A message from our CEO
Annette Schmiede

As Spring brings some welcome warm weather to Sydney, the iconic Harbour Ferries are filling up again - it really must be the best way in the world to get to the office!  

The last few months have seen the second Albanese Government settle in with new Minister Tim Ayres in the Department of Industry Science and Resources. We have also seen a new assistant minister, Andrew Charlton, appointed with Data and Digital in his portfolio. This is welcome news for the Digital Health CRC, as we operate within this Industry portfolio and are well-positioned to make the case for the health care sector’s vital role in productivity improvement and the opportunities for the Australian digital health technology sector to grow and expand both locally and globally. The global success of Harrison.ai, a home-grown company deploying AI tools to support clinical diagnosis, is a testament to this reality.   

We are also seeing R&D as top of the political and business agenda, a rare occurrence, I would say, in my many decades of working in the health and research sectors. The productivity challenges facing the Australian economy have been well prosecuted over recent months. In this context, it is encouraging to see the contribution of R&D recognised in addressing this productivity challenge. 

However, despite the talk, the reality is our investment in R&D is in terminal decline. The Strategic Examination of Research & Development (SERD) notes that our investment in R&D has steadily decreased over the last 15 years to 1.66% of GDP – just 60% of the OECD average.  

The SERD issues papers are currently open for consultation. They present the case for the importance of R&D in boosting productivity and addressing the complex challenges facing Australia into the future.  

One of these complex areas is healthcare. An ageing population that requires more frequent and complex care and the growing prevalence of chronic disease is putting unprecedented strain on our health system and ultimately the economy. Research to generate new insights and understanding, and development focused on applying those insights to produce practical solutions or commercial opportunities to improve outcomes and the health of current and future generations.   

We clearly see access to data and mobilizing digital technologies playing a key role in this discussion. 

The draft National Health & Medical Research Strategy 2026–2036, released for consultation earlier this month, strongly agreed and supported the role of data and advanced technology as a fundamental asset to enable a successful health and medical research ecosystem. It sees building capability in emerging technologies, AI and data, that is accessible and linked, as essential building blocks, and we couldn’t agree more.  

These are significant Reviews that have the potential to reshape the future of R&D in healthcare and the broader economy, and as part of our role, we will continue to advocate and contribute to these national discussions. To this end, you can read more below on the virtual workshop we co-hosted with Research Australia to bring together key stakeholders to discuss these in further detail and explore how a unified national coordinated approach could strengthen data-driven healthcare. 

Our unique ability to bring together industry, government, and universities positions us strongly to be a leading voice in this critical R&D discussion. We have seen how powerful this collaborative approach is in practice. A good example of this ability to bring all stakeholders together is our work in aged care.  

Building upon the work of the Aged Care Data Compare (ACDC) flagship project, the DHCRC is now investing in the development of a production-ready SMART on FHIR Quality Indicator Tool to demonstrate the feasibility of a solution for standardising the data collected for the functional assessment of older Australians and generating evidence-based quality indicators.  

We are calling this solution Kinnexus. You can read more below and sign up to stay informed, but beyond the tech, what is really exciting is the first-hand feedback we are getting from aged care workers about the potential time savings this tool presents, collecting information once and using many times, and the opportunity to deliver better, more timely reporting to government. 

We need practical, translatable, and collaborative initiatives like this. Blueprints, roadmaps, and discussion papers are important, but only when they serve a clear purpose – setting a clear direction toward a better future.  

We need to move from this current state of under investment in R&D, which is too often characterised by fragmented efforts, duplication, and short-term funding, to a future state where we have shared priorities, reduced inefficiencies, and, most critically of all, in my view, national leadership, agreed priorities, and coordination across Federal and State governments.  

As I said, there is a lot going on in the world of R&D, and it is energising to be working together to ensure our courses are set for a bright future. 

Latest News 

The Digital Health CRC has released a landmark report calling for a national blueprint to transform how Australia uses health and medical data. The report maps the current and medical data ecosystem and highlights five key observations preventing our data from reaching its full potential, from fragmented infrastructure and limited discoverability to a lack of long-term investment and national coordination.

DHCRC CEO Annette Schmiede says Australia is at a crossroads: “We have the opportunity to set a global benchmark for data-driven healthcare, but we need a unified, long-term strategy now.” The report calls for national leadership, strategic consolidation, and a person-centred approach to data to drive innovation, research, and better health outcomes for all Australians.

Driving Innovation Through Policy Demonstrators and Standardisation 

DHCRC is urging the sector to rally behind standardised assessments for older Australians. Standardisation creates a consistent framework for evaluating health, wellbeing, and support needs, reducing duplication, ensuring equity, and enabling providers, families, and governments to plan with a shared “common language.” For older Australians, this means fewer repetitive assessments and more coordinated care. 

For providers, standardisation is not a compliance burden but a catalyst for innovation and leadership. Shared benchmarks allow providers to compare performance, identify gaps, and demonstrate value. By embracing consistency, they can position themselves as forward-thinking, person-centred organisations while unlocking new pathways for commercialisation and sector growth. 

