May 26 2025
Our research strategy
Our research strategy supports multi-disciplinary, strategic research based on innovation, collaboration and translation, aimed at achieving significant and internationally relevant outcomes.
We fund high-impact, strategic research and offer competitive grants that support every stage of the research journey—from early discovery to real-world application. Our research strategy is driven by three key principles: innovation, collaboration, and translation. By focusing on these, we aim to deliver outcomes that are not only meaningful in Australia but recognised and relevant on a global scale.
We’re often the first to invest in promising pancreatic cancer research in Australia, because we recognise the critical value of supporting strong ideas and committed researchers at the earliest stages. By funding research at the earliest stages we help promising ideas get off the ground—often before any other support is available.
This early investment:
1. Enables researchers to generate critical data, attract larger grants, and move their work forward faster
2. Supports the growth of emerging researchers and helps retain experienced talent in the field
3. Helps shape the direction of future studies.
A national collaborative approach
The fastest way to improve survival for people with pancreatic cancer is to invest in high impact research with a national collaborative approach.
Research is essential to discovering:
- Earlier detection methods
- More effective treatments
- Better ways to manage and personalise care.
Without new discoveries, survival rates are unlikely to improve significantly.
Pancreatic cancer is complex, and collaboration helps:
- Share data and resources
- Avoid duplication and speed up progress
- Enable multi-center clinical trials and larger, more diverse patient cohorts.
Research priorities
Early detection
Our Initiative provides increased focus and funding for projects that will allow the earlier detection and diagnosis of pancreatic cancer. Pankind invests in the development and delivery tools for earlier detection and diagnosis and treatment of pancreatic cancer, including population-wide detection, improving risk assessment and management strategies for high-risk groups, and creating treatments that intercept the disease at its earliest, pre-cancerous stage.
People who have pancreatic cancer diagnosed in the early stages of the disease have better outcomes. Learn more about early detection here.
New treatments
New treatments involve the development and testing of treatments for pancreatic cancer—including creating new drugs, repurposing existing ones, and exploring targeted therapies. Pankind supports initiatives that help fast-track the discovery and delivery of new treatments to patients sooner.
Competitive grants
Grant recipients are selected through a competitive, formal grant process, reviewed by our Scientific Advisory Panel.
