Nearly 17 million people around the world have cerebral palsy.
A football stadium could be filled to near capacity with the 33,000 Australians who have cerebral palsy.

Over $500 million a year is spent on direct services for Australians with cerebral palsy, but less than $1 million is spent on cerebral palsy research.

• 1 in 400 babies is diagnosed with cerebral palsy
• The incidence of cerebral palsy has not declined despite advances in medical science
• More premature babies are surviving and they have a higher risk of cerebral palsy
• We do not understand many of the causes of cerebral palsy, or how to cure it.

The Delphi Study, an internationally accredited process using experts from around the world, has identified our research priorities. The optimal areas of research include:

• Genetics – factors that predispose babies to injury and blood clotting
• Infection and inflammation - infections that cause cerebral palsy
• Blood diseases - blood clotting and stroke risk factors
• Injury timing and outcome - causes in premature and full-term babies.

The Cerebral Palsy Foundation is addressing research challenges by:

• Building research capacity through doctoral and post-doctoral scholarships.
• A partnership with the National Health & Medical Research Council (NHMRC) which matches funds for eligible grant projects, doubles the amount of funding received by the researcher.
• Funding high calibre researchers already working on prevention strategies, to accelerate outcomes.
• Bringing together the best minds on cerebral palsy research from around the world to find the answers to the big research questions
• Advancing the Australian Cerebral Palsy Register
• Sharing critical information internationally by sponsoring the 3rd International Cerebral Palsy Conference, Sydney 2009.
• Establishing a Chair in Cerebral Palsy for strategic leadership in the field of cerebral palsy research worldwide.
• Creating enduring and active affiliations with other organisations such as United Cerebral Palsy America