in its flagship Investigator Grant scheme, beginning in 2023. Aiming to address long-standing gender disparities in research funding, the NHMRC introduced a target to award equal numbers of grants and funding to women and men across all career stages. This includes a specific measure under the Sex Discrimination Act 1984 to ensure parity in Leadership grants within the senior Investigator Grant scheme.
The Investigator Grant scheme, NHMRC’s largest funding programme, allocates approximately $370 million annually to support 5-year fellowships and research initiatives for exceptional health and medical researchers. While earlier efforts to address gender imbalances saw success at junior levels, significant inequities persisted at senior levels, where systemic barriers resulted in male applicants receiving about 35% more grants and 67% more total funding than female applicants between 2019 and 2021.
In 2023, the initiative resulted in NHMRC achieving its 50:50 target for the first time, with women researchers receiving more total funding than men. This initiative represents a significant step towards promoting equity within Australia’s health and medical research workforce.
Recommended by: Professor Asha Bowen, Perth Children's Hospital, Australia
NHMRC