Federation Connected Services
Federation Connected Services

  • We connect and protect Australia's higher education and research sector

    Behind every breakthrough is a network of people, ideas and data. AAF brings it all together, allowing Australia to go further.

    Who We Are
    Medical Science Laboratory researcher using a microscope

  • Connecting Australia’s research infrastructure with the people who can take it further

    AAF is connecting universities, research organisations, government and industry with Australia's national research infrastructure. Enabling collaboration, sharing and discovery without putting research at risk.

    National Sovereign Trust & Identity Australia Capability

  • Services built around the way you work

    From logging in to the platforms you use every day to connecting with research partners around the world, our services give researchers, students and staff secure access to what they need. Each year, more than 1.5 million people connect through AAF.

    Services
  Subscriber organisations   Secure logins every year   People connected   Network availability

1 Jan 2025 to 31 Dec 2025

The secure infrastructure behind Australian research and higher education

Every day, the Australian Access Federation securely connects students, researchers and staff to the platforms and data they need. Working quietly in the background, it allows important research to start sooner, move faster and reach further.

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Why a connected sector matters

Australia's biggest breakthroughs rarely come from one siloed individual.

New treatments, new industries and better public policy depend on researchers, institutions and government working together.

With AAF working in the background:

  • National investment goes further: Government-funded infrastructure reaches the people it was built for.
  • Institutions compete globally: Australian universities plug into a worldwide network of trusted partners.
  • Research moves faster: Researchers can reach shared facilities, data and collaborators across institutions and borders.
  • Knowledge stays protected: Sensitive research and personal data stay in the right hands as collaboration grows
See our impact

Stronger as a sector

AAF makes it easier and safer for people to collaborate across institutional boundaries, bringing together the brightest minds to tackle our biggest challenges. One trusted network allows the whole sector can achieve more than any one organisation could on its own.

  • Connecting institutions

    One national network linking universities, research organisations, government and industry. 

  • Safeguarding education and research

    Shared rules decide who can access what, and why.

  • Protecting identities

    Every person is verified by their own organisation, removing the need for private data to be shared unnecessarily.  

  • Taking Australian research to the world

    Links research and education in 67 federations worldwide. 

Multiple sectors, one network

Every one of our subscriber organisations strengthens our network further. And in turn, the Federation helps every member do more than they could alone. Find where you fit and see what AAF makes possible for your organisation.

  • Higher Education 

    Give students and researchers access to the resources, facilities and collaborators they need, right across Australia and around the world, allowing your institution to compete at a global level. 

  • Medical Science Laboratory researcher using a microscope

    Research Infrastructure

    Get your facilities, data and tools into the hands of the researchers who need it and allow national investment to deliver what it was built for. 

  • Government

    Connect government-funded programs with the institutions and individual researchers charged with delivering them. Better access allows better-informed policy.

  • Service Providers

    Reach Australia’s whole higher education and research community through one trusted connection, instead of building separate relationships and processes with every institution. 

  • Students & Researchers

    Use the logins you already have to reach the platforms, data and people your study and research depend on – wherever they are. 

  • Industry

    Work with Australia’s universities and research organisations on trusted terms, and turn shared research into new products, services and industries. 

Australian research, connected to the world

eduGAIN connects your institution to research and education identity federations worldwide.

  Participating federations   Identity & Service Providers

Every AAF connection opens more doors. Through eduGAIN, those doors open to the world. Researchers become part of a trusted international federation; gaining simple and secure access to the people, platforms and services they need –no matter where they are based.  

See how it works

Explore the possibilities

Browse real projects from across our subscribers and partners, discover the outcomes and work behind them.

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News & Events

The latest from the people and partnerships right across our network.

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Our Subscribers

Our Partners