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Funding callPublic health and epidemiology · Australia

MRFF 2026 Improving Health Interventions and Services through Implementation Research (GO8671)

The MRFF 2026 Improving Health Interventions and Services through Implementation Research grant opportunity (GO8671) offers up to $20 million for early-stage pilot implementation studies through an incubator stream and for larger targeted implementation research projects. This guide covers suitable research areas, eligibility and readiness checks, what assessment panels typically value and how to plan a competitive application.

Pubrica InsightsEditorial team, reviewed by a subject specialist
Next deadline
3 March 2027
Last checked
10 November 2026
Funder
Medical Research Future Fund (administered by NHMRC)
Sources
1
Apply through the official call

Key dates

Application deadline
3 March 2027
Details last checked
10 November 2026
Apply through the official call

About the call

Funder
Medical Research Future Fund (administered by NHMRC)
Country
Australia
Scheme type
Project grant
Funding
Up to $20 million
Eligibility
Approved MRFF Eligible Organisations may apply for early-stage pilot implementation studies (incubator stream) or larger targeted implementation research projects.
Scope
Public health and epidemiology

Topics consistent with the call

  • Pilot studies testing strategies to implement evidence-based interventions
  • Implementation research on scaling effective programmes across health services
  • Studies of barriers and enablers to adopting new models of care
  • Hybrid effectiveness–implementation designs in clinical and community settings
  • Sustainability and de-implementation of low-value health care practices
  • Implementation research in primary care and population health programmes

Based on the published scope; the official page sets out the full themes and requirements.

Is your work a fit? Check before you apply

  1. Confirm that your administering institution is an approved MRFF Eligible Organisation.
  2. Decide whether your project suits the incubator stream or the targeted implementation research stream.
  3. Check that an implementation science framework and relevant outcomes underpin the design.
  4. Secure partnerships with the services or organisations that will implement the intervention.
  5. Prepare a complete, institutionally approved application before the 3 March 2027 deadline.

Why This Funding Call Matters

Many effective interventions fail to deliver their expected benefit because they are not adopted, delivered as intended or sustained in practice. Implementation research addresses this by studying the strategies that help services take up and maintain evidence-based care. By offering both an incubator stream for early pilots and a stream for larger targeted projects, this opportunity supports teams at different stages, from testing a promising implementation strategy to evaluating it across multiple sites.

Who Should Apply

Academic backgrounds

  • Implementation science
  • Health services research
  • Public health
  • Primary care
  • Nursing and allied health

Institutions and sectors

  • Universities and medical research institutes
  • Hospitals and local health networks
  • Primary health networks and community health services

What Reviewers Typically Value

  1. Use of an established implementation framework to guide design and evaluation.
  2. Implementation outcomes such as adoption, fidelity, reach and sustainability.
  3. Strong partnerships with the services that will deliver and sustain the change.
  4. A clear progression from pilot evidence to larger-scale implementation.

Ideas You Could Develop

Incubator pilot in primary careA pilot study testing a practice facilitation strategy to increase uptake of a cardiovascular risk assessment tool in general practice.
Scaling a falls prevention programmeA hybrid design evaluating implementation strategies for an evidence-based falls prevention programme across several health districts.
De-implementing low-value imagingA targeted project testing audit and feedback to reduce unnecessary imaging for low back pain in emergency departments.

Your Plan to the Deadline

A suggested schedule working back from 3 March 2027. Adjust it to the stage your work has reached.

  1. By 6 Jan 2027

    Read the call documents; confirm eligibility, budget limits, assessment criteria and institutional requirements.

  2. By 20 Jan 2027

    Agree the research question, aims, team and partners; contact your research office.

  3. By 3 Feb 2027

    Draft the case for support, methods, impact and budget.

  4. By 17 Feb 2027

    Obtain internal review, letters of support and institutional sign-off.

  5. By 26 Feb 2027

    Final checks against the funder’s guidance and formatting rules.

  6. By 3 Mar 2027

    Submit through the funder’s system before the deadline.

What you gain

  • Funding for the research, team and resources it needs.
  • Recognition from a competitive, peer-reviewed process.
  • Reviewer feedback that strengthens future applications.
  • A track record for larger grants and fellowships.

What happens after you apply

  1. Eligibility check: the funder confirms the application meets the call rules.
  2. Peer review: external reviewers assess the proposal against the published criteria.
  3. Panel: a committee ranks proposals; some schemes include an interview.
  4. Decision: outcomes are released on the funder’s timetable.
  5. Award: successful applicants agree terms and reporting requirements before starting.

What the Funder Are Looking For

The opportunity seeks implementation research that improves how health interventions and services are delivered. It offers an incubator stream for early-stage pilot implementation studies and a stream for larger targeted projects. Strong applications typically draw on implementation science, measure implementation outcomes, involve the organisations that will deliver the intervention and show a path to sustained impact. Applicants should confirm stream requirements and funding limits in the grant opportunity guidelines.

Read the official pageThis guide summarises the opportunity. Confirm deadlines, eligibility and requirements on the official page before you plan your work, and record the date you checked it.Open the official page

Expert help

How Pubrica Can Help

Pubrica’s subject specialists can help you prepare a competitive proposal, planned back from the deadline. You remain the author of your work.

Grant writingProposal writing structured to the funder’s guidance and assessment criteria. Literature review and gap analysisThe evidence base and the gap your proposal addresses. Study designStudy design and methods that reviewers can assess. Statistical analysis planSample size and analysis plans for the proposal. Data management planData management and sharing plans to funder requirements. Proposal editingEditing of the full proposal for clarity and consistency.
Go to the official page

FAQs

Questions Researchers Ask

The next published deadline is 3 March 2027. Dates can change, so confirm them on the official page before you plan your work.

The incubator stream is described as supporting early-stage pilot implementation studies, so it is likely to suit a first test of an implementation strategy. Check the grant opportunity guidelines on the NHMRC website to confirm eligibility, funding limits and requirements for each stream.

Approved MRFF Eligible Organisations may apply for early-stage pilot implementation studies (incubator stream) or larger targeted implementation research projects. Confirm the full eligibility rules in the call documents.

Yes. Pubrica’s specialists can review, write, edit and format your proposal. You remain the author and the person responsible for the submission.

Sources

  1. Medical Research Future Fund (administered by NHMRC). (2026). MRFF 2026 Improving Health Interventions and Services through Implementation Research (GO8671). Retrieved 10 November 2026, from https://www.nhmrc.gov.au/funding/find-funding/mrff-2026-improving-health-interventions-and-services-through-implementation-research-grant-opportunity-go8671

How to cite this page

Pubrica Insights. (2026). MRFF 2026 Improving Health Interventions and Services through Implementation Research (GO8671). Pubrica. https://pubrica.com/insights/calls-and-conferences/mrff-2026-improving-health-interventions-and-services-through-implemen/

  • MRFF
  • Implementation research
  • Health services
  • Pilot studies
  • Australia

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MRFF 2026 Improving Health Interventions and Services through Implementation Research (GO8671)Next deadline 3 March 2027

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