National Blood Sector Research and Development Program

We've run 5 successful rounds of funding under our research funding program.

Under the program, we awarded funding to projects looking to fill evidence gaps in:

  • patient blood management
  • use of immunoglobulin.

Clinical, research and government experts give high-quality input in each round. These experts help us to:

  • review applications
  • work out the mix of projects to fund.

Types of projects funded

There are 3 types of projects funded through the program:

  • Project grants for a whole single research project proposal – approved funding is usually between $30,000 and $150,000.
  • Seed grants for early stages of new research or to gather data to support future grant applications – approved funding is usually less than $50,000.
  • Scholarship grants to support medical researchers attain a Master's degree, PhD or postdoctoral research fellowship – approved funding is usually $25,000 to $30,000.

Round 1 results

The pilot round made $1.275 million available under the funding program:

  • opened on 26 February 2016
  • closed on 8 April 2016.

Patient Blood Management Project Grants

Principal chief investigator

Administering institution

Amount (inc. GST)

Project title

Prof Jane Ford

University of Sydney

$160,930.00

Effects of antenatal haemoglobin and obstetric transfusion on adverse maternal outcomes


Dr James Winearls

University of Queensland

$190,274.70

Fibrinogen Replacement in Severe Traumatic Haemorrhage


Prof Bernd Froessler

University of Adelaide

$153,035.63

Iron need in pregnancy and after birth

Patient Blood Management Seed Grants

Principal chief investigator

Administering institution

Amount (inc. GST)

Project title

Dr Geoff Simon

University of Sunshine Coast

$54,802.00

Clinical characteristics of geriatric patients transfused within 24 hours of emergency department presentation


A/Prof Deborah Long

Griffith University

$54,078.20

Improving blood sampling practice for critically ill children undergoing cardiac surgery

Patient Blood Management Early Career Research Grant (Scholarship)

Early career researcher

Administering institution

Amount (inc. GST)

Project title

Dr Julie Lee

The University of Queensland

$33,000.00

A series of studies on a new clotting test in pregnant women to optimise the management of bleeding


Immunoglobulin Project Grants

Principal chief investigator

Administering institution

Amount (inc. GST)

Project title

Prof David Burgner

Murdoch Children's Research Institute

$271,309.50

Towards a better understanding of doctors’ treatment patterns and immunoglobulin use in Australian children with Kawasaki disease: an opportunity for improvement?


Prof Erica Wood

Monash University

$434,453.80

Oral antibiotics or intravenous immunoglobulin to reduce infections in patients with blood cancers

Immunoglobulin Seed Grants

Principal chief investigator

Administering institution

Amount (inc. GST)

Project title

Prof Russell Dale

The University of Sydney

$50,837.60

Improving the use of intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIg) in children with neurological disorders


Round 2 results

Round 2 made $1.275 million available under the funding program:

  • opened on 1 December 2016
  • closed on 10 February 2017.

Patient Blood Management Project Grants

Principal chief investigator

Administering institution

Amount (inc. GST)

Project title

Ms Bronwyn Pearse

University of the Sunshine Coast

$78,199.00

Implementing evidence-based bleeding management in cardiac surgery


Dr Seng Chai Chua

Western Sydney Local Health District

$90,264.38

The effect of intravenous iron and blood transfusion on patients’ outcomes in women with low haemoglobin after birth

Patient Blood Management Early Career Research Grant (Scholarship)

Early career researcher

Administering institution

Amount (inc. GST)

Project title

Dr Michelle Roets

University of Queensland

$33,000

Intraoperative cell salvage a safer and cost-effective alternative to allogeneic blood transfusion

Dr Alison Mo

Monash University

$33,000

Understanding risks and clinical outcomes of anaemia in the elderly to inform transfusion policy

Immunoglobulin Project Grants

Principal chief investigator

Administering institution

Amount (inc. GST)

Project title

A/Prof Erica Wood

Monash University

$492,323.70

Improving national immunoglobulin stewardship and clinical outcomes for patients with myeloma

Dr William Mulley

Monash University

$495,000.00

Does intravenous immunoglobulin improve outcomes in chronic rejection of renal transplants?

Immunoglobulin Seed Grants

Principal chief investigator

Administering institution

Amount (inc. GST)

Project title

A/Prof Elizabeth Gardiner

Australian National University

$115,953.20

Improved strategies in management of immune thrombocytopenia

Round 3 results

Round 3 made $1.275 million available under the funding program:

  • opened on 9 April 2018
  • closed on 1 June 2018.

You can find this round and the grants awarded on GrantConnect(Opens in a new tab/window).

