Become a Member

AAMRI actively engages with government, opposition parties and sector leaders to ensure our members’ interests are on the agenda. We are always happy to speak with members about issues that their medical research institute is facing.

Benefits of AAMRI membership include:

  • Unique sector representation and insights: AAMRI represents the interests of medical research institutes. Our board includes representatives from different research and geographical areas around Australia, ensuring the full breadth of issues affecting our members is on our agenda.
  • AAMRI Annual Convention: Open to all members’ Directors, Business Managers and Board Members to connect in Canberra. The convention includes a dinner at Parliament House, to which all  members of Parliament are invited to attend, and also includes the presentation of a Rising Star Award. The convention and dinner are free of charge to our members.
  • Knowledge sharing through AAMRI networks: Connecting professional staff working at medical research institutes, providing forums for open discussion and sharing of ideas. Each network also organises an annual networking event to meet in person.
  • AAMRI Member Survey & Report: As the peak body for medical research institutes across Australia, AAMRI captures a snapshot of its member medical research institutes through a biennial survey.
  • Reports and key summaries: Including federal budgets and their impact on our sector, analysis of government policy changes affecting the medical research sector, and funding election summaries.
  • Monthly e-news: with sector and policy updates, funding opportunities and events listings.
  • AAMRI submissions: written on behalf of our members advocating for their interests in areas such as research funding, tax and charity legislation, NHMRC policies and other legislative and policy areas that have an impact on our members.
  • Collegiality amongst members: By assisting our members to form strong working relationships, this works towards improving the standing of medical research in Australia.
  • Improved fiscal and regulatory environment: As a sector, we can advocate for an improved fiscal and regulatory environment for medical research, ensuring medical research institutes are afforded the prominence deserved in policy priorities.
  • Improved research and organisational outcomes: Together we are stronger than as individual institutions. By doing all we can to push for better funding and regulation in our sector, we can free up our member institutions to focus on what they do best: medical research.


AAMRI membership criteria

To be a member of AAMRI, an institution should:

  • be a not-for-profit institute established primarily for the conduct of health and medical research
  • have a track record of peer-reviewed research outputs
  • have procedures and policies in place that allow good scientific practice, the ethical conduct of research, and appropriate financial governance

either be:

  • a medical research institute that is an independent legal entity
  • a medical research institute that has an independent Board, or is recognised as a research institute by their parent organisation, or is separate from the faculty structure of any university parent organisation
  • have procedures and policies in place that allow good scientific practice, the ethical conduct of research, appropriate financial governance, and support gender equity, diversity and inclusion.

Admission of prospective members to AAMRI is at the discretion of the AAMRI Board, i.e. it should be in the best interest of AAMRI members.

Membership fees

Membership costs are: $500 per Institute and $65 per FTE (full-time equivalent) member of staff (research and administration) and research higher degree students.

To join AAMRI

If your institute satisfies the eligibility criteria above, please complete the AAMRI Membership Application Form and AAMRI FTE form 2022 and email it to enquiries@aamri.org.au. Applications will be reviewed by the AAMRI Board as soon as possible.