Find out everything about Research Grants below

Over 27 years, Spinnaker has funded more than 290 medical research projects, travel grants and PhD scholarships, totalling over more than $6million.

Research funding


Key dates

Please take note of the following key dates for our 2025 grant round in preparation for the conditions and guidelines to be released.

TBC

Expressions of Interest opens

TBC

Expressions of Interest closes

TBC

Shortlisted applicants are invited to submit a full application

TBC

Full application period closes

TBC

All applicants notified of the outcome of their applicants

TBC

Spinnaker Awards Ceremony for successful applicants

Grants

Early Career Research grants are offered to encourage people at the beginning of their career to undertake a research project for the benefit of prevention, diagnosis and/or treatment of health conditions

Download 2024 Grants – Expression of Interest application form below:

Download Application

Archive: Past Grants

2024
2023
2022
2020
2019
2018
2017

From Genomics to Geography: Exploring Drivers of Lung Cancer Treatment and Outcome in Aboriginal and remote populations in Western Australia

CHIEF INVESTIGATOR Dr Andrew Fantoni - Advanced Trainee | Medical Oncology, Fiona Stanley Hospital
GENEROUSLY DONATED BY Fewster Family

 

Does the fitness of the immune system affect how blood cancers respond to effector cell therapies?

CHIEF INVESTIGATOR Dr Collin Chin - Consultant Haematologist, Rockingham General Hospital
GENEROUSLY DONATED BY Rotary Club of Fremantle & Attadale

 

Development of a novel objective method to program middle ear implants to optimise hearing for patients.

CHIEF INVESTIGATOR Dr Marcus Voola - Audiologist, Fiona Stanley Hospital
GENEROUSLY DONATED BY City of Cockburn

 

Pragmatic trial of lifestyle interventions to reduce Group B Strep colonisation in pregnancy

CHIEF INVESTIGATOR Ms Nicole Catalano - Neonatal Research Midwife/ Clinical Midwife, SMHS
GENEROUSLY DONATED BY Stan Perron Charitable Foundation

 

Exploring the benefits of drugs used to treat high cholesterol in breast cancer treatment.

CHIEF INVESTIGATOR Dr Andrew Redfern - Consultant Medical Oncologist, SMHS
GENEROUSLY DONATED BY Fremantle Hospital Ladies Auxilliary

 

LuCape Study: Investigating Combined PSMA-Targeted Radioactive Treatment and Capecitabine Chemotherapy to Improve Advanced Prostate Cancer Care for Men

CHIEF INVESTIGATOR Dr Tom Ferguson - Medical Oncology Consultant, Fiona Stanley Hospital
GENEROUSLY DONATED BY Austal Staff and Company

 

Finding treatment that blocks damaging antibodies for autoimmune muscle disease sufferers.

CHIEF INVESTIGATOR Prof Merrilee Needham - Consultant Neurologist, Fiona Stanley Hospital
GENEROUSLY DONATED BY SMHS Staff Giving

 

Using mushroom extract (Ergothioneine) to protect hearts during transplantation.

CHIEF INVESTIGATOR Dr Warren Pavey - Staff Specialist Anaesthetist, Fiona Stanley Hospital
GENEROUSLY DONATED BY Mr Len and Mrs Fran Mihaljevich & Mr David Clegg

 

Uncovering therapeutic targets in aggressive brain melanoma.

CHIEF INVESTIGATOR Dr Yu Yu - Senior Research Fellow, Curtin University
GENEROUSLY DONATED BY Janine Chalwell Grant for Melanoma Research committee

 

Barry Marshall Travel Award 2023

AWARD RECIPIENT Dr Lisa van der Lee - Physiotherapist, Fiona Stanley Hospital
GENEROUSLY DONATED BY Professor Barry Marshall AC and Mrs Adrienne Marshall & Business Events Perth

 

This travel grant enabled me to attend the Australian and New Zealand Intensive Care/Australian College of Critical Care Nurses ASM “ICU on the Edge”, which was held at the Adelaide Convention Centre on 29th-31st March 2023, to present research entitled “Clinician emotional labour strongly influences early mobilisation of ICU patients with major burns” as a poster. This qualitative study was a Curtin University Physiotherapy Honours student project for which I was the lead/senior supervisor. At the conference I received some positive feedback from multidisciplinary delegates who felt the findings of the study resonated with them and their experiences related to the challenges of managing patients with major burns in ICU.

