New Burnet funding for early-career research projects

Two exciting and diverse global health projects — to improve the quality of newborn care in Lao PDR; and develop a youth-led platform for climate research and action in the Philippines — have been approved for funding from Burnet Institute’s Discovery Innovation Fund (DIF). 

Open to early-career researchers at Burnet, the Discovery Innovation Fund supports early proof of concept or proof of opportunity ideation stages for projects with potential for high translational impact. 

This may include addressing an unmet need within community to change the way healthcare is managed or the rollout of healthcare, or to develop a new medicine or product. 

The Discovery Innovation Fund will support Dr Marie Habito’s project to establish a youth-led platform for climate and health research and action in the Philippines, one of the most at-risk countries globally for natural disasters. 

“More than 31 million adolescents living in the Philippines experience multiple climate extremes every year, and face heightened risk of adverse health and social impacts,” Dr Habito, a postdoctoral researcher in Burnet’s Global Adolescent Health Working Group, said. 

The funding will support the group’s broader plan to establish a network of youth research hubs across the region, complementing activities already underway in Papua New Guinea, Myanmar and Indonesia. 

The second DIF-supported project — led by Dr Sayaka Horiuchi — involves the development of a digital platform to improve the quality of newborn care in Lao PDR.  

Globally 6,500 newborns die every day, 98% of these in low- and middle-income countries, primarily from poor quality of care rather than lack of access to care. 

“The quality of care depends on the clinical skills of the frontline healthcare providers, but there is a big gap in the lack of access to continual training as frequent staff training is often not available,” Dr Horiuchi, research fellow, Global Women’s and Newborns’ Health Group, said. 

“We aim to develop a data management platform to facilitate mobile phone communication during remote supervision, and store data exchanged between providers and facilitators in an organised way, which can then be retrieved and tracked to monitor progress and provide feedback. 

For early-career researchers, the DIF funding process starts with participation in Burnet’s Discovery Innovation Program to facilitate the transformation of research ideas into projects with a defined development pathway. 

“The projects that have been funded have undergone due diligence and been identified as high-value projects with strong potential for impact,” said Dr Carli Roulston, senior manager, Business Development. 

“As a demonstration of our willingness to invest in our own technology, the Discovery Innovation Fund sends a positive signal to potential collaborators about Burnet’s integrity and the steps we’re taking to foster a sustainable culture of innovation.”