Aged Care Research & Industry Innovation Australia (ARIIA) has launched a $3 million Aged Care Collaborative which will fund and support projects that provide a unique opportunity for the sector to work together to solve complex, sector-wide workforce challenges.
Aged care is undergoing a transformative shift, driven by increasing demand, changing consumer expectations and the Government’s Reform agenda, with a rights-based and person-centred approach at the core. This transformation requires a workforce that is flexible, agile and empowered with skills to think differently, and a sector-wide culture of collaboration and innovation.
ARIIA’s Aged Care Collaborative will harness the collective wisdom of the aged care ecosystem to invest in and implement evidence-based solutions that will accelerate workforce innovation.
ARIIA Chief Executive Officer, Reuben Jacob said ARIIA was confident the new funding opportunities will test evidence-based solutions that address critical workforce challenges in the sector.
“The Aged Care Collaborative is well placed to make a meaningful impact on complex workforce issues that are being experienced sector-wide. These challenges are difficult for providers to tackle in isolation, which is where the Aged Care Collaborative presents a unique opportunity to use a combined effort to unite the sector to enact meaningful change.”
Mr Jacob acknowledged the support of the Commonwealth Government in making these new grants possible and said ARIIA would collaborate closely with the Department of Health and Aged Care and the aged care sector to communicate the progress, impacts and outcomes of these projects.
Established by ARIIA with $3 million of Commonwealth funding, the Aged Care Collaborative will offer three funding opportunities in the form of two larger Flagship Projects and one round of Accelerator Grants.
Mr Jacob said that as always ARIIA is led by the sector, and independent expertise and advice would add oversight, ensure that projects were fit-for-purpose and address issues across the sector.
“An independent Advisory Group will govern the Aged Care Collaborative's two Flagship projects with industry experts, consumers, and subject matter experts to select participants and provide feedback, advice and recommendations throughout the 12-month program, and ensure that project outcomes that tackle problems at scale can be measured.”
In a separate process, similar to that for selection of previous ARIIA grants, an Independent Assessment Panel will assess applications submitted to the Accelerator Grants to ensure that the funding is awarded to organisations to implement innovative solutions that best address the workforce issues faced by the sector.”
Flagship Projects
The Flagship Projects will direct a total of $2 million towards two multi-site, scalable projects that bring together diverse aged care organisations to collectively embed and test evidence-based innovations in their different national contexts. Upon completion, the Flagship Projects will provide the sector with valuable evidence and insights that can be implemented across various aged care contexts on a large scale.
ARIIA will facilitate the Flagship Projects as the research and project implementation partner to enable consistent, centralised and collaborative project management and evaluation.
ARIIA’s Program and Research Director, Dr Rebecca Bilton said the Flagship Projects present a unique opportunity for providers to come together to implement an innovative workforce solution while collaborating with other like-minded providers.
“This collaboration will involve sharing processes, progress, lessons learned, and outcomes, ultimately offering valuable evidence and insights that can be implemented at scale across different aged care contexts. The focus will be on understanding the factors that influence acceptability, adaptability, and sustainability.”
“Each Flagship Project topic has been carefully chosen to address key workforce challenges that will benefit from a collaborative approach.”
Flagship Project 1 will implement an evidence-based leadership model that optimises workforce structures and organisational culture to prepare for and be capable of delivering reform and complex change.
Flagship Project 2 will build the capability of the workforce to better understand, interpret and use data within their organisation to improve care.
To achieve meaningful engagement, scale and impact, organisations who are selected following an application process will be expected to match the funding with cash and/or in-kind co-contributions. ARIIA will soon be seeking applications from aged care providers in Australia who are excited by this unique opportunity. Application forms and more information will be available on Tuesday, 11 March 2025 at Aged Care Collaborative.
Accelerator Grants
The Accelerator Grants will direct $1 million to projects that augment the current aged care workforce to deliver specialist care, support, knowledge and resources to where they’re needed. Grants of up to $100,000 will fund projects that address workforce and skills shortages in new ways, including via digital or assistive technology, telehealth, or innovative workforce and human service models.
Dr Bilton said the rapidly growing demand for aged care services and increasing complexity needs to be addressed by more than traditional recruitment approaches.
“Older people are increasingly choosing to age in place, and are living longer, so care needs are becoming more complex. These factors are stretching the workforce across broader geographical areas, with limited access to the specialist skills needed to support place-based care or to provide high-quality care at the scale needed in the future.”
“The Accelerator Grants will fund projects that address these challenges by augmenting the existing aged care workforce to meet the growing demand, clinical complexity and geographic spread of older people.”
These grants provide the opportunity to test an evidenced solution for its potential broader scalability across the aged care sector. Projects will test the approach in a different setting, location or with a different group of care recipients. Grants of up to $100,000 are available via one grant round, with a requirement for matched co-contribution (cash and/or in-kind). Applications must include an aged care organisation and a research organisation.
The Accelerator Grant Guidelines and Application Form will be available on Monday, 17 February 2025 at Aged Care Collaborative. Applications will close 31 March 2025.