The University of Melbourne has joined ANDHealth as a core partner, bringing one of Australia’s leading research universities into closer collaboration with the country’s digital and connected health commercialisation engine room.

The partnership will connect the University’s multidisciplinary research, clinical and technical expertise with ANDHealth’s specialist commercialisation programs, helping Australian digital health companies build the evidence, products and capabilities required to reach patients and health systems at scale.

Research is critical throughout the digital health commercialisation pathway – from validating the clinical problem and shaping product design to demonstrating safety, usability, effectiveness and value in real-world settings. The partnership will create stronger pathways for companies to access this expertise as they progress from early innovation through evidence generation, market entry and adoption.

Home to the Centre for Digital Transformation of Health, the University of Melbourne is ranked 22nd globally in the 2026 QS World University Rankings, underscoring the significance of the new partnership in strengthening Australia’s position as a global leader in digital health innovation.

The Centre works across data, AI and other digital technologies in healthcare, with a focus on evaluating and responsibly translating innovation into clinical practice, supporting safe and equitable adoption, as well as developing a workforce capable of leading digital transformation.

Through its commercial collaboration and research programs, the Centre has an established track record of working with start-ups, scale-ups, health services and industry partners to de-risk digital health innovation. Its capabilities include clinical problem validation, simulation-based evaluation, usability and workflow testing, consumer research, clinical evidence generation and AI implementation.

ANDHealth supports a pipeline of more than 1,395 digital and connected health companies and has created Australia's leading suite of accelerator and incubator programs spanning the entire commercialisation pathway - from "idea to exit".

Pictured: ANDHealth CEO Bronwyn Le Grice and Professor Peter Steel, Director of the Centre for Digital Transformation of Health, University of Melbourne

Partnership focus

As a core partner of ANDHealth, the University of Melbourne will gain access to ANDHealth’s proven programs, specialist advisory support, market insights and deep industry networks. At the same time, companies within the ANDHealth ecosystem will have greater opportunities to engage with the University’s researchers, clinicians and technical specialists to validate clinical needs, strengthen product design, undertake rigorous evaluation and generate evidence for regulatory approval, procurement and adoption.

The partnership will also open new pathways for capability building and closer connection between university-based innovators and proven, evidence-based commercialisation programs.

For ANDHealth, the partnership brings deeper engagement with one of Australia’s most globally recognised research institutions and with the multidisciplinary expertise housed within the University’s digital health ecosystem.

Professor Peter Steel, Director of the Centre for Digital Transformation of Health and Associate Dean of Digital Health & Informatics at the University of Melbourne Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences, said the partnership would integrate complementary research and commercialisation capabilities.

“Strong commercialisation in digital health depends on strong evidence. Companies need more than a promising technology – they need to demonstrate that it solves an important clinical problem, is safe and effective in real-world care, can be successfully implemented by health services, and delivers measurable value for patients and health systems.”

“The University of Melbourne brings together world-leading expertise across medicine, engineering, computer science, implementation science and health services research. Through the Centre for Digital Transformation of Health, we partner with digital health companies at every stage of translation – from pre-implementation testing through to implementation, independent evaluation and evidence generation. We help companies demonstrate not only that a technology works, but that it delivers meaningful clinical and economic value and can be successfully adopted by health services.”

“By combining that capability with ANDHealth’s commercialisation expertise and industry networks, we can help more Australian companies move beyond innovation to adoption, generating the evidence, implementation capability and clinical credibility needed to achieve national and international impact.”

Professor Thas Nirmalathas, Dean Faculty of Engineering and Information (FEIT), said ANDHealth’s extensive industry networks and commercialisation experience would enhance opportunities for collaborative research, product development, and real-world implementation.

“For medical engineers in FEIT, this partnership provides a robust pathway to translate innovative technologies into clinically validated healthcare solutions. It offers a clear roadmap of the journey from impactful engineering ideas, through research and development to improved patient outcomes. Turning ideas into reality for the benefit of communities is what drives us," Professor Nirmalathas said.

ANDHealth CEO Bronwyn Le Grice, said the University of Melbourne is one of the world’s leading universities and an institution with enormous influence on the future of healthcare, research and workforce capability in Australia and beyond.

“Together, we will strengthen the commercialisation pipeline for Australian digital and connected health SMEs, creating jobs, attracting investment and improving patient outcomes,” Ms Le Grice said.

“By joining our core partnership network, the University is signalling a clear commitment to ensuring that world-class research and innovation in digital and connected health, data and AI reaches patients and health systems at scale.”

The University of Melbourne joins The Royal Melbourne Hospital, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, Monash University, Planet Innovation, Murdoch Children’s Research Institute (MCRI), Commercial Eyes and Curve Tomorrow as a core partner of ANDHealth, along with a host of industry, program and ecosystem partners.