The Australian Research Data Commons (ARDC) invites you to participate in a short survey about your
interaction with the ARDC and use of our national research infrastructure and services. The survey will take
approximately 5 minutes and is anonymous. It’s open to anyone who uses our digital research infrastructure
services including Reasearch Link Australia.
We will use the information you provide to improve the national research infrastructure and services we
deliver and to report on user satisfaction to the Australian Government’s National Collaborative Research
Infrastructure Strategy (NCRIS) program.
Please take a few minutes to provide your input. The survey closes COB Friday 29 May 2026.
Complete the 5 min survey now by clicking on the link below.
Access To Paid Parental Leave And The Health Of Young Mothers
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$582,235.00
Summary
The Government’s Paid Parental Leave (PPL) scheme, which aims to improve workforce participation and maternal and infant health, is particularly significant for young mothers who were unlikely to have had access to paid leave previously. An intervention, implemented at the Royal Women’s Hospital in Melbourne, will provide information to young mothers and help them apply for PPL and will be evaluated in terms of its impact on workforce participation and maternal and infant health.
Improving Mental Health Screening For Aboriginal And Torres Strait Islander Pregnant Women And Mothers Of Young Children
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$1,369,612.00
Summary
Mental health during and after pregnancy is important for the well-being of mother and infant. Unfortunately Aboriginal women in remote Australia have high levels of anxiety and depression, which can have significant short and long-term impacts on both mother and child. Currently these issues are often not identified and if identified services may not feel equipped to address them. This study aims to improve screening for, and contribute to addressing, perinatal mental health issues.
Preconception Predictors Of Health, Behaviour And Emotional Adjustment At Seven Years
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$1,170,830.00
Summary
An understanding of the importance of a healthy start to life has underpinned major health policies including Australia’s National Agenda for Early Childhood. The capacity of parents to provide that healthy start has received little study. The present project investigates the extent to which parental lifestyle, social and emotional adjustment prior to conception predictor emotional problems, disruptive behaviour and health in their children at seven years.
Impact Of An Infant Sleep Intervention On Infant Sleep And Maternal Wellbeing: A Cluster Controlled Trial
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$205,500.00
Summary
Infant sleep problems and postnatal depression are common in the Australian community. Over a third of Australians report a problem with their infant's sleep in the second six months of life whilst 10-15% of Australian women will experience an episode of depression in the first year after their child is born. Both infant sleep problems and postnatal depression have been associated with serious outcomes including child abuse, child behaviour problems, maternal physical and emotional problems, fam ....Infant sleep problems and postnatal depression are common in the Australian community. Over a third of Australians report a problem with their infant's sleep in the second six months of life whilst 10-15% of Australian women will experience an episode of depression in the first year after their child is born. Both infant sleep problems and postnatal depression have been associated with serious outcomes including child abuse, child behaviour problems, maternal physical and emotional problems, family stress and family breakdown. This study builds on previous work conducted by researchers at the Centre for Community Child Health, Royal Children's Hospital, Melbourne. In this work, a brief behavioural intervention significantly decreased infant sleep problems and symptoms of maternal depression, particularly for depressed mothers. The intervention consisted of controlled crying and removal of sleep associations such as a dummy which the infant had become dependent upon to fall asleep. Mothers who received the intervention reported 20% fewer sleep problems and a 45% reduction in depression symptoms compared with mothers who did not receive the intervention. The interention also improved maternal sleep quality and quantity and reduced the need for professional sleep services. It was acceptable to mothers, of low cost and was minimally disruptive to families - in contrast to many current strategies directed primarily at postnatal depression. This trial aims to determine whther a similar intervention delivered by Victorian Maternal and Child health nurses within their usual practice settings can replicate these important benefits.Read moreRead less
Turning Points: Breaking Intergenerational Cycles Of Intimate Partner Abuse And Social Adversity
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$1,328,354.00
Summary
Intimate partner abuse (IPA) is estimated to affect one in four women at some stage in their lives, and to impact on the lives of at least one million Australian children annually. This study will investigate the extent to which exposure to intimate partner abuse during pregnancy and in the first 12 months postpartum predicts child outcomes in middle childhood. The study will provide foundations for better targeting and tailoring of early intervention strategies to support children at risk of ad ....Intimate partner abuse (IPA) is estimated to affect one in four women at some stage in their lives, and to impact on the lives of at least one million Australian children annually. This study will investigate the extent to which exposure to intimate partner abuse during pregnancy and in the first 12 months postpartum predicts child outcomes in middle childhood. The study will provide foundations for better targeting and tailoring of early intervention strategies to support children at risk of adverse outcomes.Read moreRead less
Development Of Gatekeeper Training To Improve The Capacity Of Aboriginal And Torres Strait Islander Communities To Prevent Youth Suicide
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$1,178,077.00
Summary
This project aims to develop and evaluate suicide gatekeeper training courses for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities and for non-Aboriginal frontline workers, which will empower them to take action to reduce the risk of suicide and self-injury in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander youth.
Nanomedicine Targeted Delivery Of Therapeutics To The Placenta To Treat Preeclampsia
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$513,148.00
Summary
Preeclampsia, one of the most serious complications of pregnancy, affects around 3-8% of all pregnancies. Sadly, there is no treatment. We have developed a new technique to deliver treatments only to the placenta, sparing the mother and baby from side effects. We will test whether this technique can treat the source of preeclampsia, the placenta, in human and mouse models in our laboratory. This work has potential to offer possibilities of new treatments to other pregnancy complications.
This project will substantially improve our understanding of the potential causes of vascular complications of pregnancy including preeclampsia, and provide a solid foundation to develop new clinical interventions for women who develop this disease during their pregnancy. It will also investigate if a peptide hormone, relaxin, could be an effective treatment to manage the health of women diagnosed with preeclampsia during their pregnancy and prevent delivery of severely premature infants.
Improving The Management Of Diabetes In Pregnancy In Remote Australia
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$2,117,449.00
Summary
This study aims to optimise the management of diabetes in pregnancy (both gestational diabetes and pre-existing type 2 diabetes) and post-partum follow-up of these high risk women in order to reduce the risk of future chronic disease among women and their children. The proposal involves scale-up of successful initiatives that we have developed as part of the NT DIP Partnership, scale-up within the Northern Territory (NT) and to Far North Queensland (FNQ).
Diseases of the 21st century are complex with environmental and genetic causes. At the interface of these is Epigenetics - factors not specified by DNA sequence that control genes. Recent data show much of the risk associated with disease is set early in life, even during the time in the womb. The MCRI CDDE laboratory has assembled teams of researchers of diverse expertise investigating epigenetics of human development and complex disease to hopefully prevent or reverse them early in life.