Project Grants
Eligibility and Definition
The ARA Research Fund provides funding for several Project Grants each year. Larger amounts of funding are available for substantial projects which are generally undertaken by experienced researchers to generate important results on their own or to improve the likelihood of achieving government funding.
Value
Up to $75,000
Awarded
Annually
Application Process
Past Recipients
2025
| Recipient | Project |
|---|---|
| Jessica Day | IBM Biomarker Discovery |
| Annabelle Small |
Acquired mutations as the link between rheumatoid arthritis and cardiovascular disease |
| Laura Ross |
Prucalopride for Treatment of Systemic Sclerosis Gastrointestinal Dysmotility |
2024
| Recipient | Project |
|---|---|
| Romi Haas | Living clinical practice guidelines for management of rotator cuff related shoulder pain: Priority questions |
| Elina Hypponen |
Machine learning to predict and prevent rheumatoid arthritis |
| Christopher Little |
Does mild joint injury and how its managed, increase risk of |
| Claire Owen | Utility of 18F-FDG Whole Body PET/CT To Quantify Disease Activity and Monitor Treatment Response in PMR |
2023
| Recipient | Project | Further details |
|---|---|---|
| Danielle Berkovic | Consumer-focused opportunities for reducing low-value care for arthritis | |
| Rachel Black | A Randomised Trial of a Novel Glucocorticoid Tapering Clinic for Rheumatology Patients | Consumer Report |
| Alberta Hoi | Effects of temporal withholding of mycophenolate in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus | |
| Angus Stock | Stopping blood vessel remodelling in vasculitis | Final Report |
2022
| Recipient | Project | Further details |
|---|---|---|
| Zhixiu Li |
Identification of biomarkers in ankylosing spondylitis |
|
| Katherine Martin | Targeting a novel pathogenic neutrophil subset in SLE | |
| Claire Owen | Prospective Validation of 18F-FDG Whole Body PET/CT as a Diagnostic Test for Polymyalgia Rheumatica |
|
| Susanna Proudman | Defining independence in the context of remission from the patient perspective: A qualitative study | |
| Jeanette Thom | Creaky knees and exercise beliefs and participation. A mixed-methods study | |
| Ranjeny Thomas | Linking the presence of live ileal-derived bacteria in the joint as a triggering factor for the development of spondyloarthropathy | |
| Bill Vicenzino | A combined program of education and exercise versus general advice for ankle osteoarthritis: A feasibility randomised controlled trial |
2021
| Nicola Burton | Wellbeing and healthy lifestyle program for people with rheumatoid arthritis | |
| Timothy Davis | The effect of sodium-glucose transport protein 2 inhibitor and fibrate therapies, alone and in combination, on the serum uric acid concentration in hyperuricaemic people with type 2 diabetes | |
| Richard Day | Effect of self-monitoring urate levels of adherence to allopurinol | |
| Sultana Monira Hussain | Topical corticosteroid and hand osteoarthritis | |
| Helen Keen | Home based Education & Learning Program for Gout (HelpGout) | |
|
Kathleen Morrisroe |
Quantifying the occupational exposure to crystalline silica in systemic sclerosis: A multi-centre Australian cohort study |
|
| Johannes Nossent | Defining the burden of disease for Juvenile Arthritis in Western Australia- a longitudinal Population- based cohort study | |
| Meghna Talekar | Translating Targeted oral therapies for autoimmune diseases | |
| Meilang Xue | Association of EPCR gene polymorphism with rheumatoid arthritis |
2020
| Recipient | Project |
|---|---|
| Yingyu Feng | Improving health outcomes through appropriate care: An Investigation of the Variations in Knee Replacement for People with Osteoarthritis in Australia |
| Tiffany Gill | Sleep, pain and physical activity |
| Catherine Hill | Development of a patient reported outcome measure (prom) for glucocorticoid impact in rheumatic diseases |
| Helen Keen | The epidemiology and longitudinal population-based outcomes with respect to gout in a Western Australian population based sample |
| Luke Kelly |
A multi-system approach to understand painful midfoot osteoarthritis |
| Marissa Lassere | Treatment outcomes by gut microbiome shotgun metagenomic profiles in patients with rheumatoid arthritis |
| Ross Penglase | Immune reconstitution following Autologous Haematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation for Systemic Sclerosis (Scleroderma) |
| Jenny Setchell | Improving delivery of the biopsychosocial approach: enhancing low back pain healthcare practice |
2019
| Recipient | Project |
|---|---|
| Mandy Nikpour | Cardiac fibrosis in systemic sclerosis |
| Johannes Nossent | The risk and consequences of vertebral fractures for patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis and Ankylosing Spondylitis in Western Australia |
2018
| Recipient | Project |
|---|---|
| Helen Keen |
Community perceptions of rheumatoid arthritis pharmacotherapy: an analysis of social media platforms |
|
Eliza Pontifex |
Perception of pain in psoriatic arthritis |
| Sudha Raghunath |
Cognitive dysfunction in SLE |
| Linda Rehaume |
The relationship of IL-23 and the microbiota in the development of spondyloarthritis in SKG mice |
| Premarani Sinnathurai |
Adipokines: a link between obesity and psoriatic arthritis
|
2017
| Recipient | Project |
|---|---|
| Catherine Hill |
A randomised clinical trial of colchicine in inflammatory hand osteoarthritis |
| Johannes Nossent |
Investigating SLE in Western Australia |
| Ian Wicks |
Exploring GM-CSF as a regulator and therapeutic target in vasculitis |
2016
| Recipient | Project |
|---|---|
| Linda Rehaume |
Modification of the microbiome to protect against spondyloarthropathy in SKG mice |
| Tom Walsh |
Is a change in body composition and adipokines associated with foot pain? |
For information on recipients of ARA Research Fund grants prior to 2016, please contact the ARA Research Fund Secretariat ara@rheumatology.org.au
Funding Guidelines
Within three months of completion of the project for which ARA Research Fund donations were awarded, the successful applicant will be required to submit a written report in layman’s terms about the project (for publication) as well as a full scientific report to Arthritis Australia (AA) and to the Australian Rheumatology Association (ARA). The ARA should also receive a copy of any publications resulting from this work. The ARA Research Fund must be acknowledged on any publication related to the funded work and oral presentations and/or posters should include the ARA Research Fund logo, where feasible.