The Women and Infants Research Foundation (WIRF) is Western Australia's principal organisation dedicated to fostering and supporting research aimed at improving the health and well-being of women and their babies.
WIRF provides the research infrastructure and funding to assist premier clinicians and scientists in WA to conduct their research and go on to attract project money from competitive funding bodies in Australia and elsewhere.
WIRF is a significant global contributor to research in reproductive health and disease in women and infants. We have a reputation of excellence and high productivity in producing quality research.
WIRF provides support to facilitate quality research through our infrastructure and the Scholarship and Grant Program.
The Foundation has a specific objective to promote, sponsor and conduct high quality research and to foster new researchers.
We do this by providing:
- Generous funding through our scholarships and grants program
- Infrastructure support for clinical and basic researchers and their students
- Biostatistics/bioinformatics services, study coordination and study design advice
- Hosting of research networks, conferences and symposia
- Mentoring of students and young investigators
- State-of-the-art research facilities.
Our research achievements over the past 40 years include:
- Prevention of major complications that can result in life-long disability
- New ventilation techniques aimed at improving chances of survival to minimalise lung injury in premature babies
- Providing nutrition without damaging the bowel and to strengthen the infant’s immune system
- Developing new tests and treatments for women with conditions that place the fetus at risk of brain haemorrhage or long term disability
- Improving pain relief during childbirth and surgery
- Exploring ways to rapidly mature the fetus at risk of early birth
- State-wide follow up studies of premature babies, with a focus on physical and intellectual outcomes
- The development of evidence based lactation practices for breastfeeding
- Cord blood testing and links with perinatal outcomes