In 2011 the Menzies Research Institute Tasmania faced funding cuts that would potentially see the loss of 150 medical research jobs and around 50 per cent ($10 million) of its current budget each year.
The Federal Government was poised to severely cut existing funding from $715 million to $400 million over the next three years in the May 2011 Budget. The country's medical researchers were already stretched to breaking point.
In 2010, 70 per cent of project funding applications received by the NHMRC were deemed worthy of funding, yet for every project they were able to support, two were rejected. It's not surprising then that if the cuts went ahead, many of Menzies' critical research projects would be slowed or completely abandoned as a consequence.
Tasmanians and Australians would be denied the benefits of research-driven improvements in the treatment and prevention of the nation's biggest disease challenges.
This would mean people living with diseases such as cancer, heart disease, diabetes, arthritis, asthma, dementia, Alzheimer's and multiple sclerosis would face the loss of vital research that could potentially save their lives.
Further, Menzies would no longer have the capacity to teach PhD research students and it would force some of Tasmania's best scientists to pursue career opportunities overseas.