Focus Areas and Actions

Focus areas – actions to drive transformational change

Build a vibrant research system that delivers for the nation

National priority setting and evaluation: Embed consistent processes to set, fund and evaluate research impact against national priorities, overseen and supported by a National Strategy Advisory Council.

Horizon scanning: Establish mechanisms for identifying new and emerging challenges for the health system that inform and guide priority setting, investment and workforce and infrastructure planning.

Collaborative platforms and networks: Prioritise collaborations and sharing of resources, through investment in platforms and networks across the health and medical research ecosystem, to support research, workforce development and translation in areas of national priority.

Embed research processes that are modern, efficient and consumer centred

Commonwealth research funding: Establish unified management of the Medical Research Endowment Account (MREA) and Medical Research Future Fund (MRFF) to ensure strategic, coordinated investment, aligned to national health priorities and challenges.

Clinical trials: Enable a vibrant clinical trials sector that improves patient outcomes and supports equitable access to clinical trials, regardless of demography or geography. 

Consumer and community involvement: Reward inclusivity and embrace diversity – particularly for priority populations – and build community trust in health and medical research. 

Regional, Rural, and Remote (RRR) research: Develop research processes that are adaptable and flexible to respond to the unique needs, challenges and opportunities of RRR communities

Accelerate research and its translation to improve Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples’ health and wellbeing

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples’ ways of knowing, being and doing: Build community-led, place-based, co-designed research and translation activities, supported by consolidated and coordinated funding opportunities. 

Translation and implementation: Prioritise community-based, innovative solutions to implement research outcomes that address the National Agreement on Closing the Gap. 

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander leadership and workforce capacity and capability building: Enhance Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health and medical research leadership and support emerging researchers, particularly community-based researchers with non-traditional pathways into research.

Drive impact through research translation, innovation and commercial solutions

Research translation: Develop and expand on current structural solutions and initiatives, such as Research Translation Centres and hub and spoke models, to embed translation and research expertise in healthcare settings. 

Industry integration and risk sharing: Establish mechanisms that optimise research-industry exchange and moderate and share risk for industry to stimulate investment attractiveness and drive commercial outcomes. 

Manufacturing and marketing: Support commercialisation and sovereign capability by building local biotech and medtech manufacturing and industry marketing capabilities and research-industry partnerships for national and international markets.

Position to be ready for future needs and challenges

Emerging technology: Build capability and capacity to take advantage of innovative emerging technologies including cutting edge approaches for responsible and impactful harnessing of AI. 

Environmental sustainability: Consider the impact of health and medical research and health system outcomes on climate as a key factor in priority setting and embed research processes that promote environmental sustainability 

Global partnerships: Promote strategic collaborations that address shared health priorities and strengthen Australia’s leadership globally and in the Indo-Pacific region.

Focus area 1: Build a vibrant research system that delivers for the nation

• National priority setting and evaluation
• Horizon scanning
• Collaborative platforms and networks

Overview

Coordination of priorities and investment strategies across all health and medical research funders, with a focus on horizon scanning, partnerships and shared infrastructure will build a vibrant health and medical research system. This system will deliver impactful research that improves the health of Australians and contributes to national productivity and sustainability, now and in the future.

National priority setting and evaluation

Research funding decisions – whether made by the Commonwealth, states and territories, industry, or philanthropic organisations – should be driven by priorities that offer the greatest potential benefit to public health and community wellbeing. When these priorities are nationally aligned, there are opportunities to generate efficient research outcomes. A coordinated process of priority setting and evaluation, guided by evidence and community needs, can ensure that limited resources are used efficiently and fairly. It is also important to regularly assess whether funded research is delivering results as expected and whether the systems in place are effectively supporting the translation of research into real world outcomes.¹²

Horizon scanning

Horizon scanning is a critical tool in cultivating a vibrant research system, especially in the face of rapidly emerging challenges and transformative technologies. By systematically exploring potential future developments, horizon scanning can guide researchers, policymakers and institutions to anticipate shifts in scientific, technological, and societal landscapes over the next decade.¹³ Ultimately, horizon scanning supports decision making processes¹⁴, strengthens the foundation of a forward looking research ecosystem that is equipped to address complex problems and harness new technologies that will deliver benefits for all.

Collaborative platforms and networks

Platforms and networks provide the infrastructure and connectivity required to bring together scientists, researchers, clinicians, policymakers and communities across the health and medical research ecosystem. By facilitating data sharing, resource pooling and coordinated research efforts on a larger scale and for longer time periods, platforms and networks accelerate innovation, reduce duplication and enhance the translation of research outcomes.

