An Australian charity dedicated to advancing nursing and midwifery care has launched its research grants program worth $150,000.
The Rosemary Bryant Foundation’s inaugural grants aim to improve nursing and midwifery care and develop the next generation of nursing and midwifery researchers.
The Foundation’s namesake Dr Rosemary Bryant AO, Australia’s first Commonwealth Chief Nurse and Midwifery Officer and a renowned Australian champion of the nursing profession, strongly believes the grants program will play a critical role in providing better nursing and midwifery care.
“These Rosemary Bryant Foundation grants will accelerate research discoveries that will ultimately lead to improvements in the care nurses and midwives provide to the community,” Dr Bryant says.
Dr Bryant says the research grants are being offered across three tiers to ensure funding is available to a range of different sized projects and researchers at varying stages of their careers.
“The work of the Rosemary Bryant Foundation is essential to developing the careers of existing researchers and encouraging new people into the field of nursing and midwifery research,” she says.
A key focus for projects funded by the Rosemary Bryant Foundation is collaboration between nurses/midwives and the researchers.
“Projects linking researchers directly with those at the bedside means the research is relevant and able to be applied quickly into practice.”
The Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation’s Federal Secretary, Annie Butler agrees actively engaging nurses and midwives in the research process will have the greatest impact on improving care.
“Nurses and midwives can rapidly and accurately recognise issues in the delivery of care—they have a wealth of knowledge on approaches and strategies that can improve clinical practice and health consumer outcomes,” Ms Butler says
She says it is widely recognised that safe, effective, affordable, appropriate, and efficient healthcare needs to be underpinned by rigorous research evidence and high-quality data.
Nurses and midwives account for the greatest proportion of the nation’s healthcare workforce with over 390,000 nurses and midwives in Australia. As such, they are uniquely positioned to have a profound impact on the health and wellbeing of a significant number of Australians.
“We are grateful for the support of organisations like the Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation (SA Branch), who have helped made these grants a reality,” Dr Bryant says.
“The contribution of nursing and midwifery research to the health of our communities is considerable and must be supported to grow,” she says.
ANMF (SA Branch) CEO/Secretary Adj Associate Professor Elizabeth Dabars AM warmly welcomed the launch of the national nursing and midwifery charity’s inaugural grants program.
“Having been instrumental in the establishment of the Rosemary Bryant Foundation last year, the ANMF (SA Branch) is thrilled that the charity is now able to fund research projects that will positively impact on care and practice.”
“We look forward to supporting the Foundation to grow and deliver even greater benefits to nursing and midwifery practice well into the future.”
The $150,000 pool of funding for the Rosemary Bryant Foundation research grants will be made available over two rounds in 2019. First-round applications close on 29 March and will be evaluated by a Grants Committee of leading research and industry experts.
People can learn more and apply for funding by visiting www.rbf.org.au or by emailing info@rbf.org.au
Media Contact: Claire Dollard, Foundation Manager: 0438 473 702 | info@rbf.org.au
