A new cancer prevention and care initiative supporting Indigenous communities across North Queensland will move forward with a $2.5 million funding boost from Cancer Australia.

The University of Queensland-led project has been awarded an Improving First Nations Cancer Outcomes: 2024 Partnerships for Cancer Research grant to accelerate culturally respectful, evidence-informed strategies.

Professor Gail Garvey AM, a proud Kamilaroi woman, National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) Research Leadership Fellow, and Professor of Indigenous Health Research in the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Queensland, said the initiative — Empowering Indigenous Communities: Strengthening Agency, Equity, and Connections in Cancer Care and Prevention — places Indigenous communities at its centre.

"Addressing cancer inequities is a health priority," she said.

Cancer is the leading broad cause of death for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, accounting for 23 per cent of deaths, according to 2023 data from the University of NSW. Indigenous Australians are 14 per cent more likely to be diagnosed with cancer and 20 per cent less likely to survive at least five years after their first diagnosis.

Professor Garvey said the University will establish a network to connect Indigenous "communities, locally, regionally and across Queensland health sectors to ensure relevance, effectiveness and sustainability in cancer prevention and cancer care".

"Every person, regardless of where they live or who they are, deserves access to timely, culturally safe, and effective cancer prevention and care," she added.

The project will co-design place-based strategies with community organisations to link First Nations communities across Queensland health sectors.

Professor Carmen Parter, a Djurali Centre researcher and proud Murri woman from the Darumbai and Jura clans of the Birra Gubba Nation, with South Sea Island heritage from Tanna Island in Vanuatu, said the Cancer Australia grant represents an important investment in North Queensland.

"This is a significant investment to support community-controlled organisations in North Queensland," she said.

"We will deliver strengths-based and culturally safe cancer prevention and care that is driven and led by community."

The three-year project will involve collaboration with a wide range of partners, including the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation's Australian e-Health Research Centre, Townsville Aboriginal and Islander Health Service, Townsville Hospital and Health Service, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Community Health Service Mackay, Girudala Community Cooperative Society, the Djurali Centre, and the Heart Research Institute.