NIIN Health Alliance Bulletin
Q1 2025
The National Industry Innovation Network (NIIN) is a dynamic network that brings together industry, university and government partners to drive digital technology advancements in economy and society. With its ready-to-access capability and existing infrastructure, the NIIN Health Alliance provides a low-risk avenue for health agencies and hospital operators to engage in innovation activities. The NIIN Innovation Centrals, Research Chairs, health-focused labs, and specialised technology centres serve as a collaborative hub for industry, health agencies, hospital operators, researchers, and students tackling critical healthcare challenges, collectively using digital innovation.
We are well and truly into the thick of Q1 of 2025 and we are looking forward to a whole host of NIIN Health Alliance led initiatives and activities for the coming year, which we hope you will fully leverage, participate in and benefit from.
As always, please get in touch with us to find out how you can be more involved!
NIIN Health Alliance Highlights
Cyber Security of Critical Healthcare Infrastructure – ICUs
In Australia, Intensive Care Units (ICUs) have been designated as critical infrastructure in the framework of the Security of Critical Infrastructure Act (SOCI 2018). Practically applicable cyber threat models focusing on protecting the availability of ICU systems do not yet exist and are needed to define and justify targeted investments in defending ICUs as required by SOCI. Two NIIN affiliated partners, the University of Canberra and Flinders University, led by Cisco Research Chairs Professor Frank den Hartog and Professor Trish Williams from the 2 universities respectively, are jointly working to develop a first version of cyber threat models for ICUs.
By applying benchmarked methodologies from MITRE ATT@CK and OWASP, they have identified 13 immediate threats, varying from ransonware attacks to malware infections of ICU systems, insider threats, and DDoS attacks. In addition, a key valuable insight revealed that ICUs rely on a complex web of interconnected assets – medical devices, information systems, network infrastructure, and cloud services. This interconnectedness increases the attack surface, and could allow vulnerabilities in one area to propagate the impact of an attack to other parts of the connected systems, leading to broader disruptions.
The next phase of this research will involve an online survey involving cyber experts and healthcare IT experts, to further ascertain the likelihood of the 13 attacks and its impact to ICU systems. Interested cyber and healthcare IT experts can contact the chief investigator, Professor Frank den Hartog to be included in this upcoming phase of the research.
Industry Roundtables to discuss future of Digital Health Skills
As part of the pilot funded under the Victorian Government’s Skills Solutions Partnership (SSP) program aimed at rapidly upskilling front-line staff, broader health workforce and IT professionals in the healthcare sector, RMIT University’s Health Transformation Lab, together with its pilot partners RMIT University’s College of Vocational Education, Grampians Health and the Cisco Networking Academy, will be hosting three Health x Digital Skills Innovation Roundtable sessions in the coming months.
The first in-person roundtable scheduled for the 20th March 2025 will be an opportunity to share emerging insights from the pilot and discuss priority areas for skills development in the healthcare sector. It will also explore opportunities for scaling workforce capability across the healthcare sector with key leaders from the health sector. The subsequent roundtables will similarly explore opportunities with key leaders from the technology and training sectors.
Please contact the Health Transformation Lab if you would like to find out more about these roundtables.
ProtoComp @ Innovation Central Brisbane: Paving the way to Smarter Healthcare
In December 2024, the Innovation Central Brisbane (ICB) at Queensland University of Technology held the Digital Health Protocomp; an award-winning digital prototype program that connects students with industry leaders to tackle real-world healthcare challenges using technologies.
Delivered in partnership with Cisco’s Gold integrator network technology company Rivernet Communications – with support from digital health experts at Cisco, bdna, and Metro North & South Health Services – more than 75 students pitched ideas in a hackathon. Twenty students from four teams, mentored by the industry partners, were awarded project funds to build working digital prototypes within three months for the following real-world challenge set by the industry partner Rivernet: how can we harness technology to transform hospital management systems, tackling inefficiencies to streamline operations and elevate patient care?
