Strategy and Workforce planning

Page banner – courtesy of the Burnet Institute

We need to continue to invest in infrastructure and also develop a skilled workforce to support the Federal Government’s goal to boost onshore capacity for translation and commercialisation, while driving the creation of new jobs.

A new independent report, authored by the Nous Group and released by the Association of Australian Medical Research Institutes (AAMRI) in March 2026, shows that Australia’s medical research institutes deliver strong returns for both the economy and the health system, while playing a central role in clinical trials, research translation and highly skilled jobs:

  • $3.90 returned for every $1 invested in medical research
  • $5.80 returned for every $1 invested in clinical trials
  • $4.07 billion in annual economic benefit generated by medical research institutes

Medical research institutes are a core part of Australia’s health system and research pipeline, working closely with hospitals, universities and industry to translate research into real-world outcomes for patients.

In 2026, the Federal Government has released two key strategic pieces of work – the Ambitious Australia report and the final version National Health and Medical Research Strategy.

Ambitious Australia highlights that Australia produces around 3% of global knowledge but lacks the scale, coordination and investment settings needed to fully translate that strength into economic and societal benefit.

The National Health and Medical Research Strategy reflects many of the priorities consistently raised by the sector, including stronger recognition of discovery research, research excellence, workforce sustainability, better coordination across funding mechanisms and the critical role medical research institutes play in Australia’s research ecosystem – but attention needs to turn to the strategy’s implementation.

What we’re doing

These key Federal Government strategies recognise that supporting research means supporting the conditions that allow great research to happen, from discovery through to translation and impact.

With both now released, attention turns to ensure a coherent and coordinated approach between both, further supported with a considered and funded approach for their implementation. AAMRI will continue to work closely with the Government on next steps and to ensure a timely delivery of these important reforms.