Joint announcement from QUT & ARDC:
A project to create a secure, collaborative platform to reshape health data research and analytics in Australia, will be established by Queensland University of Technology (QUT) leading an Australian Data Science Network team in partnership with the Australian Research Data Commons (ARDC).
As part of its Advanced Analytics in Healthcare initiative, ARDC has partnered with the Australian Data Science Network (ADSN) team — comprising researchers from QUT, Curtin University and the University of Technology Sydney, to develop an Advanced Analytics and AI Resource Hub.
Delivered through ARDC’s People Research Data Commons, the Hub will provide health researchers and professionals with advanced analytics tools, rich data cataloguing, and integrated access to sensitive health data via trusted, scalable national infrastructure.
The $750,000 (cash & in-kind) project is the second stage of ARDC’s effort to transform Australia’s health data research infrastructure.
Phase one of the program was completed in 2024 and engaged Australia’s research community through surveys and workshops to identify key health data analytics infrastructure needs. This project advances ARDC’s Thematic Research Data Commons to provide long-term, enduring digital infrastructure tailored to Australia’s research priorities. It marks a significant step toward building a more connected, ethical, and effective health data ecosystem across Australia.
QUT Distinguished Professor Kerrie Mengersen, who is leading the ADSN team, said they had heard what the researchers had reported through their ideas, concerns, and needs during phase one of the project.
“Now we aim to take that input and create something truly special: a resource hub that reflects the real-world challenges and aspiration of the health research community,” Professor Mengersen said.
The project addresses a growing challenge in health research: the sensitive nature of health data often results in siloed, locally stored datasets. Modern data science and AI, including machine learning, depend on large-scale, integrated data environments. This initiative will also provide socio-technical resources such as guidelines for the responsible use of data and AI, aligned with both the FAIR data principles (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable data) and the CARE Principles for Indigenous Data Governance (Collective Benefit, Authority to Control, Responsibility, and Ethics).
ARDC director Dr Adrian Burton said advanced analytics and AI represented the leading edge of health research.
“In a fast-moving technology space, health and bio-medical researchers are looking for a tested, curated set of tools, guides, and resources so they can quickly harness the power of AI and modelling in their work,” Dr Burton said.
“Australia’s healthcare system and ultimately all of us who use it will be the beneficiaries. ARDC is very enthusiastic about this partnership with QUT and the Australian Data Science Network.”
The Advanced Analytics and AI Resource Hub received investment (https://doi.org/10.3565/86fq-nf08) from the Australian Research Data Commons (ARDC) through its People Research Data Commons. The ARDC is enabled by the National Collaborative Research Infrastructure Strategy (NCRIS).