Monash University has featured strongly in $2 million worth of research grants awarded by the Victorian Centre of Excellence in Depression.

Victoria's Health Minister, Ms Bronwyn Pike, announced the inaugural grants on 9 May. Monash received more than $900,000 across seven projects, including projects that attracted two of the three largest grants.

They include a study to evaluate psychological treatments for teenagers with depression, headed by Professor Bruce Tonge ($369,628), and the use of internet-based treatment for panic disorder in general medical practice, headed by Professor Jeff Richards ($264,000).

"Depression is a leading cause of disability, and for young people the major factor associated with suicide," said Professor Tonge, head of Monash's School of Psychology, Psychiatry and Psychological Medicine.

"This grant will give us the opportunity to demonstrate the effectiveness of both psychological and pharmacological treatments on depressed youth in real-life community settings with the assistance of both rural and metropolitan GPs."

Professor Richards, director of Primary Health Care Research at Monash, said the grants acknowledged Monash's leading role in the study of depression.

"The Department of General Practice at Monash is now considered one of the leaders in Australia in primary mental health care research, particularly in the application of information technology."

The Centre of Excellence in Depression and Related Disorders is a collaborative project between Victoria's Department of Human Services and beyondblue, the national depression initiative. The centre supported three large and 23 smaller projects from 120 applications.

Depression research grant recipients, from left, Professor Merilyn Liddell and Professor Jeff Richards (Monash Department of General Practice), Dr Jennifer Torr (Centre for Developmental Disability Health Victoria), Dr Michael Gordon (Frankston Child and Adolescent Mental Health) and Associate Professor David Clarke (Monash Department of Psychological Medicine) meet with beyondblue chairman Mr Jeff Kennett.