National priority setting and evaluation

How we could do it

• Foster coordinated, formalised communication and collaboration across Commonwealth and state and territory governments to align priority setting in a way that will develop streamlined, scalable, co-investment strategies supportive of shared outcomes and long-term impact.
• Implement mechanisms to ensure industry, philanthropy, researchers, consumers and communities are engaged in the ethical priority setting of health and medical research.
• Ensure balanced investment into investigator-led and priority-driven research, across discovery, clinical, translational and commercialisation research and development, with fair funding practices that reinforce a positive culture of inquiry and learning.
• Embed research priority frameworks that are aligned with long-term, health system-wide goals. These frameworks will incorporate the needs of priority populations and those under-represented in the current system (for example, research into rare diseases) and be robustly guided by ethical principles.¹⁶
• Establish nationally aligned impact measurement tools – including adopting comprehensive models in addition to traditional academic metrics – to evaluate real world outcomes, health system improvements, economic returns, and societal benefits of research.
• Establish a National Strategy Advisory Council to uphold the values, oversee the implementation and measure the success of the National Strategy.

Why we should do it

•  A nationally coordinated health and medical research system will be more streamlined and resource efficient to maximise impact through collaboration across governments, industry, academic, health care, philanthropic and community sectors.

What it could achieve

• Priorities that are inclusive, equitable and aligned to community needs.
• Research funding that is strategically directed towards identified areas of need.
• Investment practices that achieve the right distribution of funds across discovery and priority-driven research.
• Unified and impact-driven funding landscape for Australian health and medical research through increased collaboration across funders.
• A responsive and needs based research funding system that can adapt to the changing global health environment.
• Increased impact and accountability of Australian health and medical research.

Horizon scanning

How we could do it

• Establish a nationally coordinated horizon scanning mechanism across Commonwealth, state and territory jurisdictions to identify emerging health challenges, research opportunities and areas of unmet need, and to assist in priority setting, investment and workforce and infrastructure planning. This work would occur in collaboration with the Australian Centre for Disease Control in safeguarding Australia from health threats.
• Establish robust policy frameworks that integrate emerging risks and challenges identified through the coordinated horizon scanning mechanism, to inform policy and program development across the Enablers of Workforce, Funding, Data and Infrastructure.

Why we should do it

•  Australia’s health system faces a range of challenges including an ageing population and the associated increasing demand on health services, increasing rates of chronic disease and rising costs of medical research and innovations.
• Key global health threats must be anticipated, including outbreaks of vaccine-preventable diseases, increasing reports of drug-resistant pathogens and the health impacts of environmental pollution and climate change.
• We must also take advantage of available data, emerging technologies and modernised practices.
• When performed consistently and effectively, horizon scanning, in partnership with other forecasting tools, can assist policy making and program design.

What it could achieve

• A unified and strategic approach to identifying and responding to emerging challenges, research opportunities and areas of unmet need.
• The ability for governments, industry, philanthropic and research organisations to make informed strategic decisions across the health and medical research ecosystem.

Horizon scanning and landscape analysis by the World Health Organization (WHO)¹⁹

The WHO recommends horizon scanning or landscape analysis for a range of purposes, such as preparation for research prioritisation and driving research directions by indicating gaps and forming the basis for research agenda setting. A key WHO landscape analysis is the annual antimicrobial resistance R&D landscape analysis, which evaluates the pipeline of antibacterial candidates in development.

Australian Centre for Disease Control (ACDC)²⁰

CDC’s horizon scanning for new and emerging human health threats takes a One Health approach, where policies and programs recognise the intrinsic link between the health of humans, animals and the environment. Horizon scanning activities are undertaken collaboratively with ACDC’s key One Health partners including other Australian Government departments, state and territory governments, First Nations organisations, Wildlife Health Australia and the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO).

Collaborative platforms and networks

How we could do it

• Prioritise longer term health and medical research funding through a platform and network based approach. Creating incentives to develop collaborative infrastructure, multidisciplinary partnerships and efficient resource utilisation can deliver major impact across the health and medical research ecosystem.
• Establish processes to identify and fund new networks and platforms that align to national priority areas and community need. Embedding assessment criteria and governance mechanisms within national policy frameworks to evaluate the relevance, scalability and collaborative potential of specific research initiatives will assist in these processes.

Why we should do it

• Research networks bring together health and medical professionals, scientists, researchers, service providers and consumers and community members to drive impact through place-based and virtual collaborations.
• Networks can improve the opportunities for research participation and increase equity of outcomes.
• Centralised platforms often provide shared infrastructure, tools, or services that can be accessed by multiple projects or users, reducing the need to build systems from scratch and allowing for more broadly consistent standards and practices.
• Technology networks and platforms often support integration with other systems, allowing data and tools to work together seamlessly. Research supported through linked data within these networks can lead to improved health outcomes.

What it could achieve

• Strategic and targeted investment through platforms and networks to address areas of national priority, where collaborative models are most likely to deliver long term results
• A strong Australian health and medical research ecosystem where collaborative, equitable, platform-based models aligned to need increase the effectiveness of research and create pathways to scaled implementation.

Focus area 2: Embed research processes that are modern, efficient and consumer centred

• Commonwealth research funding
• Clinical trials
• Consumer and community involvement
• Regional, rural and remote research

Overview

Well-coordinated, modern, efficient research processes that reduce administrative burden on researchers and drive consumer engagement and co-design will enable a more effective and sustainable health and medical research sector.