 

Barry Marshall Travel Award 2023

AWARD RECIPIENT Professor Nina Tirnitz-Parker - Medical Researcher, Curtin University
GENEROUSLY DONATED BY Professor Barry Marshall AC and Mrs Adrienne Marshall & Business Events Perth

 

Barry Marshall Travel Award 2023

AWARD RECIPIENT Dr William Crohan - Doctor (Surgical Registrar), Fiona Stanley Hospital
GENEROUSLY DONATED BY Professor Barry Marshall AC and Mrs Adrienne Marshall & Business Events Perth

 

Between November 6th and 13th, I embarked on a flight to South Korea, to participate in the 2023 Asia Pacific Cochlear Implant Scientific Conference held in Seoul. This expedition marked a significant turning point in my academic journey, providing a global stage to present my Ph.D. research for the first time. Focused on the interplay of mechanical factors impacting hearing preservation and the integration of robotic assistance in cochlear implantation, I sought to learn as much as possible and meet potential research partners, whilst contributing knowledge and a fresh perspective to the discourse on robotic implantation.

 

Nicholas Way Fund for Early Career Research 2023

AWARD RECIPIENT Ms Andrea Lyon - Mental Health Nurse, SMHS/ECU
GENEROUSLY DONATED BY Professor Sue Fletcher AO FAHMS

 

Nicholas Way Fund for Early Career Research 2023

AWARD RECIPIENT Ms Aska Jie Yang - Senior Dietician, Fiona Stanley Hospital
GENEROUSLY DONATED BY Professor Sue Fletcher AO FAHMS

 

Nicholas Way Fund for Early Career Research 2023

AWARD RECIPIENT Ms Sarah Hug - Physiotherapist, Curtin University
GENEROUSLY DONATED BY Professor Sue Fletcher AO FAHMS

 

Spinnaker Health Research Foundation Grant Recipients 2023 pictured from left: Dr Dror Maor, Ms Kathryn Watson, Dr Rodrigo Carlessi, Ms Rebecca Hahn, Ms Sarah Clarke, Dr Duncan Purtill

Predicting liver cancer risk to improve early detection and patient outcomes

CHIEF INVESTIGATOR Dr Rodrigo Carlessi - Research Fellow, Curtin University
GENEROUSLY DONATED BY Mr Len and Mrs Fran Mihaljevich & Mr David Clegg

 

Development of a new blood test to identify high risk multiple myeloma

CHIEF INVESTIGATOR Ms Sarah Clarke - Medical Scientist – PathWest, Fiona Stanley Hospital
GENEROUSLY DONATED BY Austal Company and Staff

 

Improving bone mineral density estimation from DXA scans of the forearm using AI techniques - facilitating early screening for osteoporosis

CHIEF INVESTIGATOR Dr Ashu Gupta - Medical Oncology Consultant, Fiona Stanley Hospital
GENEROUSLY DONATED BY Fremantle Hospital Ladies Auxiliary

 

A new method of detecting whether medications used in heart failure patients can damage the heart itself

CHIEF INVESTIGATOR Ms Rebecca Hahn - Cardiothoracic Research Nurse, Fiona Stanley Hospital
GENEROUSLY DONATED BY Fewster Family

 

Improving outcomes for patients with myelofibrosis receiving bone marrow transplant treatment

CHIEF INVESTIGATOR Dr Duncan Purtill - Consultant Physiologist (Haematology), Fiona Stanley Hospital
GENEROUSLY DONATED BY The Rotary Club of Fremantle and Attadale

 

Use finger-prick testing to check blood levels of methotrexate of patients with rheumatoid arthritis

CHIEF INVESTIGATOR Dr Chanakya Sharma - Consultant (Rheumatology), Fiona Stanley Hospital
GENEROUSLY DONATED BY The City of Cockburn

 

Comprehensive Understanding of the effects of inflammation during Pregnancy and early life on Infant immune Development (CUPID) study

CHIEF INVESTIGATOR Prof Shailender Mehta - Consultant Paediatric Neonatologist, Fiona Stanley Hospital
GENEROUSLY DONATED BY The Stan Perron Charitable Foundation

 

Barry Marshall Travel Award 2022

AWARD RECIPIENT Ms Kathryn Watson - Physiotherapist, Fiona Stanley Hospital
GENEROUSLY DONATED BY Professor Barry Marshall AC and Mrs Adrienne Marshall & Business Events Perth

 

Nicholas Way Fund For Early Career Research

AWARD RECIPIENT Dr Tess Evans - Advanced Trainee Registrar (ICU), Fiona Stanley Hospital
GENEROUSLY DONATED BY Professor Sue Fletcher AO FAHMS

 

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