December 16, 2024
Reflections from discussions about the possibility of an ongoing First Nations pandemic research network. Artwork by Dr Sue Pillans
A unique First Nations-led grant program created during the COVID-19 pandemic has demonstrated that when enabled and trusted to direct research, First Nations peoples can deliver community-focused outcomes for public health emergencies.
The details of the successful APPRISE-Ramsay COVID-19 grant program were recently published in the Medical Research Archives.
Decision-making for the program was driven by First Nations people and included setting of research principles, priorities, eligibility and review criteria, and the oversight of advertising and grant review.
After a widely distributed and highly competitive application round, ten grants from diverse organisations were funded to address various aspects of the COVID-19 response.
The grants resulted in meaningful outputs published in a range of communication channels including academic publications, articles for general readership, internal reports, social and traditional media, and frameworks.
Learnings from the program have provided a strong, genuine and empowered base for future infectious disease challenges. Additionally, The principles from the grant round have underpinned the formation of the First Nations Research preparednesS neTwork (FIRST) to further embed First Nations self-determination for ongoing and future pandemic research in Australia.
As public health emergencies such as pandemics continue to emerge, it is important to continue to invest in and prioritise culturally appropriate governance structures with grant funding programs.
Learn more about the First Nations-led grant program and its successful outcomes
The APPRISE–Ramsay COVID-19 grant program built on an existing Australian research collaboration during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.
The Australian Partnership for Preparedness Research on Infectious disease Emergencies (APPRISE), a national research collaboration established in 2016, supports the Privileging Aboriginal Voices project as a critical component in pandemic preparedness.
A generous philanthropic donation to APPRISE from the Paul Ramsay Foundation in 2020 provided an opportunity to establish the grant program putting community-controlled principles into action to elevate the leadership of First Nations researchers in the COVID-19 response, and to fund research projects that inform First Nations responses to COVID-19.
APPRISE was funded until the end of 2022 by the Australian National Health and Medical Research Council, with additional funding received from Australian Department of Health and Aged Care for 2023–2025.