Patient Blood Management Project Grants

Principal chief investigator

Administering institution

Amount (inc. GST)

Project title

Prof Helen Liley

University of Sydney

$161,151.10

Deferred cord clamping to reduce need for neonatal blood transfusion

Dr James Winearls

University of Queensland

$491,345.80

Fibrinogen replacement in severe traumatic haemorrhage (FEISTY II)


Prof John Fraser

University of Queensland

$131,246.51

Novel fluid alternatives to blood transfusion to treat acute and chronic blood loss

Immunoglobulin Project Grants

Principal chief investigator

Administering institution

Amount (inc. GST)

Project title

Dr Zoe McQuilten

Monash University

$494,220.10

Immunoglobulin use in chronic lymphocytic leukaemia and non-Hodgkin lymphoma – the ICAN study

Patient Blood Management Seed Grants

Principal chief investigator

Administering institution

Amount (inc. GST)

Project title

Dr Amanda Henry

University of New South Wales

$50,737.50

Concealing treatment in pregnancy anaemia randomised trials: can it be used?

Dr Philip Crispin

Australian National University

$73,799.00

Transfusion strategies for low platelets

Round 4 results

Round 4 made $1.275 million available under the funding program:

  • opened on 12 February 2019
  • closed on 5 April 2019.

You can find this round and the grants awarded on GrantConnect(Opens in a new tab/window).

Patient Blood Management Project Grants

Principal chief investigator

Administering institution

Amount (inc. GST)

Project title

Dr Jillian Patterson

University of Sydney

$227,771.50

Prevention and management of bleeding in maternity patients to optimise patient outcomes

A/Prof Zoe McQuilten

Monash University

$100,654.40

A study of patient and healthcare provider experiences of blood transfusion in myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS)

Dr Ammar Majeed

Monash University

$129,086.10

RotEm-guided blood product in patients with cirrhosis undergoing invasive procedures (RECIPE)

Prof Anthony Harris

Monash University

$137,064.40

The impact of perioperative patient blood management guidelines on blood use and outcomes in cardiac surgery

Patient Blood Management Seed Grants

Principal chief investigator

Administering institution

Amount (inc. GST)

Project title

Dr Michael Simmonds

Griffith University

$54,621.60

Assessment of blood quality in cardiac surgery

A/Prof David Roxby

Flinders University

$27,500.00

Evaluation of transfusion triggers in elderly patients admitted to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) and the prevalence of anaemia on discharge from ICU and hospital

A/Prof Michael Stark

University of Adelaide

$43,428.00

Is the use of washed red blood beneficial in transfused pre-term newborns?

Clinical Prof Michael Leahy

University of Western Australia

$34,800.70

Intravenous iron for treatment of suboptimal iron Stores in non-anaemic patients presenting for major surgery (ISNAPS)

Dr Philip Crispin

Australian National University

$56,367.30

A mixed method pilot feasibility study of self-managing red cell transfusion requirements in chronic anaemia

Patient Blood Scholarship Grants

Principal chief investigator

Administering institution

Amount (inc. GST)

Project title

Dr Brenton Sanderson

Macquarie University

$33,000.00

Computerised support for decision-making during massive transfusion to improve efficiency and outcomes

Ig Scholarship Grants

Principal chief investigator

Administering institution

Amount (inc. GST)

Project title

Dr Nicholas Crump

University of Melbourne

$22,178.20

Neuromuscular ultrasound as a biomarker in chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy (CIDP)

Round 5 results

Round 5 made $1.275 million available under the funding program:

  • opened on 8 July 2020
  • closed on 28 September 2020.

You can find this round and the grants awarded on GrantConnect(Opens in a new tab/window).

Patient Blood Management Project Grants

Principal chief investigator

Administering institution

Amount (inc. GST)

Project title

Prof Paul Monagle

Murdoch Children’s Research Institute

$485,974.00

Towards personalised blood product therapy after cardiopulmonary bypass in neonates and infants

A/Prof David Roxby

Flinders University

$104,956.43

Anaemia and transfusion prevalence in Indigenous and non-Indigenous intensive care, pregnant and cardiac patients

A/Prof Zoe McQuilten

Monash University

$170,616.56

International point prevalence study of intensive care unit transfusion practices – the InPUT study

Patient Blood Management Seed Grant

Principal chief investigator

Administering institution

Amount (inc. GST)

Project title

Prof Biswadev Mitra

Monash University

$54,969.00

Prehospital plasma for trauma

Immunoglobulin Project Grants

Principal chief investigator

Administering institution

Amount (inc. GST)

Project title

Dr Celina Jin

Melbourne Health

$163,460.00

Evaluating vaccine responses in specific antibody-deficient patients receiving immunoglobulin treatment

A/Prof Stephen Reddel

ANZAC Health and Medical Research Foundation

$453,238.59

OPTIC trial: Intravenous immunoglobulin and intravenous methylprednisolone as optimal induction treatment in CIDP (chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy)

Immunoglobulin Seed Grant

Principal chief investigator

Administering institution

Amount (inc. GST)

Project title

Dr Jovanka King

The University of Adelaide

$55,000.00

A new blood test to guide immunoglobulin replacement therapy in patients with immunodeficiency diseases

More information

Email: research@blood.gov.au

Last updated: 27 Mar 2024

Back to top