A recent pilot project with RLA shows how verified, accessible insights into Australian researchers’ capability can drive partnerships, innovation and productivity across the nation.
Connecting People, Capability and Collaboration with Research Link Australia
Australia has world-class researchers and a growing demand for innovation, but our nation has been missing the capability to easily connect research information about universities, industry and government, potentially slowing our innovation progress.
The Research Link Australia (RLA) platform, developed by the Australian Research Data Commons (ARDC), is helping to close that gap. A recent pilot project, which ran from March to November 2024, tested a new way for universities to securely share research capability data. It shows which researchers have what expertise, who they’ve worked with, and how to connect with them – all in a verified, data-driven way.
This approach makes both a researcher’s subject matter expertise (as demonstrated through grants and publications) and their collaboration experience (as demonstrated through industry contracts and working with industry consultancies or government) more visible. It aims to build a national picture of research strengths and create easier, more productive pathways to collaboration.
A New Tool for a More Connected System
The pilot involved Griffith University, Southern Cross University and the University of Technology Sydney (UTS). Dr Tom Verhelst, Director at Griffith University’s Relational Insights Data Lab and project lead, explained that each university collected data from internal research systems (such as grants and contracts) and submitted them to a central platform, hosted by the ARDC for the project. Where needed, data was anonymised, and researchers had the option to opt out.
This collected data, combined with existing data from RLA, was used by participating universities to build dashboards that reveal relevant scientific expertise and collaboration patterns with industry.
Tom sees RLA as a tool to shift focus from outputs to people and networks. “Australia has a productivity challenge. We need to focus more on people and talent, not just IP or patents. If we want to develop new services and ideas, we need to understand who’s already doing the work.”
He said he could also see the platform as the new ‘researcher LinkedIn.’ “I could see this platform becoming a verified source for potential collaborators, possibly more reliable than LinkedIn, because the RLA records are not about self-promotion; they are verified and far more in-depth.”
Scott McWhirter, from the University of Technology Sydney, is the project’s Node and Technical Lead. He said if the platform can evolve to show where people are in their careers and what work they have done, then it can help cross-sector, national teams as well as university teams find candidates.
“Teams need all sorts of people. They might need a gun researcher, or they might need an early-career researcher, or they might need an HDR student. The idea is that RLA can help connect these people together.”
With this data, RLA is also bringing huge potential benefits for industry, according to Murray Hurps, Managing Director at Startup Muster and Director of Entrepreneurship at UTS.
“As Australia’s deep tech sector expands, so does the need and opportunity for collaboration between industry and researchers – but this requires data. As part of Startup Muster 2025, we are directly asking hundreds of startups what they need from the RLA dataset, and the responses so far have shown extremely strong interest in leveraging this and engaging further with researchers. RLA will enable a step change in industry-research collaboration for Australia, and will be a unique differentiator globally.”
Breaking Down Barriers
One unexpected challenge was the cultural resistance within institutions. “Universities may feel that sharing this kind of information is risky, as it can expose gaps,” Tom said. “But it’s better to know those gaps early. Institutions shouldn’t see this process as threatening, but rather as an opportunity to improve.”
Scott agrees with the sentiment that while universities may initially feel uncomfortable sharing this data, having the data in one central location is essential for making progress.
“Unless universities are willing to share this data, then we’re always going to be trying to use grants data to create teams. At the moment, most of this information is hidden or it’s across multiple sites. It’s just so inefficient.”
Scott reflected that he was encouraged by how “genuinely honest” everyone involved in the pilot was throughout the process. “While there’s obviously a huge amount of collaboration across the sector, in some ways, institutions see themselves as competitors as well,” he said. “But people really came together for this project.”
ARDC’s Essential Role
The project also highlighted ARDC’s central role in enabling data-driven collaboration.
Scott said, “No one else is doing this role, and ARDC knows the sector so deeply; they are well placed to run a platform like RLA.”
Tom agreed that especially in Australia, we need systems that bring people together because distance is a real barrier.
“If people can’t find each other, it’s hard to work together,” Tom said. “ARDC is the right organisation to run this. It’s lean, subsidised, and understands what Australia is missing.”
Beyond building a platform, the ARDC is helping shift the culture. “This platform could even be used to measure how well universities are working with industry,” Tom said. “It supports collaboration by making it visible and trackable.”
A Platform with Growing Potential
The pilot proved what’s possible when research strengths are made more visible, and interest is growing. The University of Tasmania and Western Sydney University are among the universities interested in joining the next phase.
“If lots of universities came on board, this would really change the research landscape,” Tom said. “We could make real progress on Australian productivity and innovation. But first, we need the systems and culture that allow people to find each other.”
By providing the infrastructure, leadership and vision, the ARDC and its partners are helping to build a more connected, capable and collaborative research ecosystem.
Read more about the RLA university data project.
Try ARDC Research Link Australia today – your up-and-coming hub for information on Australian research and innovation partners, activities and investments.
The ARDC is enabled by the National Collaborative Research Infrastructure Strategy (NCRIS) to support national digital research infrastructure for Australian researchers.
Authors: Alysha Huxley (Scientell)
Reviewed by: Dr Tom Verhelst (Griffith University), Scott McWhirter, Murray Hurps (UTS), Jason Yuen, Jo Savill, Dr Mingfang Wu, Dr Lyle Winton (ARDC)
