
Parkinson's Research Foundation.
A charity with the necessary cultural dynamics to drive progress in Parkinson's disease research in Australia.
We take a different approach
Our essential, catalytic approach involves finding key areas of Parkinson's disease research where we can generate the greatest impact. We are prepared to take significant financial risks to support innovative projects that have been held back by traditional organisations, structures and approaches.
Our mission
Our mission is to:
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assist the research and development of selected Parkinson’s disease therapies
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accelerate the availability of those therapies
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support and facilitate the generation of objective data on the development of Parkinson’s disease to enable more successful clinical trials.
Our project areas
Our projects are mainly in the areas of medical and pharmacological research, drug verification through clinical trials, and the development of educational and training materials to develop stakeholders’ understanding of Parkinson’s disease.
About us.
Our
strategy.
We support a small number of promising projects
By focussing on a few projects, PRF can better exercise its collective management experience to channel resources into key areas of research, and accordingly influence the ongoing trajectory of research.
We support research projects with a high potential for commercialisation
PRF supports projects that, after initial funding support, will be able to financially support themselves in the long term. PRF aims to get research projects to a point where they can be reviewed and funded for commercialisation by venture capital firms.
We provide funding for the founding phase of each project
PRF intends to make a funding commitment to the research phase of each project, subject to agreed milestones. This approach takes into account the five-year average duration of major research projects, which terminate either on the achievement of a major milestone or the failure to meet the technical targets.
We take an active role in each project
As well as having very frequent review sessions, PRF representatives will take an active role in each project’s regular review cycle. This approach allows PRF to offer ongoing financial support and relieves the research team of the need to apply for new grants as research progresses.
The MOOC project
Our first project with the Tasmania Parkinson’s Project (an initiative of the University of Tasmania) is the development of a Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) which will be a key communication and learning platform for patients with Parkinson’s disease.
The MOOC addresses the current dearth of quality information available to patients with Parkinson’s disease by providing a comprehensive educational offering on the latest understanding of the nature of Parkinson’s disease.
The MOOC will also serve as an effective healthcare tool by enabling more sophisticated communication between patients and health professionals.
Initial MOOC launch: 5 February 2025
Watch this space
More projects will be announced in the coming months, including a promising, high-impact clinical-driven project.
Our current projects.
Our project partners.
Tasmania Parkinson's Project
University of Tasmania