Efficient management of Commonwealth research funding

Efficient and unified management of the two primary Commonwealth health and medical research funds (MREA and MRFF) will ensure investment aligns with national health priorities and emerging challenges. Harmonising funding cycles, reporting processes and impact expectations across Commonwealth schemes will reduce duplication, avoid funding gaps and streamline application processes, ultimately lowering administrative burden and improving transparency. This will provide opportunities for non-Commonwealth funders to align funding processes and procedures, leading to broader efficiency. 

Enabling a vibrant clinical trials sector 

A flourishing clinical trials sector and further embedding research into routine care will advance Australia’s health and medical research outcomes and increase equitable access to innovative therapeutics and interventions. A strong clinical trials ecosystem that is underpinned by the NOSS, and growth of Clinical Trial Networks, can reduce costs through efficient trial design and accelerate the translation of evidence into practice. Developing sovereign capacity in clinical trial management can bring innovation into practice more quickly. 

Driving consumer and community involvement in research 

The National Health and Medical Research Community Qualitative Research report²³ found that many Australians believe the general public should have a say in research priority areas. A range of involvement options should be provided to overcome barriers such as time constraints and the expectation to understand overly complex information. Opportunities and communications must be tailored to the needs and interests of certain communities; for example, activities to involve Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples should implement culturally safe practices and take a localised approach in their design.

Responding to the needs of RRR research

Nearly 7 million Australians live in regional, rural and remote areas and, on average, experience poorer health outcomes and shorter life expectancy due to limited access to healthcare and the effects of the social determinants of health.²⁴ To improve equity, research in these communities must overcome barriers like distance, workforce shortages and infrastructure gaps, with adaptable approaches that build lasting, locally embedded research capacity.

Commonwealth research funding

How we could do it

• Bring together management of the MREA and the MRFF under a single executive agency.
• Ensure that the unique strengths of each fund are preserved, while delivering administrative efficiency, addressing duplication and gaps and driving research excellence from discovery science to translation.
• Stronger coordination and alignment with other organisations and processes, such as the Australian Research Council (ARC) and output of the SERD, where possible, including:
  • key policies, such as those related to consumer and community involvement and open access to funded research outputs
  • research processes, including funding cycles, application and assessment processes, reporting, evaluation and impact measurement.

Why we should do it

•  Consultation on the National Strategy has supported findings from a recent review of the major Commonwealth health and medical research funding mechanisms which sought to improve alignment and coordination between the MREA and the MRFF²⁵, in particular:
  • A prevailing view that the 2 funds should be managed by a single executive agency.
  • The need for a ‘seamless but not homogenous’ funding model – where the best of both funds is preserved and brought together in closer alignment and coordination.
  • The desire for a transparent, strategic, cohesive and fit for purpose funding system, including balanced support across the entire research pipeline and new avenues for consumer and community engagement.

What it could achieve

• Coordinated, transparent, and fit for purpose investment through one unified Commonwealth health and medical research executive agency.
• A consistent set of research processes, reducing administrative burden on the sector.
• Synergies and efficiencies through streamlined administrative management, leading to better visibility of the funding landscape to enable the development of a resourcing statement (see Funding Enabler).
• Consistent policies and mechanisms to embed diversity and equity in research.
• An opportunity to improve understanding in the community through a ‘front door’ of Australian Government funded health and medical research.

Clinical trials

How we could do it

• System and regulatory reform, and growth in Clinical Trials Networks, to support equitable access to clinical trials, encourage innovation, develop sovereign capability and improve the quality of healthcare in Australia.
• Implementation of the National One Stop Shop for Clinical Trials and the National Clinical Trials Governance Framework across public and private health services.
• Roll out the Human Research Ethics Committee Quality Standard and Accreditation Scheme.
• Invest in regional, rural and remote clinical trial infrastructure, including long term funding for Clinical Trial Networks to manage logistics, data and recruitment.

Why we should do it

• Clinical trials are a core part of a learning health system and evidence-based medicine – they are essential for the development of, and access to, new treatments and innovations. Australia is an attractive place to undertake trials and compares favourably to other OECD countries in terms of clinical trial activity, which has been increasing, with new studies registered per year rising from 725 in 2006 to 1,349 in 2020.²⁸
• To help reduce health disparities and better inform clinical and public health decision making, participation in clinical trials needs to be inclusive and representative.
  • Between 2006 and 2021, 0.8% of registered trials had an exclusive focus on the health of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and communities, but there is little available detail on the inclusion of Aboriginal and Torres Strait islander people in trials more generally.²⁸
  • Despite culturally and linguistically diverse Australians representing almost a third of the population, research has shown they are often excluded from clinical research due to potential lack of fluency in English being considered a risk to informed consent.²⁹
  • Until the 1990s, women were routinely excluded from clinical trials due to assumptions about reproductive risks and the impact of hormonal differences on trial findings. As a result, the underrepresentation of sex and gender differences in research data remains an issue.^30-32
• There are opportunities to improve access to trials in Australia through regulatory system reforms and growth in clinical trial networks.
• The economic benefits of clinical trials are notable; an economic evaluation of 25 investigator-initiated clinical trials conducted across 3 clinical trial networks found that:³³
  • There was a return of $5.80 for every $1 invested in the networks.
  • If results from these trials were implemented in 65% of the eligible Australian patient populations for one year, this would deliver a net benefit of $1.6 billion (2014 dollars).

