About Western Alliance

What is Western Alliance?

Western Alliance is the first Australian academic health science centre to focus on regional health outcomes.

We are a collaborative of 11 member organisations located across the Barwon/Southwest and Grampians regions of western Victoria. Members include regional and sub-regional public health services and hospitals, the Western Victoria Primary Health Network and Deakin and Federation Universities.

Our purpose is to improve community health and wellbeing by supporting our members to generate translational research and apply research evidence in their practice.

In recognition of our expertise in translating health and medical research into improved health care in regional and rural areas, the Western Alliance Academic Health Science Centre has been fully accredited as a Research Translation Centre by the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC). 

About Research Translation Centres

The National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) has recognised leading centres of collaboration in Australia that excel in the provision of research-based health care and training through the Research Translation Centre Initiative since 2014.  The aim of the Initiative is to encourage excellent health research and translation in Australia by bringing together researchers, healthcare providers, education and training to improve the health and well-being of patients and the populations they serve.

The objective of the Research Translation Centre Initiative is to improve the health and wellbeing of patients and communities through the translation of research into healthcare by:

  • Promoting health service leadership in research and research translation that addresses priorities directly relevant to health services and the populations the centre serves
  • Strengthening collaboration between health services and research institutions to ensure research is co-designed and relevant
  • Delivering training and education, and building research and research translation capacity and capability.

Accredited Research Translation Centres work both independently and collaboratively to drive improvements in health services and clinical trials in Australia. They also work effectively with end-users of research, ensuring that their research is informed by a range of perspectives and identified needs.

NHMRC recognises the valuable role that the NHMRC-accredited Research Translation Centres play in supporting the research translation into healthcare locally, as well as across Australia.

Research Translation Centres collaborate nationally as the Australian Health Research Alliance.

NHMRC-accredited Research Translation Centres

There are 12 NHMRC-accredited Research Translation Centres in Australia: