Aboriginal-led AOD research consortium

Notice of intent: upcoming grant opportunity – Aboriginal-led AOD research consortium

The NSW Ministry of Health will release a new grant opportunity in De​cember 2025 to establish an Aboriginal-led Alcohol and Other Drug (AOD) Research Consortium. This initiative is designed to improve health and wellbeing outcomes for Aboriginal families and strengthen the Aboriginal AOD research workforce across NSW.​

Below is a summary of the upcoming grant opportunity. For full details, please read the complete notice of intent​​.

​About the upcoming grant

  • Expected release: December 2025
  • Funding period: 1 July 2026 – 30 June 2030
  • Total funding Aaailable: Up to $2 million over four years (up to $500,000 per year)
  • Administered by: NSW Ministry of Health – Centre for Alcohol and Other Drugs (CAOD), with strategic advice from the Centre for Aboriginal Health (CAH) and the Centre for Epidemiology and Evidence (CEE).

Purpose

The Aboriginal-led consortium will:

  • Generate policy-relevant evidence to improve system responses for Aboriginal families experiencing AOD harms.
  • Support prevention, early intervention, and family-focused strategies.
  • Build Aboriginal research capacity and strengthen monitoring, evaluation, and knowledge translation.

Focus area

The research will focus on:

  • Supporting Aboriginal families—including during pregnancy and families with children aged up to 5 years.
  • Improving referral pathways and access to services.
  • Minimising AOD harms and promoting strong interagency collaboration to keep families together.

This priority reflects recommendations from the NSW Drug Summit Yarning Circle Co-Chair report, which calls for Aboriginal-led prevention and early intervention to reduce child removal and address disproportionate harms.

Key features of the consortium

  • Must be Aboriginal-led.
  • Lead Chief Investigator must be Aboriginal and employed by the administering organisation.
  • Administering organisation must be an ACCHO, university, or public health research agency.
  • Demonstrated partnerships with Aboriginal communities and organisations.
  • Funding primarily allocated to NSW-based team members.

Next steps

  • Start conversations with potential partners to form a consortium.
  • Sign up for notifications when the grant opens (via email below).
  • Prepare to submit an Expression of Interest (EOI) once the opportunity is announced.

Where to find updates

The grant opportunity will be announced on:

Questions? Email: moh-aod-researchandevaluation@health.nsw.gov.au​

Current as at: Wednesday 26 November 2025
Contact page owner: Centre for Alcohol and Other Drugs