Federal government to fund health-related climate research

The federal government has announced $5 million in grants for researchers, with up to $1 million available for each project.

The funds will be available through the National Health and Medical Research Council and researchers will be able to apply for funding until May 15.

The government has said the research is aimed at making Australia a global leader in climate and health research.

Federal Assistant Health Minister Ged Kearney said the health system needed to be equipped to deal with serious health and wellbeing changes presented by climate change.

"Investing in health and medical research will help Australia improve our health system's ability to deal with climate change and improve climate-related health outcomes," she said.

"It's all about looking at the science, listening to experts, investing in research and acting to support Australia's health and climate."

National Health and Medical Research Council chief executive Steve Wesselingh said the targeted funding would boost Australia's capacity in climate-related health and medical research.

"Human health is strongly influenced by the health of the environments in which we live in," Professor Wesselingh said.

"NHMRC is committed to improving Australia's preparedness and responsiveness to the threats that climate changes and extreme environmental events present to our communities."