π« Youβre invited - our first event of 2026 is just around the corner! π«
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π‘Join us for an exciting morning of insightful talks from leading experts and invaluable conversations with members of the cell death community
When Spotify knows you spent the 24th of March writing a grant....
#SpotifyWrapped
www.spotify.com/wrapped-shar...
The money is just sitting there...
while 30% kids with rare diseases don't see their 5th birthday
while cancer patients transition to palliative care
while neurodegenerative diseases take precious memories
while brilliant scientists run out of funding and lose their jobs
...it just seems insane
It's starting! The @hudsonresearch.bsky.social 's Young Women in Science week! Excited to be a mentor π€©π©βπ¬π¬π§«π§¬
And now you can listen here: www.rrr.org.au/explore/prog...
When you complain so much on socials the science man himself, @drshanerrr.bsky.social invites you over for a chat π€©π€©π€©
#einsteinagogo #3tripleR
Today is the last day to make a submission! You don't have to fill in the survey l, you can just upload a letter or even a video
π«΅π»Advocate for fundamental researchππ»
@nhmrc.bsky.social need your feedback to develop the best strategy for the future of Australian medical research
Link in the π§΅
Everyone listen to A/Prof Sam!
If you care about the future of Australian health + innovation, please make a submission to #NHMRC
βοΈProtectπ‘οΈdiscovery science π¬π§ͺπ€―
πMake it a priority and fund it properlyπ
Submissions due this Wednesday, 8th of October: consultations.health.gov.au/health-economiβ¦
#ValueFundamentalScience
Australia has a vibrant, brilliant discovery science community. It deserves to be nurtured, not left to starve while everything is rebranded βtranslation.β
#NHMRCdraftStratergy #Ihavenotes #ValueFundamentalScience
So what changes do I suggest?
πAdd a specific goal for discovery/basic science
πGuarantee a ring-fenced % of funds for it
πBlock funding for institutes so scientists arenβt living grant to grant
πEnsure national platforms are accessible beyond home institutes
Donβt get me wrong, I love translational research, I hope my research will one day be translated
I want to see a #NHMRCStratergy that ensures there's Australian grown discoveries to be translated for better health outcomes for all Australians ππ¦πΊ
If we cut discovery science, we cut these returns
#NHMRCdraftStratergy #Ihavenotes #ValueFundamentalScience
And letβs be clear, funding discovery research is not charity, it's not just about keeping weirdos like me off the streets, IT PAYS FOR ITSELF
AAMRI/KPMG found that every $1 invested in Australian medical research returns $3.90 to the economy
πTranslation πdries up πif you stop feeding πthe pipeline πof discoveryπ
#NHMRCdraftStratergy #Ihavenotes #ValueFundamentalScience
In the 1990sβ2000s, Japan and the UK shifted funding away from basic research
Their biomedical sectors became reliant on discoveries made elsewhere, and despite big translational investmentsπ°, patent returns and innovation declined (OECD 2016: bit.ly/3UwzMrv) πΈπΈπΈ
You think Iβm being dramatic π, but itβs happened before:
OECDβs Science, Tech & Innovation Outlook (2016) found that when countries shifted funding from basic to short-term translational research, high-impact papers and patents declined πβ¬πβ¬οΈ
The discovery of #GMCSF and #IFNΞ΅ didn't stem from translational projects, hey came from years of scientists chasing fundamental questions
Under the #NHMRCDraftStrategy, research like this will be sidelined⦠and the next life-changing therapy could be lost before it even begins
Another example, close to the #HudsonInstituteβs β€οΈ is the discovery of #IFNΞ΅, an antiviral cytokine found almost exclusively in the female reproductive tract
Long overlooked, IFNΞ΅ is now known to play keys role in protection from #ovariancancer and progression of #endometriosis
A fun example of this (which is highlighted in the draft strategy) is the discovery of #GMCSF
GM-CSF is now standard care in cancer and bone marrow transplants, but started out as Prof Don Metcalf making a PhD student look for cool new proteins in human urine...
Every goal in the #NHMRCdraftStratergy: #translation, #patents, #AI, #resilience, all depend on novel discoveries made through years (sometimes decades) of curiosity driven research π§ͺπ¬π§«
#NHMRCdraftStratergy #Ihavenotes #ValueFundamentalScience
My major note? It completely leaves out fundamental research as a priority π€―
Which is wild, #NHMRCβs job is to "support the highest-quality research, from πBASIC scienceπ through to clinical, public health and services research" (NHMRC Corporate Plan: nhmrc.gov.au)
Dear Everyone, I've read the #NHMRC draft strategy and I have notes ...
So I'm going to...π§΅π€π§΅π±π§΅π΅βπ«π§΅ππ§΅π§΅π§΅
This is a repost from X because you all need to know!
#NHMRCdraftStratergy #Ihavenotes #ValueFundamentalScience
@nhmrc.bsky.social
Gentle reminder, abstract submissions and registrations close TODAY
Don't miss out on the most exciting event of the winter (assuming you're a fan of immune cells...)
And more to come!
Register: www.immunology.org.au/events/ASI-V...
Professor Si Ming Man, CSL Centenary Fellow and NHMRC Leadership Fellow (ANU), focuses on how innate immune activation protects us from infections and toxins. Prof Man will illuminate his latest findings on innate immune sensing of danger signals and cell death.
Professor Kate Schroder, leader of the Inflammasome Lab at IMB (UQ) and a Clarivate Highly Cited Researcher, will excite your academic and practical imagination with TWO talksβon her favourite inflammasomes and her path through academia and industry.
Professor Di Yu, Chair in Paediatric Immunotherapy and inaugural Director of the Ian Frazer Centre of Children's Immunotherapy Research. A passionate immunologist, Prof Yu will delight you with insights into how diet shapes our immune system and overall health.
Dr Deborah Burnett, award-winning immunologist and UNSW Scientia Senior Lecturer, recipient of the Premierβs Prize for Early Career Researcher of the Year (2023), will explore how germinal centre control shapes cross-reactive antibody responses in protective immunity and autoimmune disease.
Prepare to be captivated by Professor Elizabeth Hartland AM (Director and CEO of Hudson Institute of Medical Research) as she delves into the fascinating interplay between intracellular bacteria and cell-intrinsic immunity.
