To coincide with the Motor Accident Insurance Commission (MAIC’s) 30th Anniversary last year, a special one-off funding round – the MAIC Innovation Research Action Awards (MIRAA) was announced at an anniversary function involving our key stakeholders.
To help MAIC kick-start another successful decade, the MIRAA grants will help to inspire innovative, action-oriented research and pilot programs aimed at reducing the incidence and effects of road trauma.
We were thrilled to receive 44 initial high-quality concepts, spanning the continuum from prevention, first on scene, trauma, rehabilitation and disability management. It certainly presented a tough challenge for the selection committee to prioritise and align with the available budget.
MAIC’s Insurance Commissioner, Neil Singleton, was delighted with the quality and range of projects funded.
“The MIRAA round has been a great success from our perspective and a fantastic way to commence a new decade of collaboration between MAIC and our research and grants partners,” Mr Singleton said.
“These projects will stimulate new collaborations, provide an opportunity for several innovative ideas to be validated and piloted and act as a training ground for emerging researchers.
“We look forward to the outcomes that these projects will derive over the next twelve to eighteen months as a further extension of our ongoing commitment to preventing trauma on Queensland roads, while enhancing the treatment and rehabilitation of those injured, including our CTP claimants, to maximise outcomes.”
Congratulations to our successful MIRAA recipients
| Organisation | Project Lead | Project Name |
|---|---|---|
| MAIC/Griffith University Road Safety Research Collaboration | Associate Professor Darren Wishart | Evaluating and Enhancing Q-Ride Motorcycle licensing and training |
| Queensland University of Technology | Professor Kirsten Vallmuur | Navigating Injured patient journeys through Emergency care to Recovery (NINJER) |
| University of Queensland – Recover Injury Research Centre | Professor Trevor Russell | Innovative Solutions for Treating Driving Phobia using Virtual Reality |
| Metro North Hospital and Health Service – Jamieson Trauma Institute | Dr Andrew Foster | Optimising management of Open Tibia Fractures |
| University of Queensland – Recover Injury Research Centre | Dr Scott Farrell | STRESSMODEX for inpatient care following orthopaedic road trauma |
| Metro North Hospital and Health Service – Jamieson Trauma Institute | Professor Michael Muller | Stop the Bleed enhancement and evaluation |
| Metro North Hospital and Health Service – Jamieson Trauma Institute | Dr Isabelle Gosper and Professor Michael Schuetz | Pelvic Trauma improvement program Phase 1 |
| University of Queensland | Professor Mark Midwinter | Road Trauma Patients – promoting recovery, repair and rehabilitation |
| MAIC/University of Sunshine Coast Road Safety Research Collaboration | Associate Professor Lisa Buckley | Reducing drink driving through peer support: resources for young people in regional Queensland |
| MAIC/University of Sunshine Coast Road Safety Research Collaboration | Associate Professor Gregoire Larue | A pilot study of mobile point to point speed cameras in urban and rural Queensland |
| MAIC/QUT Road Safety Research Collaboration | Professor Ioni Lewis | Designing and evaluating prosocial driving behaviours to enhance road safety |
| MAIC/QUT Road Safety Research Collaboration | Professor Ioni Lewis | Talking tailgating – community conversations about what tailgating is and how to remedy it |
| University of Queensland – Recover Injury Research Centre | Dr Rachel Elphinston | RISE – an innovative text messaging intervention pilot study |
| Metro North Hospital and Health Service – Jamieson Trauma Institute | Dr Alejandro Melendez-Calderon | RITA: Rehabilitation, Innovation and Technology Assessment Service |
| MAIC/University of Sunshine Coast Road Safety Research Collaboration * | Associate Professor Gregoire Larue | Assessing modern vehicles in reducing Queensland rear end crashes. |
| MAIC/University of Sunshine Coast Road Safety Research Collaboration * | Professor Kerry Armstrong | THC levels research |
| Metro North Hospital and Health Service – Jamieson Trauma Institute * | Professor Cate Cameron | ‘After P.A.R.T.Y’ video production |
*In addition to these 14 projects, a further three initiatives submitted for consideration were able to be funded by the relevant organisations following approval by MAIC to utilise existing surplus funding for this purpose.