Aussie e-health researchers get $20 million

The Commonwealth Scientific Research Organisation (CSIRO) and the Queensland government today stumped up AU$20 million in funding for the Australian e-Health Research Centre (AEHRC), which focuses on developing new ways to improve healthcare using ICT.

The centre was established in 2003 as a joint venture between the CSIRO and the Queensland Government. The centre now has research offices in Melbourne and Adelaide.

In a statement, the CSIRO and the Queensland government said the AU$20 million would be used to fund the centre's operations until 2012, and coincided with the opening of new premises at the University of Queensland's Centre for Clinical Research at the Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital.

According to the AEHRC, currently initiatives being undertaken included an AU$300,000 dollar software project to prevent emergency department bottlenecks, AU$5 million for high speed broadband for remote medicine and AU$2 million for a system to track patient information.

AEHRC CEO Gary Morgan said in a statement that the centre had a national focus. "The funding renewal will allow us to complete some major projects as well as initiate some new projects... They will be undertaken with some of the best practitioners and hospitals across Australia — ensuring we have the critical mass to apply technology to make a real difference to health outcomes," he said.