What it could achieve

• Better inclusion and diversity in trials, including through incentives and broader representation, especially for rural, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander, and other underserved communities.
• Stronger integration between research and healthcare delivery, including through increased clinician engagement in clinical trial activities.
• Development and growth of regional health infrastructure, including trial sites, telehealth capabilities and mobile research units.
• Faster access to cutting edge therapies for patients across Australia.
• Central, coordinated expertise to equip researchers and clinicians with the capability and capacity to get trials up and running.

Consumer and community involvement

How we could do it

• Coordinate nationally to prioritise inclusion of diverse and priority populations, by co-designing research agendas, using inclusive recruitment strategies, increased support and capacity building for the sector and providing fair compensation.
• Build infrastructure/mechanisms for greater Consumer and Community Involvement (CCI), such as CCI networks and digital platforms.
• Monitor, evaluate and disseminate information about research impact to the broader community.
• Uphold and support implementation of the NHMRC Statement on CCI in health and medical research and the principles for consumer involvement, in all health and medical research.

Why we should do it

Meaningful involvement of community and consumers across all stages of health and medical research, from priority setting to translation, enhances the relevance, quality and impact of research outcomes, particularly for priority populations. Partnering with consumers and communities provides an opportunity to build trust in science and social licence for research.

What it could achieve

• Research that is shaped by, and benefits, the communities it affects.
• Consistent frameworks and training across institutions for inclusive research practices.
• Increased involvement of priority and underserved populations.
• Improved public trust and social licence in health and medical research.
• Research that addresses the social determinants of health and systemic barriers to reduce health disparities.
• Institutional and cultural transformation, including through recognition and reward systems for researchers who demonstrate excellence in community engagement.

Regional, Rural and Remote (RRR) health and medical research

How we could do it

• Establish methods to ensure RRR research is consistently included in priority setting initiatives and ensure that priority setting engages effectively and meaningfully with local communities.
• Coordinate Commonwealth, state and territory agencies to establish affirmative action for research conducted in, with and by RRR researchers and communities.
• Develop local infrastructure and services to support clinician researchers in RRR areas to increase the translation of research in ways that are appropriate and fit for purpose for the communities and settings they service.
• Ensure that grant assessment processes have balanced representation from RRR researchers.
• Promote and incentivise research collaborations with RRR researchers, particularly to extend access to clinical trials and translational research activities in the community.

Why we should do it

Approximately 7 million Australians (approximately 27% of the population) live in RRR areas, and, on average, they experience worse health outcomes and shorter life expectancy than other Australians.²⁴ There are multiple factors that contribute to health inequities for RRR populations, including poorer social determinants of health and reduced access to primary healthcare services.³⁷

While engaging in research has demonstrated benefits for health outcomes, undertaking research in RRR areas faces significant barriers including distance, constrained clinical services, a limited research workforce and limited access to research infrastructure.^38–42

Every RRR community in Australia is different and faces unique challenges in its degree of remoteness, health system capacity, demographics and healthcare needs. Therefore, research frameworks need to be adaptable and responsive to the specific needs of each community, with a focus on building and embedding enduring research capacity within the community and adopting smart approaches with new technological solutions to overcome vast distances.

What it could achieve

• Equitable research investment that helps to close long-standing gaps in health outcomes and research representation.
• Embedded local research capacity, ensuring that research expertise is grown and sustained within communities, rather than being externally driven or temporary.
• Community driven priorities for RRR research that reflect the real needs and values of local populations.
• Fit for purpose translation that works in real RRR settings.
• Fair representation in decision-making leading to more inclusive and context-aware funding decisions.
• Expanded access to innovation, including clinical trial access, will extend cutting edge research opportunities to RRR communities, improving health equity.

Focus area 3: Accelerate research and its translation to improve Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples’ health and wellbeing

• Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples’ ways of knowing, being and doing
• Translation and implementation
• Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander leadership and workforce capacity and capacity building

Overview

More community driven research led by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health and medical researchers and removal of structural inequities to research translation will improve Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health outcomes.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples’ ways of knowing, being and doing

Research shows that having Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander hands is the best model for positive health outcomes.⁴⁴ This is why it is vital to invest more into research and translation activities that are community led and designed. Commonwealth investment in Aboriginal health research has been increasing through dedicated funding from the NHMRC and MRFF.^45,46

Translation and implementation

The most recent report from the Productivity Commission on progress towards ‘Closing the Gap’ targets revealed that, while certain indicators were on track,  such as proportion of babies born with a healthy birthweight, others, such as childhood development and improving social and emotional wellbeing, have worsened.⁴⁷ More needs to be done to improve these indicators through innovative research and translation activities designed and led by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander leadership and workforce capacity and capability building

