The HCF Research Foundation strives to support research that will ultimately improve the delivery of health services for our members and all Australians.

The HCF Research Foundation Translational Research Grants (TRG) scheme is focused on responding to health issues identified within health care provider communities, and the translation of research findings into practice by health service delivery stakeholders. Through this scheme, the Foundation aims to facilitate the implementation of cost-effective evidence-based innovation into health care delivery to improve outcomes and the experience of patients, carers and health care workers.

Funding through the TRG scheme is available to health care providers to implement and evaluate evidence-based innovation into practice to improve outcomes. For the 2025 TRG round there are two streams available for funding, and applicants must state which stream their EOI and application is addressing.

The 2025 TRG round is calling for applications specifically addressing either:

1. implementation science approaches to understanding and addressing unexpected variations in practice relative to foundational clinical practice guidelines (e.g. those endorsed by ACQSHC, professional colleges etc.). This topic is interested in understanding the drivers behind identified areas of significant discordance in practice versus guidelines, and improving practice compliance where appropriate for the patient, to improve outcomes. Applicants must have preidentified areas of variation, likely barriers and issues that can be overcome/addressed, and evidence-based solutions to evaluate (i.e. strategies that worked in other settings). OR
2. implementation of the outcomes from previously funded HCF RF research projects into practice. Previously funded HCF RF Research projects are listed here: https://www.hcf.com.au/about-hcf/hcf-foundation/hcffoundation-grants. Please note there is no requirement that applications under this funding theme include previous funding recipients as part of the research and implementation team.

There is a limited amount of funding available each year. Applicants are advised that while there is no cap on the amount of funding that they can apply for, applicants must clearly articulate the value of their project, and costing must be realistic

In the 2025 TRG round, health care providers can apply for funding to implement evidence-based change into practice and evaluate the results of that change with regard to patient outcomes, costs and other relevant metrics. Applicant health care providers must be able to self-identify areas where performance, relative to peers is sub-optimal (i.e. using benchmarking data) and propose an appropriate solution to improve safety and quality, effectiveness and patient outcomes.

In order to be eligible for funding within the TRG scheme, research projects must address both implementation (research into the effective implementation of the new model), and evaluation (the outcomes of the implemented approach).

Applications must provide an implementation plan for their specific context that includes research into the effectiveness of the implementation plan. Applications must also describe the intended approach to evaluate the outcomes of the implemented approach.

As the intent of this scheme is to catalyse permanent change, applications must provide a plan for sustained/permanent implementation (provided the outcomes evaluation is positive).

• Email: hcffoundation@hcf.com.au