NDRI researcher receives highly-competitive NHMRC grant
National Drug Research Institute Research Fellow Dr Samantha Colledge-Frisby has been awarded highly prestigious and competitive funding as part of the 2026 National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) Investigator Grants scheme.
As part of the Preventing injecting-related bacterial infections in people who inject drugs project, Dr Colledge-Frisby will examine why serious bacterial infections are increasing and develop practical prevention strategies to reduce hospitalisations and improve health outcomes.
The Investigator Grants scheme remains one of Australia’s most competitive sources of research funding, with Dr Colledge-Frisby’s Emerging Leadership award among only 12 per cent of successful applications across Australia and one of only five Investigator Grants awarded to Curtin University researchers.
“Fifteen million people inject drugs around the world and most will experience a bacterial infection related to their injecting drug use. The incidence of hospitalisations with injecting-related infections is increasing at a staggering rate and contributes to chronic illness and premature death,” Dr Samantha Colledge-Frisby said.
“Despite this, there is a complete dearth of information on why this increase exists or how to prevent these infections from occurring.
“This project will quantify the true economic and health burden of injecting-related harms in Australia and adapt a scalable intervention to prevent bacterial infections, diverting costs from treating these infections and contributing to health equity for people who inject drugs.”
Minister for Health and Ageing Mark Butler said: “Australia has some of the brightest medical minds in the world. The funding we’re announcing today represents the kind of bold, patient-centred science this country needs. This is research that will change lives and will give patients and their families real hope.”
“The calibre of researchers funded through this year's Investigator Grants round is extraordinary,” added NHMRC CEO Professor Steve Wesselingh. “These are scientists who are not just asking important questions – they're developing answers that will genuinely transform how we understand, prevent, diagnose and treat disease.
“One of the things I'm most proud of with this round is the breadth of career stages represented. We're investing in established leaders who are at the peak of their field, and in the next generation of emerging researchers who will shape Australian health and medical research for decades to come.”
Click here to read more about Dr Samantha Colledge-Frisby's research
Posted on: 30 Jul 2026
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