A new $4m project bringing together the aged care industry with top research institutions will place South Australia at the forefront of the health and ageing sector.

The Healthy Ageing project will overhaul the way information is collected, linked and used, to improve health services and reduce hospital admissions for older South Australians.

Funded through the State Government’s Research Consortia Program, the $4 million project will directly result in the creation of 14 new jobs, including three post-doctoral researcher appointments and two PhD positions.

A research consortium, led by the South Australian Academic Health Science and Translation Centre (SA Centre), will develop a registry that will – for the first time – gather data about individuals to allow service providers, industry, researchers and policy makers to improve healthcare systems and programs and find new ways to address the needs and preferences of older people.

The consortium will seek to attract manufacturers, industry and potential investors into South Australia; supporting emerging growth sectors including medical devices, software for health improvement and mobile sensor applications in order to drive greater economic opportunities and job creation for the state.
 

Background
 

The SA Centre is one of four Advanced Health Research and Translation Centres that have been recognised by the National Health and Medical Research Council as being amongst the world’s best for using medical research to improve patient care.

Membership of the research consortium includes some of the state’s top research institutions and industry partners, including South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute (SAHMRI), SA Health, Flinders University, University of South Australia and the University of Adelaide, Silver Chain, Helping Hand, ECH, Council of the Ageing South Australia, Adelaide Primary Health Network, Country SA Primary Health Network, Health Consumers Alliance of SA and SA NT DataLink.

The Research Consortia Program is part of the Premier’s Research and Industry Fund, which provides funding for significant research collaborations between universities, research organisations, government and industry to tackle major challenges in areas of critical need or strategic importance for South Australia and promote innovative and leading-edge research solutions.