Standout prototypes that addressed streamlining patient data management, mass communication, and wearable technology, include:
- Pronoia AI: Automated patient deterioration detection that reduce response times and alleviate the burden on hospital staff,
- CareTag: NFC-enabled wristband that streamline patient data access, enhance efficiency in emergency care,
- CareLink: Real-time communication platform that improves coordination between medics at large-scale events, reduce response times, minimise miscommunication.
Dr Jason Brown, Chief Digital Health Officer and General Surgeon at Metro North Health, praised the colloboration between students and industry experts: “Watching these students engage with real-world healthcare challenges was truly encouraging. Their ability to rapidly iterate, take on feedback, and develop functional solutions in such a short time speaks volumes about the future of digital health innovation.”
Please contact the Innovation Central Brisbane if you would like to find out more or if you are keen to participate in the next Digital Health ProtoComp.
NIIN Health Alliance Summit becomes the Health x Digital Innovation Series 2025
As we look to scale the impact of the NIIN Health Alliance wider and deeper, the Summit will take on a new ‘tour’ format in 2025, where it will become a series of activities hosted in a number of major cities across the country. These events will be delivered in partnership with the Innovation Centrals and their respective NIIN partner universities.
The new series is scheduled to kick off from the middle of this calendar year and will feature new segments on innovation showcases at the various Innovation Centrals, local technology industry partners and health systems providers. Please watch out for this space when we will announce more details in the coming weeks.
For a review of last year’s Summit, please check out the post-Summit report.
Summit 2024 Industry Sponsors:
New: NIIN Health Alliance Advisory Committee from April 2025
A new Advisory Committee will be setup to help ensure the Health Alliance achieves its mission of finding and embedding digital solutions that solve the problems that matter in healthcare, by providing strategic advice, transparent governance, and fostering collaboration amongst industry, academia, and government.
The Advisory Committee will consist of experienced leaders from both academia and industry, with diverse expertise in digital innovation, healthcare and higher education. The responsibilities of the Advisory Committee will include the following: strategic guidance, governance and transparency, building credibility and longevity, facilitating industry and government connections, increasing risk awareness, and finally on advising on major projects and initiatives.
NIIN Research Chair Summit 2025 – Planning for Impact at Scale
Cisco Research Chairs are a core element of the NIIN. They bring deep knowledge in technical and/or industry domains and work with policy makers, practitioners and industry to create impact. There are two Research Chairs focused on healthcare; Professor Trish Williams (Digital Health) from Flinders University and Associate Professor Alison Craswell (Digital Health and Ageing) from the University of the Sunshine Coast.
The Cisco Research Chairs are organised under a formal NIIN Research Chair Program with a dedicated Advisory Committee (chaired by the University of the Sunshine Coast Deputy Vice Chancellor for Research Professor Ross Young) tasked with the goal of facilitating greater research collaboration at scale to help tackle industry challenges and address national priorities.
The recent Research Chair Summit held at the University of Canberra provided a platform for Chairs to present their priority projects for 2025, where the following health related projects were tabled:
Zero Trust Security for Healthcare – by Professor Trish Williams
Problem: Healthcare is a prime target for cyber-attacks but traditional security models struggle to protect increasingly complex interconnected systems.
Solution: Develop a Zero Trust cybersecurity blueprint to enhance security in healthcare.
Exploring Automation Opportunities in Nursing – by Associate Professor Alison Craswell
Problem: Nursing shortages and rising demand require automation to free up time and resources for patient care.
Solution: Develop a digital automation strategy for care of older adults in acute and aged care, mapping inefficiencies and assessing automation’s potential.
A post Summit report will be made available at a later date. Please contact Brad Davies if you would like to find out more about the NIIN Research Chair Program
Current NIIN Health Alliance Partners and Collaborators
About the NIIN and NIIN Health Alliance
The National Industry Innovation Network (NIIN) is a dynamic network that brings together industry, university and government partners to drive digital technology advancements in economy and society. With its ready-to-access capability and existing infrastructure, the Health Alliance provides a low-risk avenue for health agencies and hospital operators to engage in innovation activities.
