Establishment grants for Clinical Investigators have been initiated by the Foundation in order to stimulate and encourage clinical research in Australia. In particular the grants are intended to assist new investigators to establish their research programs at the time of the difficult transition from doctoral and post-doctoral training posts to their first definitive clinical positions in an academic environment. Clinical Investigators are awarded a once only grant of $90,000.

Eligible applicants will be medical graduates or graduates of other clinical disciplines who have completed both their clinical and research training which will normally be at doctoral level and are commencing their first definitive clinical position, or have been in such a post for no more than 36 months on 1 May of the year of application.

Applicants should be actively engaged in clinical work and pursuing health and medical research in a university clinical department, a teaching hospital, a clinical research unit of a research institute or in an academic general practice setting.The applications will be judged predominantly on the quality of the applicant’s track record and career achievements to date. The quality of a brief research proposal will also be taken into account.

Please click here for a complete list of Clinical Investigator Alumni details

Current recipients of the Clinical Investigator Award

2025
Dr Shiraz Badurdeen
Mercy Hospitals Victoria
Dr Edmond Kwan
Monash University
Dr Arun Sett
The University of Melbourne
Prof Wee Loon Ong
Alfred Health

2024
Dr Wan Tinn Teh
The Royal Women’s Hospital
Dr Yasmine Ali Abdelhamid
The University of Melbourne
Dr Brendan Nolan
The Princess Alexandra Hospital
Dr Bradley Gardiner
Monash University

2023
Dr Elizabeth Paratz
Baker Heart and Diabetes Institute
Dr Anna Balabanski
Royal Melbourne Hospital
Dr Prasanti Kotagiri
Monash University
Dr Cecilia Jin
Walter and Eliza Hall Institute
Dr Claire Gordon
Austin Health

2022
Dr Hayley Barnes
Monash University
Dr Harriet Gee
Children’s Medical Research Institute
Dr Matthew Hare
Menzies School of Health Research
A/Professor Nitesh Nerlekar
Baker Heart and Diabetes Institute
Dr Hannah Stevens
Alfred Hospital

Past recipients of the Clinical Investigator Award can be found in the Alumni section.