The sector has seen an increase in the number of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander chief investigators on research grants funded by the NHMRC and MRFF.⁴⁵,⁴⁸  More can be done to sustain the workforce by continued training and capability building of the next generation of experts. The achievements of the Lowitja Institute, Aboriginal community controlled health organisations (ACCHOs) and networks (e.g Our Collaborations in Health Research – OCHRe) require further support.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples' ways of knowing, being and doing

How we could do it

• Undertake ongoing reviews of the funding landscape for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health research to ensure investments are meeting needs.
  • This will be done in conjunction with the wider review of the health and medical research funding landscape (see Funding Enabling Initiative).
  • Design consistent funding processes across funding organisations that include data needed to monitor trends (e.g. Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander status of investigators).
• Create more pathways for community organisations to submit topics for grant opportunities such as NHMRC’s Targeted Calls for Research grant scheme.⁵²
• Better coordinate and align policies related to funding for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health research across government and with non-government funders. Ensure there is alignment with existing frameworks such as the NHMRC Road Map 3: A strategic framework for improving Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health through research.⁵³
• Foster grant opportunities in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health research that are:
  • Co-designed with community and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander researchers.
  • Embed processes that enable research to be successfully undertaken in community settings, such as the length of time and funding that is required to build relationships.
  • Adopt consistent approaches/criteria for researchers that outlines community leadership through genuine partnerships with relevant Aboriginal community organisations.

Why we should do it

Positive results are seen when Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander research is strengths-based and undertaken utilising the principles of self-determination and equity.^54–56 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander researchers have continued to call for grant processes to align with community needs, particularly taking into account the time and resources required to mobilise research in community settings.⁵⁷

What it could achieve

• More targeted priority setting processes with greater visibility and transparency for research that is led by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander researchers.
• Understanding areas that are being appropriately funded and areas of unmet need that may require greater resourcing.
• Identification of potential synergies across funders for consolidated funding opportunities that could achieve more impactful outcomes through collaborative projects and networks.
• Processes that are more aligned to the needs of the community, leading to better research outcomes that are easier to translate into policy and practice.
• More projects designed with community and genuine partnerships among researchers and community.

Translation and implementation

How we could do it

• Better coordinate research and translation activities with ‘Closing the Gap’ targets by:
  • Working with funders to ensure funding opportunities are clearly linked to ‘Closing the Gap’ priority areas, particularly areas that require further attention.
  • Encouraging processes among funders to better identify how all health and medical research improves the health and wellbeing of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples – a process currently being piloted by the NHMRC.⁶⁰
  • Closer monitoring of research activity and its contribution to progress on ‘Closing the Gap’ by working with agencies such as the Productivity Commission, the Lowitja Institute and other key Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health research organisations, including ACCHOs.
• Continue to grow investment in RTCs that focus on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health and work across Commonwealth, state and territory funders to build translation incentives into funding mechanisms.
• Design grant opportunities that focus on the translation and implementation of research by including a requirement to clearly articulate a feasible translation pathway, evidence of genuine partnerships with community and alignment with existing frameworks. Implement processes so funding agencies can monitor translation of funded projects to inform future grant opportunities.
• Design better mechanisms of sharing research and translation outcomes through networks and data sharing portals that can be easily accessed by researchers, funders and policymakers (see Focus Area 1 Collaborative platforms and networks).

Why we should do it

Investment in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health research has increased. It is now time to set processes in place to monitor and evaluate the impact of this research on the health and wellbeing of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples, and progress towards the ‘Closing the Gap’ targets, to inform future funding decisions.

What it could achieve

• Improved health and wellbeing outcomes in the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community through projects that are designed with feasible translation and implementation pathways.
• Leveraging effective elements of the Research Translation Centres
• Greater visibility of research achievements and translation outcomes, to reduce duplication and improve the design of new funding opportunities and research projects.
• Better alignment of health and medical research to ‘Closing the Gap’ targets.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander leadership and workforce capacity and capability building

How we could do it

• Increase understanding of the profile of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health and medical research workforce as part of the wider Australian Health and Medical Research Workforce Plan (see Workforce Enabling Initiative).
• Ensure there is sustained and sufficient investment in existing networks (e.g OCHRe) and for initiatives from the Lowitja Institute and ACCHOs that are having a positive impact in growing and developing the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander research workforce.
• Invest in innovative, cross-disciplinary health and medical research led by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander researchers and training programs to build skills in areas of translation, commercialisation and implementation science including as part of undergraduate and postgraduate degrees.
• Increase Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander leadership and capacity building educational pathways to support the development of future Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health and medical researchers (e.g. micro-credentials and fellowships).
• Appropriately acknowledge the experiences and diverse backgrounds of community-based researchers in the review of grant applications.
• Ensure community-based researchers receive fair recognition on research outputs through appropriate guidelines.

