The Digital Health Cooperative Research Center (DHCRC) has received an 18-month unfunded extension to integrate its research, education, translation and commercialization programs.
The initial seven-year term of the DHCRC’s Commonwealth funding agreement was scheduled to end on June 30, 2025. The extension by the Department of Industry, Science and Resources (DISR) allows the DHCRC to continue until December 31, 2026.
“The DHCRC was established in July 2018 to ensure Australia realizes the full potential of digital health and the effective use of data to support connected care and evidence-based healthcare,” said Annette Schmiede, CEO of the DHCRC.
“At that time, the healthcare sector faced major challenges: a rapidly aging population, rising costs of medical procedures, changing consumer expectations and an increasing incidence of chronic diseases.”
Innovation amid change and challenges
“When the DHCRC was founded, no one anticipated the abrupt changes that a global pandemic would force on the healthcare sector and the economy in general. COVID-19 presented challenges but also significant opportunities for the adoption of digital technologies to deliver virtual care. Research was delayed as all resources were deployed to address the pandemic. But it has also demonstrated in real time the extraordinary benefits digital health can provide in improving health outcomes for all Australians.”
The DHCRC works with 64 participating organizations from government, academia and industry that are at the forefront of digital health technology innovation. 44 research and development projects are currently being implemented and a further 21 have been completed. These research projects are often complex, with multiple parties and ambitious goals.
“Specifically, these are often groundbreaking initiatives that span the broad spectrum of digital health in critical focus areas, including sustainability and equity, data and analytics, and virtual care. Viewed holistically, these projects provide insights into the trends and issues affecting the broader healthcare sector,” said Schmiede.
Supporting digital health leaders
An equally important challenge that the DHCRC is addressing is the need to upskill current and future health workers, the center said in a statement. This is crucial to ensure that technological innovations are put into practice and widely used.
“The planned end date of our Commonwealth Agreement meant that the timeline for most recent projects was limited. This unfunded extension will enable us to complete our research pipeline, bring these digital health initiatives into practice, support the growth of Australia’s digital health technology sector and continue to support the digital health leaders of tomorrow,” Schmiede said.