Medical breakthroughs require many people coming together for the common good, and that is why The Prince Charles Hospital Foundation has recently launched Collaborative Seed Grants.
As the name implies, these grants facilitate vital collaboration between The Prince Charles Hospital’s different departments and services in order to help solve complex health problems and achieve the best outcomes for patients.
What is a Collaborative Seed Grant?
Collaborative Seed Grants were launched in 2024 and help to support bold ideas and foster cross-team collaboration.
Each grant provides up to $50,000 in funding and gives researchers the opportunity to combine their expertise, spark partnerships and generate early data that could lead to more significant breakthroughs and further funding.
Collaborative Seed Grant Recipients
Here is a brief snapshot of two projects funded by Collaborative Seed Grants.
Tackling Delirium with Research Funding
One of the first Collaborative Seed Grants focuses on a critical health challenge: delirium.
Dr Faye Jordan and Dr Eamonn Eeles, Collaborative Seed Grant Recipients (2024)
Grant Project Title: Bringing the diagnosis and management of delirium into the 21st century
“In 2023, at The Prince Charles Hospital (TPCH), there were at least 2000 cases of delirium reported. Unfortunately, there is convincing evidence that delirium is missed in 67-76% of cases when presenting to the emergency department (Suffoletto, 2013). That represents, at a conservative estimate, 1340 cases of delirium missed per annum. The mortality rate in undiagnosed delirium is 30.8% and compares with 11.8% in recognised delirium and so the improvement in detection is expected to lead to 38 additional lives saved per year (Suffoletto, 2013),” explained Dr Eels.
“The project aims to embed a new technologically based approach to both the screening and diagnosis of delirium and detection of causes into the ED with the goal of improving the accuracy and timeliness of diagnosis of delirium. Earlier identification of delirium and earlier appropriate treatment will help improve care and improve survivability.”
The investigators are collaborating across departments (emergency medicine, internal medicine services, the University of Queensland and Critical Care Research Group) together with multiple disciplines (nursing, emergency department, physicians and geriatricians).
This new research relationship has the potential to yield significant translational benefits for patients.
Supporting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health through Grants
Another Collaborative Seed Grant focuses on improving culturally safe and responsive care for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families.
Dr Sara Winter, Dr Robyn Milligan, Dr Peter Stevenson, Ms Rebeckah Mooney, Dr Tricia Rolls, Ms Marissa Galler, Collaborative Seed Grant Recipient (2024)
Grant Project Title: Connection and Kinship: Culturally Safe and Responsive Care for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children and Families
“The aim of this project is to develop, implement, and evaluate using the Implementation Outcomes Framework (Proctor et al, 2011), a scalable and sustainable Model of Care which incorporates an identified role embedded in the Paediatrics allied health outpatient service. This role will provide a central point of communication, engagement and coordination for all stakeholders to facilitate engagement and care for Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander Families,” said Dr Winter.
“This multidisciplinary collaboration across Paediatrics, Psychology, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island Health Services and Social Work Departments at TPCH builds capacity in employing implementation science and evaluation frameworks to Model of Care redesign, introduces clinicians to research, and improves the rigour in implementation of innovations across our services in clinical areas and patient cohorts of current and future substantial need.”
Research Grants at Every Stage of a Career
The Prince Charles Hospital Foundation is committed to backing research careers at every stage. Alongside Collaborative Seed Grants, we fund:
- New Investigator Grants and Emerging Researcher Grants to support early-career clinicians.
- PhD Scholarships to build the next generation of researchers.
- Research Fellowships for mid-career and established researchers.
- Innovation Grants to support breakthrough ideas.
“These entry points are often where new ideas take shape and where lives begin to change,” says Dr Rebekah Engel, Research Manager for The Prince Charles Hospital Foundation.
We also fund Research Fellowships for mid-career and established researchers to build lasting programs of work, as well as Innovation Grants and the Collaborative Seed Grants that we’ve spoken about in this article.
“Having a diverse mix of grants ensures we’re nurturing talent at every stage – keeping promising researchers engaged, driving new discoveries, and making sure that important questions don’t go unanswered,” says Dr Engel.
Why Collaborative Research at The Prince Charles Hospital Matters
By investing in Collaborative Seed Grants, The Prince Charles Hospital Foundation is building a future where innovative research saves lives. From delirium diagnosis to culturally responsive paediatric care, these projects show how research grants fuel collaboration that directly benefits patients.
As the Foundation looks ahead to celebrating 40 years of medical research impact in 2026, these grants highlight the power of collaboration in driving real progress.
You can help. Support research grants at The Prince Charles Hospital by donating to The Common Good here.
