Australian High Commission Papua New Guinea’s Post

The Papua New Guinea Institute of Medical Research (PNGIMR), established in 1968, focuses on critical health issues in PNG and influences health policies globally. Australia has supported PNGIMR since its inception. In 2018, Australia committed AUD 4 million through the STRONGIM IMR Program to enhance research capacity, with AUD 2 million going toward strengthening social science research. This initiative seeks to improve social, behavioural, and anthropological research, equipping local researchers to tackle community-specific health challenges. The Social Science Qualitative Research initiative helps understand factors like gender and culture affecting health. Currently, the team collaborates on projects involving infectious diseases, vector-borne diseases, and population health. Training sessions introduced new research concepts and methods. PNGIMR aims to integrate social science into all research programs for sustainable and locally-led initiatives. Australia's commitment to supporting PNGIMR is also evident in its collaboration with Australian institutions including Burnet, Kirby, and Doherty Institutes. This collaboration ensures that PNGIMR continues to produce research on PNG’s priority health programs at an international standard by expanding the capacities of its strongest programs and building the human and technical resources needed for impactful research. #PNGAusPartnership #SidebySideStepbyStep #YuMiStapWantaim