The Ovarian Cancer Research Foundation (OCRF) has today launched an ambitious five-year Research Impact Strategy to urgently address ovarian cancer, Australia’s most lethal gynaecological cancer.
Every year, over 1,900 Australian women and girls receive a diagnosis of ovarian cancer, and every year 1,100 women die from the disease.
OCRF consulted with over 420 stakeholders, including people with lived experience and researchers, to create a plan to prioritise what matters most: early detection, better treatments and prevention.
These three focus areas are the central objective of OCRF’s new Research Impact Strategy, which was launched today at a special event at Parliament House in Canberra.
“Building on our 25 years of experience and investment of $33 million into research, our Research Impact Strategy 2025 – 30 is a blueprint for faster progress built on evidence, scientific excellence, genuine collaboration, and an unequivocal commitment to gender equity in research,” said OCRF CEO Robin Penty .
“We invite the Australian Government, and all those with influence in this area, to listen to what we heard and work with us to make a change that is long overdue.”
The OCRF Research Impact Strategy 2025-30 was developed to complement government initiatives, including the Australian Cancer Plan and the proposed Gynaecological Cancer Transformation Initiative.
At the Thursday morning’s launch event at Parliament House in Canberra, an all-female cast of politicians were in attendance, including Anne Ruston, Jana Stewart, Allegra Spender, Rebecca White and Ellie Whiteaker.
Ovarian cancer is now considered a common cancer in women, and yet it remains underfunded and under-researched, having received less than one per cent of Australian government medical research funding in the past 15 years.
As a result, ovarian cancer continues to have poor survival rates (five-year survival <50%). There is no early detection test for ovarian cancer, and treatment options are limited. Even after treatment, recurrence is common, and the prognosis worsens.
“I’m tired of having to choose between a long life and a good quality of life,” on lived experience survey respondent told OCRF.
Over the next five years, the Research Impact Strategy will accelerate progress in ovarian cancer outcomes through evidence-based action, collaboration, and accountability.
Equity is a central commitment, with the OCRF’s strategy emphasising gender equity and inclusivity in research leadership and participation, addressing systemic barriers that have historically hindered progress in women’s cancers.
Strategy success will be measured not just in the number and scale of grants awarded, but in the lives improved and saved, the OCRF says.
Since it was established in 2000, OCRF has raised and distributed greater than $33 million in grants for research across 60 projects in 26 medical research institutes across Australia.
The OCRF does not currently receive funding from the Australian Government. The organisation advocates on behalf of those with lived experience and those closest to Australian scientific discoveries in ovarian cancer.