Mission

To improve the quality of healthcare for all, through evidence.

 

Introducing the Digital Health CRC

In April 2018, the Australian Government announced $55 million in funding for the Digital Health Cooperative Research Centre (DHCRC). This grant, covering a seven-year period, came into effect in July 2018.

The DHCRC believes research and innovation in digital health offers Australia significant economic and business development opportunities, as well as great promise for the better health of our community. 

The challenge

Australia’s health costs as a percentage of GDP are increasing dramatically. In the 10 years to 2013-14, health expenditure outstripped inflation, population growth and the rate of population aging. In 2015-16 total healthcare spend was $170.4 billion - 10.3% of GDP (Source: AIHW).

In an age when people expect access to advanced healthcare and better health outcomes, public and private health organisations alike recognise that ‘STEM’ skills are crucial. As a result of this, and the rapid digitisation of health services around the world, the demand for health data scientists, health technologists and technology-literate clinical staff has never been greater.

Our solution

We are developing a unique, multidisciplinary, collaborative taskforce of research, clinical, industry, government and educational organisations to focus research and development on combining individual and collective expertise with data, information and telecommunication technologies.

We are also building a world-leading research and innovation centre, with all work designed to address identified industry issues by:

  • Empowering consumers
  • Improving understanding of health risks in individuals and communities
  • Supporting clinical practice
  • Improving system efficiency by joining up data
  • Improving access to quality care
  • Building and enhancing businesses to provide high-value jobs and solutions in a growing global market
  • Developing Australia’s future digital health workforce.

Over 80 organisations, including health funds, larger and small health and technology providers, and 16 universities, have joined this Australia-wide R&D consortium.

The desired outcomes

Our collaborative approach will:

  • Improve the health and wellbeing of hundreds of thousands of Australians
  • Improve value of care
  • Reduce adverse drug-reaction events (currently accounts for 400,000 GP visits a year)
  • Save the Australian health system an estimated $1.8 billion
  • Create a new digital workforce through at least 1000 new jobs in digital health and related industries
  • Create new companies and products for Australian and global markets.

Benefits to industry partners

  • Research designed to address your specific challenges and opportunities.
  • Your research dollars matched by Federal Government.
  • Access to R&D findings from across the DHCRC program.
  • Affordable access to high-quality researchers, who are ‘embedded’ with you.
  • Potential links to multiple universities via a single organisation.
  • Increased capability of your data analytics and digitech capabilities with no extra headcount requirement through access to the DHCRC software development team.
  • Potential development and deployment of partner-specific software tools.
  • Improved security/privacy management for sensitive data sets.
  • Eligibility for R&D tax allowance for contributions to the DHCRC*.
*Subject to meeting R&D tax concession rules.

Benefits to university partners

  • Potential links to multiple industry partners via a single organisation.
  • Cost effective access to data.
  • Access to expertise to drive the translation and impact of your research.
  • ROI of up 400% over the life of the DHCRC.
  • Increased capacity to fund postdoctoral researchers.
  • Potential for active role in commercialisation of research.
  • Increased ability to attract top local and international research students.
  • Additional mentoring and training for PhD students, plus assistance with issue/problem formation.
  • Better platforms to analyse structured and unstructured data, reducing reduce time to PhD completion (more likely to complete within three-year government funding period)
  • Increased employability for PhD researchers thanks to in-house training and industry placement.
  • Enhanced reputation.

Purpose & research themes

How would it work?

University partners


Universities (full alphabetical list)

Curtin University

Federation University

Flinders University

Macquarie University

Monash University

Queensland University of Technology

Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology

Swinburne University of Technology

The University of Notre Dame Australia

The University of Queensland

The University of Sydney

University of Canberra

University of South Australia

University of Technology Sydney

University of Wollongong

Western Sydney University

Government and Industry partners

Industry Participants (full alphabetical list)

Insurance

Transport Accident Commission

Insurance Australia group IAG


Public Health – Ministries and Agencies

ACT Health

Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care

Australian Digital Health Agency

Australian Health Service Alliance (AHSA)

Australian Sports Anti-doping Authority (ASADA)

Department of Health (Commonwealth)

Department of Health and Human Services (Victoria)

Department of Health Northern Territory

NSW Health

Population Health Research Network

Queensland Health

Western Australia Department of Health


Public Health Local Health Districts and Health & Hospital Services

Alfred Health (Victoria)

Eastern Health (Victoria)

Metro North Hospitals & Health Service (Queensland)

Metro South Hospitals & Health Service (Queensland)

Western Australia Country Health Service


Primary Health Networks

Capital Health Network

Eastern Melbourne Primary Health Network

Gippsland Primary Health Network

South Eastern Melbourne Primary Health Network

WA Primary Health Alliance

Health Services Providers

Adventist Health Care

Cabrini Health Ltd

Healthe Care Australia Pty Ltd

Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre

St John of God Health Care Inc

Yourtown


Medium-Large Technology & Solutions Companies

Chappell Dean

FRED IT Group

GuildLink

HAMB Systems Ltd

HMS

InfoXchange

Lorica Health

Pen CS Pty Ltd

Telstra Health


Smaller Technology & Solutions Companies & Start-ups

Boundlss P/L

HELPA.App

eHealthier P/L

goAct P/L

Lone Alarm P/L

Mirus Australia

Outcome Health

SiSU Wellness P/L

Springday P/L

Wave Digital P/L

Aged Care & Disability

The Aged Care Guild

Bupa Foundation (Australia) Ltd

National Disability Services

Retire Australia Care and Services Pty Ltd

Sapphire Holdings Group Australia Ltd


Regulators and Colleges

Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency

The Royal Australasian College of Physicians

Royal Australasian College of Surgeons


Other

Amgen Australia Pty Ltd (pharmaceuticals)

The Australian Red Cross Blood Service

ANDHealth Ltd (incubator)

Deloitte Consulting Pty Ltd

Janchor Partners Management Ltd (investment house)

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