Why we should do it

Building the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander researcher workforce provides opportunities to incorporate Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander knowledges for innovative solutions to complex problems. Community-based researchers have an in-depth understanding of the issues that are important for the community. Growing the workforce will also relieve some burdens carried by the current workforce who face multiple demands and unique challenges.

What it could achieve

• A better understanding of the stories, settings, demographics and career paths of past and current Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander researchers so the National Strategy can elevate policies to reduce barriers to workforce entry and continue to build capacity and capability.
• Ongoing funding and resourcing of successful networks that ensures achievements to date will continue and grow.
• More innovative solutions and greater cross-disciplinary training for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people that is needed to ‘Close the Gap’ and deliver better outcomes for the community.
• Alignment of organisations that share a common goal to advance the future Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander workforce through education and employment opportunities.
• Acknowledgment of the diverse experiences of community-based researchers (so often different to other academic researchers) to ensure grant applications are reviewed and assessed equitably.
• Appropriate attribution of community-based researchers in research outputs as an important measure of research productivity, which will also aid the development of more diverse research careers.

Focus area 4: Drive impact through research translation, innovation and commercial solutions

• Research translation
• Industry integration and risk sharing
• Manufacturing and marketing

Overview

Mechanisms that incentivise and support research translation, commercialisation and industry growth will deliver economic gains, a robust biotech and medtech sector and health system capability, resilience and future preparedness.

Research translation

Strengthening organisational structures, policies, funding models and performance indicators to promote research-positive cultures will foster meaningful collaboration between researchers, clinicians and the community. These collaborations will embed research and translation expertise – particularly for regional, rural, remote and other underserved communities – and improve patient outcomes. At the same time, developing clear pathways for the validation, scaling and widespread uptake of evidence-based prevention and population health innovations will enhance efficiency and equity of the health system overall.

Industry integration and risk sharing

Identifying and implementing programs to share risk and harmonise regulatory, approval and procurement pathways will help drive industry investment and growth. These programs will build sovereign capability in the production and manufacture of medical diagnostics, devices and pharmaceuticals. In addition, increasing opportunities for research-industry exchanges, training and alternative career pathways for researchers will help to bridge academia and business. This will ensure Australia has the workforce it needs to support a strong and broad-based biotech and medtech sector into the future.

Manufacturing and marketing

Building on existing strategies and models to enhance Australia’s biotech and medtech manufacturing and marketing capacity will enable an increase in local production and export of Australian products to global markets. Focusing on building skills, expertise and collaboration from discovery research to market will strengthen Australia's health system and deliver benefits to the community and broader economy.

Research translation

How we could do it

• Continue to support and expand the operation of RTCs, especially those with a specific focus on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander, regional, rural and remote and underserved populations, harnessing the professional development support they can provide for clinician researchers.
• Leverage the work of other research translation initiatives underway in private practice, and across state, territory and local jurisdictions, acknowledging the importance of the specific needs of different communities and valuing differences of approach to the overall goal of improving health.
• Establish incentives and support mechanisms for public health, hospitals and health networks to embed LHS models that will grow research-positive cultures and systems, improve patient outcomes and provide high value, cost efficient care.
• Embed performance indicators for research within healthcare settings into existing funding arrangements to enhance implementation of research activity.

Why we should do it

• Accredited Australian RTCs have delivered benefits at both the community and national level by providing a base for local networks to drive implementation of research into practice and achieve better patient outcomes at the community level. RTCs also facilitate the sharing of expertise and experience at the national level. As currently configured RTCs are primarily place based. New opportunities exist to build on and expand the model to support broader translation initiatives for even greater impact.
• While Australia has made substantial investments in supporting research translation, widespread implementation of research findings and evidence-based prevention, treatment and therapeutic innovations remains a significant challenge, particularly for RRR areas, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health and underserved communities.
• There is evidence for the effectiveness of hub and spoke models that decentralise and extend translational activities and enable collaboration into a variety of settings, for example, teletrial designs that extend resources and upskill health care organisations into rural and remote areas.⁶⁵

What it could achieve

• More research projects implemented in health services.
• Increased delivery of high value, evidence-based care in healthcare settings.
• Greater impact of research, with more research moving into practice, improving patient outcomes and health system efficiency.
• Increased consumer and community engagement, aided by RTCs, embedding lived experience in all stages of the research endeavour.
• Increased research-intensive Australian healthcare services, regardless of where they are or the communities they serve.
• Development of training programs for the next generation of clinician-researchers, implementation scientists, and community partners.

Industry integration and risk sharing

How we could do it

• Consolidate and leverage existing research and development (R&D) funding and support initiatives to provide targeted, fit for purpose support for different health and medical products, modalities or interventions, with a focus on supporting innovators and startups at the early stages of development and commercialisation.
• Identify gaps and solutions to streamline regulatory pathways and reduce time to market.
• Work across government and with industry to identify optimal ways to support high-risk, high-reward innovation in strategically important areas of R&D where market conditions or capital constraints preclude private investment.
• Encourage and reward researcher movement across discipline and sector boundaries, including through translational fellowships and industry PhDs, to strengthen the bridge between academia and business.
• Enhance opportunities for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander capability building in entrepreneurship and commercialisation to support the growth of community led industries.
• Support the SERD process in mapping where government and industry action can make the greatest impact on health and medical research commercialisation to increase Australia’s market competitiveness.