Communique: Long-term Strategic Guidance of Australia’s Digital Health and Health Data Infrastructure

On 5 June 2025, Research Australia and Digital Health CRC united government, industry, and research leaders for a pivotal virtual workshop on the future of Australia’s health and medical data. With 25 representatives from 18 organisations, the event tackled one of the nation’s biggest challenges: how to build a nationally coordinated health data infrastructure to power world-leading research, innovation, and better health outcomes for all Australians.

The discussion revealed a strong, shared commitment to a unified national framework, one that breaks down silos, ensures secure and ethical access to data, builds public trust, and drives long-term investment. Participants agreed that only a coordinated, system-wide approach can unlock the full potential of health data as a critical national asset, shaping the future of healthcare, research, and economic growth.

Education Update

AI is reshaping societies worldwide and Australia is no exception. Dr Nick Marlow’s reflections from the UNESCO Global Forum on the Ethics of AI highlight pressing challenges and opportunities: workforce upskilling, government AI literacy, civil society inclusion, and proactive regulation. His insights underscore how global lessons can guide Australia’s next steps. 

Three DHCRC scholarship holders from Western Sydney University, Fahmida Rahman, Sinead Day, and Rebekah Rankin, are making an impact with pioneering research in their fields.

Fahmida Rahman has brought national attention to the hidden costs of residential fires. Her PhD, supported by Fire and Rescue NSW and DHCRC, developed economic cost models revealing the wide-ranging impacts of fires, from health service demand to the burden of lives lost. Find out more

Residential treatment is a new option in Australia’s continuum of care for eating disorders, sitting between outpatient and inpatient treatment. Sinead Day’s evaluation of the first residential facility, Wandi Nerida, found that it reduced symptoms and outperformed a hospital day programme, with benefits lasting up to six months. Participants valued the recovery-focused environment, community, and support from staff with lived experience. Through interviews, Rebekah Rankin explored perspectives of patients, parents, and staff, highlighting the importance of communication, collaboration, and building a supportive ‘village’ around recovery. Find out more

Connect on LinkedIn: Fahmida Rahman, Rebekah Rankin, Sinead Day

Happy New Financial Year! Early Bird offer: Effective Telehealth Delivery microlearning for just $45

Digital health is transforming the way care is delivered, and building your skills has never been easier. The following free, accessible courses are designed to help you strengthen your knowledge and apply it directly in your work.

Start small with the University of Melbourne’s Microlearning: How to structure data for meaningful insights. This five-minute interactive module introduces a structured framework for tackling problems, preparing data effectively, and extracting insights that support informed decision-making.

For a deeper dive, the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, Graduate School of Healthcare Management, offers AI in Healthcare, exploring the opportunities, challenges, and ethical considerations of artificial intelligence in clinical settings.

Closer to home, the Australian Digital Health Agency has developed an Introductory Course on Clinical Safety in Digital Health. In just 90 minutes, participants will gain an understanding of clinical risks, safety standards, and regulations in an Australian context. The course is interactive, includes assessment, and is endorsed for 1.5 CHIA CPD Points.

These resources are free to access and designed to support ongoing professional development.

Project Spotlight

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples experience some of the highest rates of chronic illness in Australia, yet many digital health tools fail to engage because they aren’t built with culture, trust, or community needs in mind.

A new collaborative DHCRC project is underway with iyarn and the University of Technology Sydney, who will be working with the Heart Research Institute – Djuarli Centre, and Indigenous-owned agency NGNY. Through co-design, they will create a culturally informed onboarding process for the iyarn platform – embedding Indigenous knowledge systems, plain-language consent, and data sovereignty from the start.

The Northern Territory Project: Optimising digital solutions to improve access to comprehensive Primary Health Care services in remote Indigenous communities

Access to comprehensive Primary Health Care (CPHC) in remote Indigenous communities is often limited, but digital technology can help change that. This collaborative Digital Health CRC Project is working with communities, health services, and researchers to explore how digital solutions can be developed and used in ways that are culturally safe, integrated, and scalable to support better access to care.

Taking a phased and inclusive approach, the project aims to strengthen existing CPHC models while creating opportunities to deliver health services in ways that meet the needs and priorities of local communities. By combining technology with community knowledge and collaboration, this initiative seeks to improve access to essential health care in some of Australia’s most remote regions.

Upcoming Events

The National Innovation Policy Forum brings together Australian innovation leaders from business, research and boundary-spanning entities that foster industry-research collaboration with policymakers and parliamentarians to tackle common challenges.

• When: 3 November, 2025 – 7:30am – 1pm
• Where: National Press Club, 16 National Circuit, Barton, ACT

• 3 February – Face to Face, The University of Sydney
• 4 February – Face to Face, The University of Queensland
• 5 February – Face to Face, The University of Melbourne, and The University of Sydney

Digital Health Week is an opportunity for anyone interested in digital health to share research and ideas. It is designed to be both informative, provocative, and a showcase of the innovative work being undertaken in digital health in NSW, Victoria, and Queensland. It will bring together researchers, health services, industry, and the community to build person-centred eHealth collaborations. In 2026, we will once again be delivering an innovative program in partnership with the University of Queensland, University of Melbourne, and University of New South Wales.