The HCF Research Foundation has opened expressions of interest (EOIs) for its 2026 Health Services Research Grants, with priority areas that include mental health service models and equity in care. The grants are expected to be of interest to health insurers and related sectors monitoring changes in healthcare delivery, access, and risk.
The foundation is seeking EOIs for projects to be funded from Jan. 1, 2027, under its next Health Services Research Grants round. The program supports health services research that examines how care is organised, accessed, and delivered in the Australian health system, as distinct from basic science or clinical efficacy trials. For the 2026 round, priority areas include:
“Health services research is where evidence meets real life. We support projects that can be applied in practice – research that improves fairness in care, strengthens access to support, and helps people get the right care at the right time, in the right setting,” said adjunct professor Karen Price, chair of the HCF Research Foundation. Work in these areas may feed into product design and benefit structures, mental health pathways, and approaches to monitoring variations in utilisation and outcomes between different demographic groups.
The 2026 grants round will use a two-stage assessment process. Applicants first submit an EOI, with a subset then invited to provide a full proposal. The structure is intended to direct detailed review toward projects with potential for implementation, policy relevance, or broader scale-up. Head of the HCF Research Foundation, Dr Christopher Pettigrew, said the organisation is concentrating on research that can move into practice. “We’re looking for work that can be implemented, scaled, or inform policy and service design. That’s how research delivers real value – for patients, clinicians, and the health system as a whole,” Pettigrew said. Supported by Australia’s largest not-for-profit health fund, the foundation funds independent health services research that examines gaps between evidence and routine care. Since 2000, it has committed more than $37.9 million to over 165 projects across a range of clinical and service areas. EOIs for the 2026 round close at 5pm on May 13, 2026 (AEST).
The new call follows the announcement of results from the foundation’s 2025 Health Services Research Grants round, which distributed almost $1.5 million across four projects. Those projects focus on workforce sustainability, strategies to reduce avoidable hospital and emergency department presentations, and initiatives to improve pain management and opioid safety. These topics intersect with hospital utilisation, pressure on clinical workforces, prescribing patterns, and safety signals – all factors that influence claims experience and long-term cost trends. The chosen areas indicate continued attention to projects that can be run in everyday care settings and, if effective, applied more widely across the health system.
The mental health and equity focus of the 2026 priorities is consistent with national data on psychological distress. The Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) National Health Survey 2022 reported that 14% of adults aged 18 years and over experienced high or very high levels of psychological distress. This proportion was similar to 2017-18 (14%) and higher than the 11% recorded in 2011-12. The 2020-22 National Study of Mental Health and Wellbeing, conducted during the COVID-19 period, found that about 17% of people aged 16 to 85 years experienced high or very high distress.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people experience higher levels of distress. The 2022-23 National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Survey found that 30% of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander adults had high or very high psychological distress in the previous four weeks, similar to 31% in 2018-19 and 30% in 2012-13. Within this group, females reported higher levels than males (36% compared with 24%), and people in non-remote areas had higher levels than those in remote areas (31% compared with 24%). Prevalence was similar across adult age groups.
Analysis from the Mayi Kuwayu study for 2018-2021 reported that 42% of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people experienced high or very high psychological distress. Distress was more common among those who reported everyday racial discrimination (49%) than among those who did not (32%). In the broader adult population, ABS data show that in 2022 females aged 18 years and over were more likely than males to have high or very high psychological distress (17% compared with 12%). These patterns continue to shape expectations around mental health-related claims, early intervention programs, and partnerships with providers. The foundation’s 2026 call for research on mental health service models and gender bias in care may generate findings that inform insurer engagement with providers, benefit design, and strategies aimed at equitable access and outcomes across different insured populations.
