Sydney researchers awarded 6M to establish Centres of Research Excellence

The Australian Government has awarded $6 million to two Centres of Research Excellence (CREs) led by the University of Sydney that will investigate ways to prevent, identify and better manage fetal alcohol spectrum disorder, and artificial intelligence-enabled clinical decision support.

Only 24 teams nationally were awarded funding through the National Health and Medical Research Centre’s (NHMRC) 2025 CRE program to undertake research and promote and improve translation of research outcomes into health policy and practice.

Professor Elizabeth Elliott from the Faculty of Medicine and Health will lead the Centre of Research Excellence in Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD-CRE), while Professor Melissa Baysari from the Faculty of Medicine and Health will lead the Centre of Research Excellence in Human Factors and AI-enabled Clinical Decision Support.

Interim Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research) Professor Julie Cairney thanked the government for their support of this world-leading research.

“The Centres of Research Excellence scheme is incredibly competitive and it’s fantastic to see two Sydney-led projects receive support to build capacity in areas that promise to have great positive impact in our health system.

“Fetal alcohol spectrum disorder is a global issue affecting families from all backgrounds. And AI presents enormous opportunity to improve clinical decision-making processes and patient outcomes, but only if implemented in thoughtful, ethical and evidence-based ways.”

“Congratulations to Professor Elliott and Professor Baysari, two global leaders in their respective fields, and to the partners working on these important projects.”