MEDIA RELEASE
1st September 2017
The National Foundation for Medical Research and Innovation (NFMRI) and Equity Trustees have announced a new partnership providing $1.29 million to advance medical innovations in the area of Alzheimer’s disease and cancer.
Equity Trustees has directed the combined resources of 24 philanthropic trusts to form a new Partnership Program which will inject more than $3m over three years to health and medical research. Other partners include the Mater Foundation and Monash Partners.
NFMRI CEO, Dr Noel Chambers said “I am proud NFMRI was selected as a partner following Equity Trustees’ robust selection and review process. NFMRI has worked hard to develop a unique capability and capacity to help advance medical research towards the development of new innovations including medicines, diagnostics, vaccines, devices and biologicals.”
Australia is recognised internationally to be at the forefront of medical research and this partnership includes around $600K per annum from the Mason Foundation to advance research focused on Alzheimer’s disease.
With an ageing population, research into Alzheimer’s disease is of increasing importance affecting about one in ten people over 65 years, and almost one quarter of people over the age of 85.
Jodi Kennedy, General Manager of Charitable Trusts and Philanthropy at Equity Trustees said “We sought groups that have a strong focus on innovation and collaboration beyond funding, provide additional support in applying knowledge and networks to researchers to advance their careers. NFMRI is recognised as a leader, building collaborations to support medical research and translation that will provide health benefits internationally. We look forward to sharing the learnings from the process with our clients and the broader sector.”
Applications for the 2017 Mason Foundation grant round are being managed by Equity Trustees and have recently closed.
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About NFMRI
Founded in 1977, NFMRI’s primary objective is to support innovative areas of research to help benefit mankind through the prevention or eradication of diseases. By focusing on advancing innovations and enabling collaborations, the Foundation aims to address the critical gaps that prevent industry uptake to bring diagnostics, devices, vaccines, tools and medicines into the hands of those in need in the community. The Foundation seeks to partner with researchers and donors to identify, evaluate and support innovative quality research projects with identified impact objectives. NFMRI’s culture is one where we look to make a social investment in medical research. By partnering with funders and researchers to provide support and knowledge, we aim to maximise the social returns from our grants.
About Equity Trustees
Equity Trustees was established in 1888 for the purpose of providing independent and impartial Trustee and Executor services to help families throughout Australia protect their wealth. As Australia’s leading specialist trustee company, we offer a diverse range of services to individuals, families and corporate clients including asset management, estate planning, philanthropic services and Responsible Entity (RE) services for fund managers.
Philanthropy services are provided by Equity Trustees Limited and Equity Trustee Wealth Services Limited, which are both subsidiary companies of EQT Holdings Limited, a public company listed on the Australian Securities Exchange (ASX: EQT).
Join the conversation at NFMRI’s third annual conference, “Philanthropy: Creating Impact and Dancing with Elephants”. The conference will take place on the 21st and 22nd of November 2017 at the Australian National Maritime Museum in Sydney.
