This diagram shows the overall complexity of Australia's health research, translation and impact (RTI) system. It details key functions and stakeholders of our national health system.

Please note, it is not intended to be exhaustive or to indicate the scale or relationships of organisations or functions. A glossary of abbreviations is available after the diagram.

Health research, translation and impact ecosystem

Government Sector

State/Territory Government:

  • Departments of health
  • Primary Health Networks
  • Local Hospital Networks
  • Public hospitals (for example, emergency departments, outpatient care)
  • Community health centres
  • Rural and remote services
  • Ambulance and patient transport
  • Palliative care
  • Specialist services (for example, alcohol and drug treatment, mental health)
  • Residential and aged care
  • Aboriginal Medical Services
  • Health promotion, immunisation, vaccination
  • Regulation, including food safety and premises inspections
  • Screening programs, pathology

Australian Government:

  • Departments: for example, Health and Aged Care, Industry, Science and Resources Health services funders (such as, Medicare, PBS, NDIA, NIAA, NHFB)
  • Regulators (for example, TGA, NBA, FSANZ, AHPRA, ACSQHC, ACEQA, NMI, IP Australia, ARPANSA)
  • Screening programs and immunisation Quarantine
  • Australian Centre for Disease Control
  • Data (for example, ABS, AIHW, AIFS, ADHA)
  • Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health (for example, NIAA, AIATSIS)
  • Veterans health care
  • Research organisations (for example, CSIRO, ANSTO)
  • Research Funding
  • Competitive grants (for example, NHMRC, ARC)
  • Other programs (for example, MRFF, BTF, RDTI, RBG, NCRIS, ASC, MRCI)

Research Sector

  • Universities: for example, Group of Eight (Go8) (including Medical schools), Australian Technology Network (ATN), Innovative Research Universities (IRU), Regional Universities Network (RUN)
  • Medical research institutes: for example, Australian Association of Medical Research Institutes (AAMRI), Other MRIS
  • Research infrastructure: for example, NCRIS facilities (such as, ACDP, BPA, EMBL, NIF, PA, TIA)
  • Research translation: for example, RTC, CRC
  • Clinical registries: for example, Clinical trials, organ transplantation
  • Peak bodies: for example, Research Australia, Universities Australia, CRCA, AHRA
  • Learned academies: for example, AAHMS, AAS, ATSE
  • Associations: for example, ASMR, FASTS
  • Data and ICT: for example, HeSANDA, RDII, CDL
  • Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health: for example, Lowitja Institute, OCHRe

Not-for-profit sector

  • Hospitals
  • Professional associations: for example, AMA, AHHA, AHPA
  • Consumer advocacy: for example, Consumers Health Forum, Health Care Consumers' Association, Australian Patients' Association
  • Community groups
  • Volunteer groups
  • Peak bodies
  • Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health: for example, NACCHO, IAHA
  • Philanthropy: for example, Cancer Councils, charitable foundations
  • Services: for example, Lifeblood
  • Health insurers

Business Sector

  • Medical practitioners: for example, General Practice, specialist services (such as, anaesthetists, ob/gyn, ENT, cardiology, oncology, psychiatry, dermatology)
  • Private hospitals
  • Dental
  • Allied health: for example, physiotherapy, optometry, speech pathology, psychologists, dietitians, occupational health, podiatrists
  • Aged and residential care
  • Health insurers
  • Training providers / colleges
  • Peak bodies
  • Pathology: for example, laboratories, collection centres
  • Imaging and diagnostic
  • Pharmacies
  • Pharmaceuticals and Biotech
  • Medical devices and equipment
  • Digital Health
  • Research translation: for example, incubators and entrepreneurship support, venture capital, commercialisation advisors, Intellectual Property management, regulation advice, SME and startups, MTP Connect
  • Contract research organisations

International

Multinational:

  • United Nations (for example, UNICEF, UNFPA, UNAIDS)
  • World Health Organisation (WHO) European Commission (for example, Framework Programme)

National:

  • National governments and health systems
  • National health research funders (for example, US NIH, UK MRC, Canada CIHR, Japan AMED)

Not-for-profit:

  • Philanthropy (for example, Gates Foundation, Wellcome Trust)
  • Initiatives (for example, MSF, GHC, CEPI, GPEI, IPPF, Gavi)

Glossary of abbreviations

AbbreviationFull name
AAHMSAustralian Academy of Health and Medical Sciences
AASAustralian Academy of Science
ABSAustralian Bureau of Statistics
ACDPAustralian Centre for Disease Preparedness
ACEQAAustralian Children's Education and Care Quality Authority
ACSQHCAustralian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care
ADHAAustralian Digital Health Agency
AHHAAustralian Healthcare and Hospitals Association
AHPAAllied Health Professions Australia
AHPRAAustralian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency
AHRAAustralian Health Research Alliance
AIATSISAustralian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies
AIFSAustralian Institute of Family Studies
AIHWAustralian Institute of Health and Welfare
AMAAustralian Medical Association
AMEDAgency for Medical Research and Development
ANSTOAustralian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation
ARCAustralian Research Council
ARPANSAAustralian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Agency
ASCAustralian Sports Commission
ASMRAustralian Society for Medical Research
ATSEAustralian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering
BPABioplatforms Australia
BTFBiotechnology Translation Fund
CDLCentre for Data Linkage
CEPICoalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations
CIHRCanadian Institute for Health Research
CRCCooperative Research Centres program
CRCACooperative Research Centres Association
CSIROCommonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation
EMBLEuropean Molecular Biology Laboratory
FASTSFederation of Australian Scientific and Technological Societies
FSANZFood Standards Australia New Zealand
GHCGlobal Humanitarian Challenge
GPEIGlobal Polio Eradication Initiative
HeSANDAHealth Studies Australian National Data Asset
IAHAIndigenous Allied Health Australia
IPPFInternational Planned Parenthood Federation
MRCMedical Research Council
MRCIMedical Research Commercialisation Initiative
MRFFMedical Research Future Fund
MSFMédecins Sans Frontières
NACCHONational Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation
NBANational Blood Authority
NCRISNational Collaborative Research Infrastructure Strategy
NDIANational Disability Insurance Agency
NHFBNational Hospitals Funding Body
NHMRCNational Health and Medical Research Council
NIAANational Indigenous Australians Agency
NIFNational Imaging Facility
NIHNational Institutes of Health
NMINational Measurement Institute
PAPhenomics Australia
PBSPharmaceutical Benefits Scheme
RBGResearch Block Grants
RDIIResearch Data Infrastructure Initiative
RDTIR&D Tax Incentive
RTCResearch Translation Centres
SMESmall and medium enterprises
TGATherapeutic Goods Administration
TIATherapeutic Innovation Australia
UNAIDSJoint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS
UNFPAUnited Nations Population Fund,
UNICEFUnited Nations Children's Fund,