New Investigator Grants
The first step in the Foundation’s researcher pathway
Medical research not only requires an idea and a desire to improve outcomes for patients, but it also requires funding to make progress that will help people live healthier for longer.
Those at the very beginning of their careers can feel overwhelmed about how to get their ideas off the ground, which is why the Foundation established New Investigator grants in 2010.
“These grants provide support for novice researchers to take their project from an idea to reality,” says the Foundation’s Research Manager, Dr Rebekah Engel.
“Typically, the new investigators haven’t done any research before, so this program is designed to support them and guide them through those initial steps of getting into research.”
The Foundation offers up to $12,000 for a New Investigator Grant, with the project to be completed within one to two years.
These grants provide vital training and support during that period. This experience is essential so they can advance their idea and research career, learning fundamental research skills, before moving into other programs that we offer within the Foundation as well as seeking external funding support.
Since 2010, the Foundation has awarded more than 280 New Investigator grants totalling more than $2,660,000.
Those have been across various topics, including malnutrition, pressure injuries, heart and lung disease and sleep disorders.
“These ideas often start with something small, and they grow into something that has a huge impact for the way we treat our patients. Clinicians are at the frontline of patient care, and often their research ideas come to them through their work. When they’re treating patients, they think about how they can improve patient care, and we can bring those ideas to life through our support of the new investigator grants,” says Dr Engel.
Joshua Griffiths received a New Investigator grant in 2025 for his project, Evaluating Biomarker Profiles in Venoarterial ECMO: A Predictive Approach for Patient Outcomes.
“This PRECISE project is looking at collating a bunch of variables for patients and tracking those across the first week of cannulation for ECMO (extracorporeal membrane oxygenation, a specialised life support system) and using that as a model to predict patient outcomes 180 days post-intervention. Unfortunately, with VA ECMO currently, as much as it saves a lot of lives, there is still quite a high morbidity and mortality rate, so that’s why the predictive model is there to see what patients would suit that type of intervention and what patients might suit a different type of intervention,” Mr Griffiths explained.
“I’m very grateful for this New Investigator Grant, and have realised now, just stepping into research, what it’s like and how the funding can be the result of generous donations, and have developed a new sense of gratitude for research and the people that do donate for researchers.”
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.
– Dr Engel, TPCHF Research Manager
Mr Griffiths says this has well and truly opened the door to the future he wants as a researcher, and possibly even one day becoming a lecturer, guiding the next generation of researchers.
“At the start of 2025, I had set myself the goal of getting into a PhD afterwards, and this experience very much helps with that PhD scholarship application, and allows me to see the future that I might have in research. It has made me see the potential, rather than just stepping out into a big, open field of research after graduating, which was quite daunting. It’s now made me feel a lot more confident in myself and in the team supporting me.”
This progression reflects the intent of the Foundation’s Researcher Pathway, which was established as our commitment to backing researchers at every stage of their careers.
Building on the Foundation’s long-standing New Investigator and Emerging Research Grants, the introduction of PhD Scholarships and Early Career Research Fellowships in 2017 created a continuum of support, guiding those new to research through essential training and skills, and onward to the development of research programs during their PhD and post-doctoral studies.
Each stage of the pathway progressively advances their research career, preparing them to become the next leaders in their field.
In 2024, the pathway was further strengthened with the addition of Mid-Career Research Fellowships, recognising that researchers at this stage benefit from targeted support to maintain momentum, expand collaborations, and lead larger-scale projects.
These fellowships ensure continuity in research careers, enabling researchers to grow their programs, develop leadership skills, and make meaningful contributions to the broader research community.
By offering support across all career stages, the Foundation nurtures talent, reduces attrition, and empowers researchers to achieve their full potential.
“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.
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