Why we should do it

• More than 80% of Australian biotech and medtech companies are small and medium enterprises working in the early stages of translating research into commercial products.⁶⁷
• Companies face significant challenges moving through the ‘valleys of death’ from early stage research to large scale commercialisation (it can take 7–15 years and up to $2.5 billion to bring one biomedical product from early research to market).⁶⁷

• Access to capital is cited by businesses as the number one barrier to commercialisation in Australia.⁶⁸
• Australian companies continue to struggle to secure skilled staff – in 2021, MTPConnect identified key skills gaps across critical areas such as business operations, health economics and regulatory affairs, health data and cyber security.⁶⁹

What it could achieve

• Increased industrial capacity and capabilities.
• Increased investment in Australian startups and small to medium enterprises (SMEs).
• Increased local R&D presence of biotech and medtech multinationals in Australia.

Manufacturing and marketing

How we could do it

• Establish a central platform to provide consolidated, consistent and up to date information on intellectual property and commercialisation funding initiatives, training and support programs available for Australian innovators at all stages of the commercialisation pathway.
• Support and assist the actions outlined in the Medical Science Co-investment Plan⁷² for increasing industrial capacity and capabilities, supporting the commercialisation of high value products, and improving the international competitiveness of the Australian medical science and technology sector.
• Prioritise the development of sovereign capability and supply chain resilience by encouraging and incentivising local procurement of medical products where feasible.
• Continue to build on the innovation precinct model as a mechanism for embedding links between universities, hospitals, startups, and manufacturers that build expertise and capacity to manage and develop intellectual property across the entire value chain, from discovery research to manufacture and marketing.

Why we should do it

• Manufacturing capacity, streamlined regulatory pathways and access to national and international markets are key to securing sovereign capability, economic resilience and the growth of Australia’s biotech and medtech future.
• Limited access to a small number of local research and manufacturing facilities presents challenges to Australian innovators.⁷³
• Over 90% of prescription medicines and 97% of all diagnostic raw materials and components are imported into Australia.⁷⁴
• The Australian biotech and medtech sector is maturing and developing the key prerequisites for successful biotech and medtech precincts: infrastructure, access to skills, capital and market know-how; enterprise culture; positive regulatory and governance conditions; and competitive advantage.⁷⁵

What it could achieve

• More Australian made biotech and medtech products used in Australian healthcare and exported internationally, generating financial benefits and economic growth.
• Faster access to innovative therapies for Australian patients and faster response to health emergencies, including pandemics and antimicrobial resistance.
• Reduced reliance on imports for critical medicines, vaccines, diagnostics and biologics.
• Improved health equity through locally produced, affordable technologies.
• Expansion of Australian biotech and medtech industries into local and international markets.

Focus area 5: Position to be ready for future needs and challenges

• Emerging technology
• Environmental sustainability
• Global partnerships

Overview

Knowledge exchange and harnessing AI will ensure Australia has capacity, trust in science and sovereign capability to monitor and address global risks and opportunities. This capability will support Australia to face future health and environmental challenges and to be a strong contributor to global and regional partnerships.

Emerging technology

Building capability in emerging technologies is essential for a high performing health and medical research ecosystem. These technologies ensure that research remains fit for purpose, responsive to future challenges and well positioned to seize new opportunities.

Innovations such as gene and cell therapies and genomic medicine hold transformative potential for addressing some of Australia’s most pressing health issues. In parallel, advances in therapeutic approaches, AI and digital health play an increasingly critical role in drug discovery, diagnostics, clinical decision-making and enhancing healthcare delivery and access.

AI and digital health tools can further improve healthcare outcomes by streamlining clinical workflows, supporting patient engagement, promoting equitable access and advancing health literacy across diverse populations.

Environmental sustainability

Integrating environmentally sustainable practices into research design, infrastructure and operations reduces the ecological footprint of research and aligns with broader public health goals.

By adopting sustainable procurement practices, minimising waste and investing in green technologies, the research community can lead by example – demonstrating that scientific advancement and environmental stewardship can go hand in hand. This approach supports long term health outcomes by protecting the ecosystems that underpin community wellbeing.

Global partnerships

Global partnerships are vital to advancing health and medical research, sharing knowledge and expertise across borders. In an increasingly interconnected world, health challenges such as pandemics, antimicrobial resistance, chronic and rare diseases require coordinated, collaborative responses that no single country can address alone. Collaboration accelerates scientific discovery, facilitates access to diverse populations and data sets and supports the development of globally relevant solutions. Strengthening these partnerships enhances resilience, innovation and preparedness for future needs and challenges.

