RPH Research Foundation

What RPH Research Foundation does

RPH Research Foundation (legal name: Royal Perth Hospital Medical Research Foundation Incorporated) is an independent, non-profit medical research foundation established in 1983 and headquartered on the Royal Perth Hospital campus in Perth, Western Australia. It exists to improve healthcare outcomes for West Australians by funding translational bench-to-bedside research across four primary domains: cancer, cardiovascular and hypertension, emergency medicine, and nursing research. The Foundation operates a 5,000 sqm research facility on the RPH campus, complemented by the recently launched Research and Innovation Centre precinct at 56 Murray Street.

The Foundation's core products are grant programs and research support services: the Seed Funding Grants Program (up to $20,000 for novel projects), Nursing and Allied Health Grants (including the Doreen McCarthy Nursing Research Award), the Research Innovation and Impact Grants (RIIG) of up to $1.2 million over three years, Career Advancement Fellowships, and a Biostatistical Service. It also funds capital infrastructure, most recently a $5 million surgical robot for Royal Perth Hospital. Notable funded research outputs include the patented Immuno-flowFISH technology (1,000 times more accurate than standard chromosome tests for leukaemia detection), CAR T-cell therapy manufacturing work via Cell and Tissue Therapies WA, and an MRFF-funded $2.1 million Indigenous hearing health study. The Foundation collaborates closely with the East Metropolitan Health Service, Royal Perth Hospital, the University of Western Australia, Harry Perkins Institute, Edith Cowan University, the FHRI Fund, Channel 7 Telethon Trust, and the Medical Research Future Fund.

The Foundation is funded through philanthropic donations, bequests and Gift in Will contributions, community fundraising events (Run for Research), and matched government co-funding via the FHRI Fund and other federal/state programs. It is governed by a Board of Directors (currently chaired by John Palermo, with Cate Cassarchis as CEO) and operates a Strategic Plan for 2026-2030 effective 1 July 2025. In late 2023, the Nursing Research Foundation merged into RPH Research Foundation, consolidating nursing and midwifery research activity. The entity is registered as an Australian charity (ABN 62 314 475 885) with approximately 22 employees and no parent company or disclosed investor cap table.

Name

RPH Research Foundation

Legal name

Royal Perth Hospital Medical Research Foundation Incorporated

Website

https://rphresearchfoundation.org.au

Company type

Private

Founded year

1983

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

RPH Research Foundation is a Perth-based, non-profit medical research foundation established in 1983 that funds translational bench-to-bedside research across cancer, cardiovascular, emergency medicine, and nursing within the East Metropolitan Health Service, operating seed grants, fellowships, and impact grants at Royal Perth Hospital.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Medical Research Funding and Grants

NAICS

Grantmaking Foundations (813211), Voluntary Health Organizations (813212), Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Hospital & Medical Service Plans (6324)

akta.pro primary industry

Health & Medical Research Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAL)

akta.pro secondary industries

Research & Science Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAI), Health Research Funding Agencies (Public/Quasi-Public) (HLAJALAB), Disease-Specific Research & Support (e.g., Cancer, Diabetes, ALS) (BPAGACAA)

Keywords

• Medical research funding
• Healthcare research grants
• Translational research support
• Biostatistical consulting services
• Research fellowships

Headquarters

HQ city

Perth

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Philanthropic Donations: The Foundation receives donations from individuals, corporations, and community members to fund medical research programs and operations.
2. Bequests and Gift Planning: The Foundation accepts gifts in wills (Gift in Will program) as a sustainable source of funding for long-term research initiatives.
3. Government Co-Funding Partnerships: The Foundation receives matched funding from government bodies such as the Future Health Research and Innovation (FHRI) Fund through co-funding partnership programs.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

RPH Research Foundation is a non-profit medical research foundation that distributes competitive grants to researchers within East Metropolitan Health Service (EMHS) and partner institutions in Western Australia. Its core offering comprises Seed Funding Grants (up to $20,000), Nursing and Allied Health Grants, Research Innovation and Impact Grants (up to $1,200,000 over three years with FHRI Fund matched co-funding), Career Advancement Fellowships, and a Biostatistical Service supporting research design and data analysis. The Foundation funds translational bench-to-bedside research across cancer, cardiovascular, emergency medicine, and nursing domains.

