Scandal and audit triggers tighter fraud controls at NHMRC


Joseph Brookes
Senior Reporter

Australia’s biggest medical research funding agency will start gaining independent assurances of grant recipients’ fraud risks and mandate reporting of suspected incidents, following a misconduct scandal and a critical audit.

The audit, tabled on Tuesday, confirms the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) has recovered $2.6 million from five grants awarded to applications “based on data that was fabricated, falsified or unreliable”.

The incident centres on Professor Mark Smyth, who was regarded as one of Australia’s leading cancer researchers until 2021 when his employer reported him over allegations of research misconduct.

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