New NHMRC Statement recognises the power of community-shaped research

Yesterday’s release of the 2026 National Health and Medical Research Council Statement on Consumer and Community Involvement in Health and Medical Research marks a significant step forward for Australian health and medical research.

The Kids Research Institute Australia strongly endorses the updated framework, which reinforces the essential role consumers and communities play in shaping better research outcomes.

The updated Statement sets a clear expectation that consumer and community involvement is integral to health and medical research and should be conducted in a way that is consistent, respectful and effective. It reflects a growing recognition across the sector that research is stronger, more relevant and more impactful when informed by the voices and experiences of the people it aims to serve.

For The Kids, the release represents more than the culmination of a national consultation process. It signals a broader shift in expectations for how research should be conducted across Australia.

Consumer and community involvement is already deeply embedded across the Institute, from shaping research priorities to influencing study design, implementation and translation into real-world impact. The Kids has built a culture where effective partnership with community is central to better research outcomes.

“At The Kids, we have seen firsthand the value of partnering with consumers and communities throughout the research process. When people with lived experience help shape research, the outcomes are more relevant, more inclusive and more likely to create real-world impact,” Senior Manager Community Engagement Belinda Frank said.

The Kids also welcomed the inclusion of its Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Research Standards among the Statement’s official supporting resources under Principle 1: Involving consumers and communities across all stages and types of research.

The recognition reflects The Kids’ longstanding commitment to culturally safe, community-led research and highlights the growing importance of Indigenous governance, lived experience and connection to Country in shaping health and medical research practices nationally.

The updated Statement also recognises that responsibility for meaningful involvement extends beyond individual research projects, with researchers, institutions, funders and policymakers all playing a role in embedding best practice across the wider research system.

“We are hopeful the release of the 2026 Statement will help drive a broader cultural shift across the sector, where meaningful consumer and community involvement becomes the expectation, not the exception,” Ms Frank said.

“This work reinforces the importance of ensuring the people most impacted by research have a genuine voice in shaping it, and we are proud to support a national framework that recognises the value of those partnerships.”