Emerging technology

How we could do it

• Harness AI capabilities, advanced technology infrastructure and manufacturing capabilities for health and medical research through a nationally coordinated policy approach. This will be achieved by aligning efforts across jurisdictions and with industry to build an integrated ecosystem to support cutting edge research, accelerate technology adoption and strengthen domestic production capabilities.
• Define and implement policy frameworks that give appropriate protections for sensitive and valuable health and medical research data. These frameworks will address data governance, privacy, security and ethical use, to enable responsible data sharing and collaboration across jurisdictions.
• Engage with international horizon scanning initiatives to proactively identify and leverage emerging technologies and AI in health and medical research.

Why we should do it

• Advanced technologies and AI are rapidly evolving, presenting both opportunities and challenges for the health system and research environment. It is important that the Australian health system adapts to take advantage of the benefits of AI, while balancing necessary protections to ensure safety and privacy.
• It is estimated that globally, AI in the healthcare market is expected to reach USD67.4 billion by 2027, growing at a compound annual growth rate of 46%.⁷⁷
• The Commonwealth and many states and territories have or are implementing health identifiers and digital patient records. Digital technologies are easing pressure on health services and, through data sharing, informing evidence-based decision making.
• Australians, as early adopters, are already on track to embrace emerging technologies. The National Digital Health Survey (2021)⁷⁸ revealed consumers intend to increase their use of digital health in the future for self-servicing tasks such as booking healthcare appointments online or accessing electronic health records and prescriptions.
• Embedding digital technologies offers advantages for health services, such as:
  • Real time access to patient health data and information across different healthcare settings and borders, to support immediate, evidence-based clinical decision making;
  • providing patients with access and control of their own health data;
  • distributing digitally enabled patient screening and medication alerts; and
  • generating data-driven insights for better practice planning, resourcing and continuous quality improvements.
• Despite the benefits, Australians are not yet equitably benefiting. Health providers and consumers have differing access to, and experience with, current and emerging digital technologies.

What it could achieve

• Position Australia as a global leader in AI and innovation, accelerating the translation of cutting edge research into practical applications.
• A secure and interoperable data environment supporting innovation while safeguarding public trust.

Environmental sustainability

How we could do it

• Embed targeted policy initiatives and cross-sector engagement to reduce the environmental impacts of health and medical research by communicating and promoting the benefits of modern, responsive and adaptable research practices that improve environmental impacts of research on people, organisations and society.
• Consider the impact of health and health system outcomes on climate change, as a focus of research priority setting processes.
• Incorporate Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander knowledge systems, innovations and practices into sustainable health and medical research practices, through engagement and co-design.

Why we should do it

• People in Australia are experiencing the impacts of climate change on their health. The increasing frequency, intensity and duration of extreme weather events is leading to more deaths, disease and injury, and adversely impacting mental health and wellbeing.⁸¹

• In 2023, the Australian Government launched the first ever National Health and Climate Strategy,⁸² with 4 core objectives:

     1. health system resilience;

     2. health system decarbonisation;

     3. international collaboration;

     4. health in all policies.

  Consistent with these objectives, Australian health and medical research can support health, climate-resilient and sustainable communities through the work practices of the health and medical research ecosystem.

• International funders of health and medical research are implementing progressive policies and commitments to environmental responsibility.

What it could achieve

• Recognising and mitigating environmental impact across all facets of health and medical research as an integral part of research culture.
• Prioritising research into health and health system impacts of climate change and how these challenges can be addressed going forward.
• Adopting sustainability adopted as a core research ethic, including by incorporating generations of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander knowledge and practices.

Global partnerships

How we could do it

• Work to define global health and health security as issues of high priority to Australia and regional neighbours. Identifying and addressing trans-boundary health threats that are a risk to national and regional stability will allow health system strengthening, surveillance programs and preparedness policies to be developed in collaboration with global and regional partners.
• Support pathways of collaboration, capacity strengthening and knowledge exchange to draw on international expertise aligned with Australian priorities. This will be achieved through enduring bilateral and multilateral relationships and agreements.

Why are we doing it

• Regional partnerships are critical to improve health security and to develop and implement solutions for disease prevention, treatment and emergency response to global health challenges.
• There is already a high level of international engagement of Australian health and medical researchers:
  • International mobility is particularly common among health and medical researchers, with 35% moving to Australia for a research job and 44% having worked overseas at some point in their careers.⁸⁸ This mobility and engagement enhances Australia's participation in global scientific networks and collaboration.
  • At the global level, the share of publications representing international collaboration has increased from 4.7% in 1980 to 25.7% in 2021.⁸⁹
• Strategic collaborations towards internationally shared health priorities aligns with the Commonwealth’s Medical Science Co-investment Plan⁷². The Plan aims to capture more value from Australia's world leading medical science sector by increasing industry capability and capacity, supporting commercialisation and improving our international competitiveness.

What it could achieve

• Strengthening Australia's position as a global contributor to positive health outcomes.
• Increased leadership roles for Australia in regional health governance and strategic investment, coordinating action that addresses health threats and priorities across borders.
• Increased capacity of our regional and global partners to address complex health and medical research challenges arising from Australian engagement and partnerships.

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