Objectives

• Build capacity, foster excellence and attract increased investment in complementary medicine research.
• Articulate national priorities in basic and translational research and promote national and international collaborations to support these, including between complementary and mainstream health and medical research.
• Facilitate translation of research effort into practice and policy, including appropriate integration with the mainstream health system.
• Work with national and international partners to identify and develop sources of accurate information and efficient mechanisms for sharing data and disseminating information about current research activity and evidence of safety, quality and efficacy of complementary medicine.
• Provide advice on opportunities relevant to and issues affecting the complementary medicine research sector to build a policy, regulatory and industry environment conducive to research.
• Collect data and communicate the strength and value of complementary medicine research.

Priorities

NICM will focus on supporting research that:

• Has the potential to impact positively on the health and wellbeing of all Australians. Emphasis will be given to those areas of high burden of disease where preliminary evidence is strong and demonstrates likelihood of positive impact.
• Elucidates safety, efficacy and cost effectiveness of complementary medicine and translates this into policy and practice.
• Investigates methodological issues relevant to the complex nature of complementary medicine. These include the development of methodological tools, such as measurement instruments, trial designs and pharmacological approaches which may impact on our understanding of the whole practice, concepts and mechanisms underpinning complementary medicine.

These higher level priorities are being translated into a workable five year plan to help better concentrate research effort both within the NICM Collaborative Centres and across the field more generally.  For more information visit Major Projects section on this site.

Content Updated January 2009