Australia wants to emulate the US success story Research!America by setting up the country's first umbrella group for grassroots community advocacy of medical research. Stakeholders in Research Australia held an inaugural meeting last month, securing broad support from research institutes, disease foundations, the pharmaceutical and biotechnology sector and the Australian Stock Exchange (ASX).

The creation of a body to engage the public in setting the scientific agenda follows the federal government's endorsement last year of the Wills report, chaired by Garvan Institute of Medical Research chairman Peter Wills (Nature Med. 5 9; 1999). At the time, Prime Minister John Howard indicated that he was “attracted to how this is done in the US through the Research!America alliance.” Wills told Nature Medicine, “Now I've taken the baton and run with it.” He says although inspired by the “simplicity and power” of the US lobby, the Australian version would be tailored to reflect different political and social realities and would advocate for public health as well as laboratory research.

Since its inception in 1989, Research! America has lobbied congressional members relentlessly, commissioned public opinion polls, funded advertising campaigns and sponsored awards, all to boost research dollars. Its muscle has been recognized by the Wall Street Journal, which reported, “the driving force behind the huge 15% increase in the NIH budget to US$15.6 billion (in 1998) was an umbrella organization called Research! America.” Wills believes corporate philanthropy and government spending will increase in response to the enthusiasm of ordinary Australians, with polls already showing 80% of people want to hear more about medical research.

The ASX wants to play a lead part in encouraging the diversion of some corporate sponsorship dollars from sport and the arts to medical research, says Michael Roche of ASX. It will offer seed funding to Research Australia, whose initial operating budget is estimated at A$500,000 (US$290,000).

The Australian Society for Medical Research backs the new group, pledging that far from the prospect of a ‘turf war’, its members look forward to benefiting from a broadening of the base of political and corporate support for medical research. “At this point there's plenty of people within the research sector who are active, but the public hasn't been involved, and that's the key distinction,” says ASMR board member Peter Schofield. A business plan for Research Australia will be drawn up by August, with a formal launch later in the year.