Australia's growing care economy is set to be transformed by the nation's first Cooperative Research Centre (CRC) in the sector with collaborators from the University of Sydney and industry. Led by La Trobe University, it is funded by a $35 million grant from the Australian Government.
The care economy is a critical industry, covering all services that support people's wellbeing from early childhood education to aged care, family services, social housing, mental health and disability support.
The Care Economy CRC has been awarded $35 million in funding from the Australian Government through its CRC grant programme. The $129 million, 10-year partnership of 60 organisations across Australia will collaborate on care technology, data solutions and workforce innovation to address challenges such as increased demand and skills shortages currently crippling the sector.
Located at La Trobe University, the CRC will foster collaboration with wide-ranging stakeholders from across Australia including private and public companies, partner universities, councils of social service, regulators, government agencies, consumer peak bodies and community groups.
Director of La Trobe’s Care Economy Research Institute (CERI) and incoming Research Director of the Care Economy CRC, Professor Irene Blackberry, said that no other research centre in the world is focusing on health and social care at this scale of investment and that the new CRC will play a pivotal role in advancing Australia’s care system.
