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
| Abbreviation | Full name |
|---|---|
| AAHMS | Australian Academy of Health and Medical Sciences |
| AAS | Australian Academy of Science |
| ABS | Australian Bureau of Statistics |
| ACDP | Australian Centre for Disease Preparedness |
| ACEQA | Australian Children's Education and Care Quality Authority |
| ACSQHC | Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care |
| ADHA | Australian Digital Health Agency |
| AHHA | Australian Healthcare and Hospitals Association |
| AHPA | Allied Health Professions Australia |
| AHPRA | Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency |
| AHRA | Australian Health Research Alliance |
| AIATSIS | Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies |
| AIFS | Australian Institute of Family Studies |
| AIHW | Australian Institute of Health and Welfare |
| AMA | Australian Medical Association |
| AMED | Agency for Medical Research and Development |
| ANSTO | Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation |
| ARC | Australian Research Council |
| ARPANSA | Australian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Agency |
| ASC | Australian Sports Commission |
| ASMR | Australian Society for Medical Research |
| ATSE | Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering |
| BPA | Bioplatforms Australia |
| BTF | Biotechnology Translation Fund |
| CDL | Centre for Data Linkage |
| CEPI | Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations |
| CIHR | Canadian Institute for Health Research |
| CRC | Cooperative Research Centres program |
| CRCA | Cooperative Research Centres Association |
| CSIRO | Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation |
| EMBL | European Molecular Biology Laboratory |
| FASTS | Federation of Australian Scientific and Technological Societies |
| FSANZ | Food Standards Australia New Zealand |
| GHC | Global Humanitarian Challenge |
| GPEI | Global Polio Eradication Initiative |
| HeSANDA | Health Studies Australian National Data Asset |
| IAHA | Indigenous Allied Health Australia |
| IPPF | International Planned Parenthood Federation |
| MRC | Medical Research Council |
| MRCI | Medical Research Commercialisation Initiative |
| MRFF | Medical Research Future Fund |
| MSF | Médecins Sans Frontières |
| NACCHO | National Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation |
| NBA | National Blood Authority |
| NCRIS | National Collaborative Research Infrastructure Strategy |
| NDIA | National Disability Insurance Agency |
| NHFB | National Hospitals Funding Body |
| NHMRC | National Health and Medical Research Council |
| NIAA | National Indigenous Australians Agency |
| NIF | National Imaging Facility |
| NIH | National Institutes of Health |
| NMI | National Measurement Institute |
| PA | Phenomics Australia |
| PBS | Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme |
| RBG | Research Block Grants |
| RDII | Research Data Infrastructure Initiative |
| RDTI | R&D Tax Incentive |
| RTC | Research Translation Centres |
| SME | Small and medium enterprises |
| TGA | Therapeutic Goods Administration |
| TIA | Therapeutic Innovation Australia |
| UNAIDS | Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS |
| UNFPA | United Nations Population Fund, |
| UNICEF | United Nations Children's Fund, |