Product overview

RPH Research Foundation is a medical research funding organization established in 1983 that operates as a single unified offering centered on grant programs and research support services. The Foundation's core products include the Seed Funding Grants Program (up to $20,000 for early-stage novel research), Nursing and Allied Health Grants (supporting nursing and midwifery research), Research Innovation and Impact Grants (up to $1,200,000 over three years with FHRI co-funding), Career Advancement Fellowships, and a Biostatistical Service for researchers. These grant programs collectively enable translational bench-to-bedside research at Royal Perth Hospital and across the East Metropolitan Health Service in Western Australia.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Seed Funding Grants Program Preliminary funding of up to $20,000 for novel innovative research projects with a 12-month duration, supporting early-stage healthcare research within EMHS and partner institutions.
• Nursing and Allied Health Grants Annual grant program funding nursing and midwifery research projects within East Metropolitan Health Service, including the Doreen McCarthy Nursing Research Award for top-ranked nursing research.
• Research Innovation and Impact Grants (RIIG) Major grant program providing up to $1,200,000 over three years for mid-career and senior researchers to translate ideas into healthcare innovations, with matched FHRI Fund co-funding available.
• Career Advancement Fellowships Fellowship program supporting early and mid-career researchers with career development and advancement in health and medical research within EMHS.
• Biostatistical Service Statistical support service for researchers assisting with research design, data analysis, and interpretation of research findings.

Quantifiable outcome

• For every three MINOCA patients scanned with cardiac MRI, one was able to safely stop unnecessary blood-thinning medication
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• Cell and Tissue Therapies WA (CTTWA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCTTWA is undertaking a pilot study to establish GMP manufacturing capabilities for GD2-targeted CAR T-cell therapy for paediatric neuroblastoma, the first initiative of its kind in Australia.
• University of Western AustraliacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMajor research partner collaborating on multiple Foundation-funded projects including cardiovascular research, hypertension studies, and cancer research.
• Harry Perkins Institute of Medical ResearchmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner institution benefiting from Foundation facilities and research funding for translational medical research.
• Edith Cowan UniversitymajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner university collaborating on research projects supported by Foundation funding.
• Kardan ConstructionminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerAward-winning locally owned company and registered Aboriginal business engaged for courtyard refurbishment and construction projects at Research & Innovation Centre precinct.
• Buildwell GroupminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerEngaged for design development of new laboratories at the Research & Innovation Centre.
• Royal Perth HospitalcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPrimary hospital beneficiary and research partner. Foundation operates on RPH campus and funds research conducted by RPH staff.
• East Metropolitan Health Service (EMHS)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerParent health service for Royal Perth Hospital and Bentley Health Service. Foundation funds research across EMHS facilities.
• La Veen CoffeeminorOthersCoffee shop operator in the newly refurbished courtyard at Research & Innovation Centre, providing amenities for staff and visitors.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Cure Cancer Australia: National charity funding early-career cancer researchers via competitive grants - directly comparable mission and seed-to-mid-career fellowship grant model, competing for the same cancer research donor base.
• Children's Medical Research Institute: Independent Australian medical research institute funding pediatric and genetic disease research via donations - comparable donor-driven, grantmaking-style operation focused on translational outcomes.
• Alfred Health Foundation (Baker Institute): Hospital-affiliated foundation supporting translational research at The Alfred (including Baker Heart and Diabetes Institute) - structurally similar hospital-embedded medical research philanthropy model in Victoria.
• Telethon Kids Institute: Perth-based child health research institute funded via community donations (Channel 7 Telethon Trust) - directly comparable as a WA medical research funding beneficiary with similar donor-driven revenue model.
• Harry Perkins Institute of Medical Research: Perth-based medical research institute funded to conduct translational research - already a partner of RPH Research Foundation but competes for the same WA donor pool and research talent.
• Royal Melbourne Hospital Foundation: Hospital-affiliated medical research foundation in Victoria that funds translational research at Royal Melbourne Hospital, with comparable grant programs (seed funding, fellowships) and similar hospital-embedded operating model.
• St Vincent's Hospital Melbourne Research Foundation: St Vincent's Foundation funds medical research at St Vincent's Hospital Melbourne with a hospital-embedded grantmaking model focused on translational research - directly comparable peer in scale and mission.

Regional players

• Fiona Stanley Hospital Foundation: WA-based hospital-affiliated foundation funding research and patient care at Fiona Stanley Hospital - direct regional peer also operating in Western Australia with comparable hospital partnership model.
• Cancer Council Western Australia: WA-focused cancer research funding charity - regional peer operating in Western Australia that funds cancer research, overlapping with RPH's cancer research grantmaking mission.

Broad incumbents

• National Heart Foundation of Australia: National-scale health charity funding cardiovascular research across Australia - broader incumbent in the same cardiovascular research funding space that RPH's researchers compete with for grants.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/rphresearchfoundation

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about RPH Research Foundation