Health Service Engagement Strategy

A recurring challenge across Australia’s research translation landscape has been ensuring that research is aligned with the priorities of health services and successfully implemented in practice. Recognising this gap, WAHTN has developed and endorsed a Health Service Engagement Strategy designed to bring health services, researchers, and innovators together around shared priorities.

The strategy starts with a simple principle: health services understand their operational challenges, while researchers bring expertise in evaluating and refining solutions. By creating structured pathways for health services to identify researchable problems and co-design projects with researchers, innovators, and consumers, WAHTN will help ensure that research efforts are practical, relevant, and focused on improving healthcare delivery.

Alongside project development, WAHTN is fostering Communities of Practice that build expertise in areas such as clinical trials, health economics, population health research methods, and implementation science. These collaborations strengthen the capability of the sector to generate evidence, evaluate innovations, and support lasting improvements in patient outcomes and health system performance.

Read the full strategy here: WAHTN Health Service Engagement Strategy 2026