A coalition of nine prominent universities, in collaboration with industry partners, is set to address critical challenges faced by the healthcare sector. Spearheaded by the RMIT-Cisco Health Transformation Lab, the National Industry Innovation Network (NIIN) Health Alliance aims to leverage top-tier intellect, cutting-edge technology, industry expertise, and academic resources to tackle pressing industry and societal issues through technology-driven innovation.
Professor Vishaal Kishore, the Executive Chair of the RMIT-Cisco Health Transformation Lab, emphasized that the alliance will fortify their mission to identify, pilot, and prototype technology-driven solutions capable of reshaping the health sector. Kishore stressed the crucial role of technology and digitization in addressing health equity concerns, bolstering resilience against internal and external threats such as pandemics and cyber attacks, optimizing workforce management, and overall improvement of the healthcare sector.
The ongoing collaboration between RMIT and Cisco has already yielded transformative solutions, including advanced prototyping studios with devices and sensors to detect falls in aged care, real-time monitoring of hazards and behavioral risks, and a robotic dog capable of performing manual tasks.
“This alliance will accelerate the collaborative creation of technology-driven approaches to improve how we care for people and how we manage one of the largest workforces and information systems in the Asia-Pacific region,” stated Kishore.
Reg Johnson, Director of Education and Strategic Industries at Cisco, underscored that the NIIN Health Alliance will empower a future driven by digital innovation, where applied workforce skills and leading-edge innovation can address key national and regional challenges. The collaboration deepens ties between Cisco and RMIT, fostering an environment for industry-academic partnership to achieve meaningful impact at scale.
Participating universities in the NIIN Health Alliance include Flinders University, La Trobe University, Curtin University, Queensland University of Technology, and Canberra University. Prototyping and testing of solutions will take place at the RMIT-CISCO Sandbox facility at the Health Transformation Lab, other RMIT prototyping labs, and in collaboration with industry partners.
Established in 2018, the RMIT-Cisco Health Transformation Lab serves as a hub for innovation within the health sector. The lab collaborates closely with industry partners, health services, and government entities to identify challenges and respond with a combination of new thinking and digital technologies.
