Accelerating workforce innovation through aged care grants

A $3 million Aged Care Collaborative has been launched, designed to fund and support projects in the sector.

Established by Aged Care Research & Industry Innovation Australia (ARIIA), the Aged Care Collaborative consists of new Flagship Project grants, as well as an additional round of Accelerator Grants available to researchers, aged care organisations or startups and their partners.

ARIIA Chief Executive Officer Reuben Jacob said ARIIA was confident the new funding opportunities will deliver evidence-based solutions that can 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 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,” he said.

Jacob acknowledged the support of the Commonwealth 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.

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.

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.

Meanwhile, 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 are 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.

ARIIA’s Program and Research Director Dr Rebecca 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.

“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.”

Projects will test new approaches in a different setting or 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 are now available at www.ariia.org.au/aged-care-collaborative. Applications will close 31 March 2025.

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