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Informing Vaccination Strategies For Pregnant Women Through Linked Population Health Data
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$318,768.00
Summary
Vaccination during pregnancy has health benefits for mothers and their infants; however, it is a relatively new area of research, and the immediate and long-term consequences for children are currently not well understood. As part of this fellowship, I plan to conduct research into the long-term health impacts of vaccination during pregnancy. This fellowship will build my career as a perinatal epidemiologist and establish expertise in Australia related to vaccines given during pregnancy.
Links2HealthierBubs: Influenza And Pertussis Vaccine Effectiveness And Safety In Pregnancy
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$676,333.00
Summary
Vaccination during pregnancy can offer protection against severe respiratory disease for infants in the first six months of life. For this reason, influenza and pertussis vaccines are routinely recommended during each pregnancy. Unfortunately, little is known about the ‘real world’ effect of both vaccines. We plan to conduct the largest and most comprehensive study to date to evaluate all vaccines routinely recommended in pregnancy in Australia.
Diseases caused by the pneumococcus represent the largest cause of vaccine preventable death in the world today, mainly pneumonia and meningitis. In 2011, 16 developing countries will introduce pneumococcal conjugate vaccines, none in east Asia. Lack of research has been a major barrier to their use in the region. We have established an international centre of excellence in the field and we seek support to extend the capacity of this group and to transfer the technology to Vietnam.
Impact Of DTP Schedules On The Immunogenicity Of 2 Doses Of 13v-PCV Followed By An Early Booster
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$2,651,687.00
Summary
This project aims to come up with a vaccination schedule to make pneumococcal vaccines more effective and affordable for Fiji and other developing countries. We will evaluate schedules involving a 2 dose primary series in early infancy with a booster at 9 months of age. We will compare the immune responses to 3 different primary series and 2 booster options. The results of this project will be used to provide advice, at global and country levels, regarding introduction of pneumococcal vaccines.
Protecting Against Malaria Through Liver-resident Memory T Cells
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$1,196,853.00
Summary
We have shown that formation of liver-resident memory T cells (Trm), a newly discovered type of immune cells, can be induced by an innovative vaccination strategy called prime and trap for highly efficient protection against malaria in mice. Here, we will enhance prime and trap vaccination efficacy by defining the conditions that maximize liver Trm-mediated protection and will characterize simian and human liver Trm cells, paving the way to create the most efficient human malaria vaccine to date
How Do Cross-reactive Memory B Cells Affect Influenza Vaccine Titers?
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$798,049.00
Summary
Influenza vaccines are updated frequently to protect against the highly variable influenza virus. Despite careful selection of vaccine viruses, most influenza vaccines provide only modest protection and protection is poor some years. In turn, the response to vaccination varies between individuals. This probably reflects complex and variable histories of influenza infection and vaccination. The project investigates how past influenza exposure influences vaccine responses and effectiveness.
Vaccination Timeliness In Aboriginal And Non-Aboriginal Infants: Risk Factors For Delayed Vaccination And Impact On Disease Burden—a Record Linkage Study
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$538,183.00
Summary
Vaccination has had a significant impact, but preventable infections continue to occur, perhaps due to delayed uptake of scheduled doses. For the first time, we will link vaccination and other health records to: provide accurate estimates of the impact of vaccination; identify reasons for delayed vaccination; and quantify the expected reduction in disease burden if vaccination timeliness was improved. The study will help determine who would benefit most from efforts to improve timeliness.
Optimising Cervical Screening After The Introduction Of HPV Vaccination In Australia: Modelling Of Outcomes
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$316,089.00
Summary
This research project will aid decision-making about how best to perform cervical screening in Australia after the introduction of vaccination against the human papillomavirus (or HPV). The project will use computer simulation techniques to explore different scenarios for vaccination and screening and to determine the optimal approach. This project involves a group of international collaborators with expertise in a number of areas including cancer epidemiology, screening for cancer, and computer ....This research project will aid decision-making about how best to perform cervical screening in Australia after the introduction of vaccination against the human papillomavirus (or HPV). The project will use computer simulation techniques to explore different scenarios for vaccination and screening and to determine the optimal approach. This project involves a group of international collaborators with expertise in a number of areas including cancer epidemiology, screening for cancer, and computer simulation methods. HPV is the virus responsible for the development of cervical cancer, and clinical trials have demonstrated that HPV vaccines administered to adoloescent girls are very effective at preventing disease that might have led to cancer in the future. However, Australia currently has a very effective Pap smear screening program, and in the first phase after the introduction of vaccination it will be important for women to continue being screened as usual. In the long term, HPV vaccination is expected to reduce the need for Pap smears. The research will involve a very detailed simulation of how HPV is transmitted in the Australian population, and how this will change after vaccination. The simulation will address questions of importance for any future public HPV vaccination program, such as whether males should be vaccinated as well as females. The simulation will also be used to determine the optimal starting age and frequency of Pap smears in the future. The outcomes of the research will be very important for policy-makers. In the long term, this research will ensure that the best recommendations are formulated for the timing and frequency of Pap smears after HPV vaccination is introduced.Read moreRead less
Modelling The Effects Of Immunity On Influenza Transmission - Implications For Prevention And Vaccine Development
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$275,767.00
Summary
There is uncertainty about how many people can be infected by a single person with influenza at the start of an outbreak. Some data suggest that a single generation of transmission can infect 10-20 other people. With such a rate of growth (ie 10-20 fold every 3 days) the spread of an influenza outbreak is virtually unstoppable. Other data suggest that each person with influenza infects less than 2 other people on average. With such a lower rate of growth, control would be more feasible. Our proj ....There is uncertainty about how many people can be infected by a single person with influenza at the start of an outbreak. Some data suggest that a single generation of transmission can infect 10-20 other people. With such a rate of growth (ie 10-20 fold every 3 days) the spread of an influenza outbreak is virtually unstoppable. Other data suggest that each person with influenza infects less than 2 other people on average. With such a lower rate of growth, control would be more feasible. Our project will use data from historic and contemporary outbreaks of influenza and build mathematical models to explain the rate of growth of an influenza outbreak in terms of: 1. The proportion of people exposed to influenza who do not become ill (although there can be evidence of infection if careful studies are made). This proportion is about 33%. 2. The proportion of people who are protected from influenza by immunity, whether induced by vaccination or by past exposure to natural influenza infection (this can vary from 0% in isolated populations which have not seen influenza for many years up to 80 or 90% in urbanised populations that are exposed to influenza almost every season). 3. Different rates of contact between different people and groups of people - some may be exposed so often that their immunity is boosted regularly without them becoming severely ill; others, living in more isolated circumstances, may be rarely exposed, but when they are, they are more likely to become severely ill. 4. The effects of influenza vaccine in inducing protective immunity - it is well known that there is good protection if the vaccine is well matched to the circulating virus. 5. The effects of live virus infection in inducing (short-lived) protection against a wider range of influenza viruses. Our model results will be used to guide vaccine design and pandemic planning.Read moreRead less