The Northern Territory has world-class research capabilities in tropical and Aboriginal health led by the Menzies School of Health Research, which is headquartered in Darwin and maintains a presence throughout the Territory, interstate and in neighbouring countries. Ensuring the world knows about the capability of Charles Darwin University (CDU) and Menzies will have flow-on impacts for world rankings, and its ability to attract international students.

Menzies, Royal Darwin Hospital, Darwin Private Hospital, Top End Health Service, Flinders Medical School and the smaller health and medical research institutes, create a critical mass of research and employment opportunities that has attracted medical researchers and medical professionals.

Strengthening and formalising the relationships between research bodies and funding entities has the potential to lead to rapid growth in these medical research fields.

High level action	Measure	Lead / partners	Lever
Raise the profile of the tropical health and research industry in the Northern Territory to assist in attracting national and international investment	Increased diversity of funding sources	Health and medical research institutes CDU
Develop funding strategies to support and grow critical health research priorities to benefit the Territory e.g. Aboriginal health and wellbeing, big data, genomics, clinical trials, multi-resistance and health security	Increase investment in emerging health research growth areas	Health and medical research institutes NT Govt (NTG)
Support health research institutions to increase philanthropic funding	Increased philanthropic funding	Health and medical research institutes NTG
Strengthen the Territory’s health research capabilities through assisting health research institutions to secure more stable funding sources	Review of public and other funding sources and options to create greater certainty	NTG
Encourage collaboration between health research institutions to attract grant funding from national agencies, international governments and institutes	Increased success rate in funding and grants from national agencies, international governments and institutes	Industry
Increase collaboration between health research and health service providers in the Northern Territory	Increased number of co-funded joint positions between health and medical research institutes, CDU, Flinders and Northern Territory health service providers Development of a Territory health services research agenda	Health and medical research institutes NT health service providers NTG
Explore opportunities to co-locate clinical teaching and research staff and students at the Palmerston Regional Hospital site	Concept and business case developed	NTG Menzies