25 January 2026
Canberra ACT — Imagine a world where medical science researchers can unlock Australia’s vital phenomics data with a single click — no barriers, no delays, just seamless collaboration across institutions. That’s the vision driving an exciting new partnership between the Australian Access Federation (AAF) and Phenomics Australia.
Together, we’ve launched an innovation incubator funded by the Australian Government’s National Collaborative Research Infrastructure Strategy (NCRIS), designed to revolutionise how scientists’ access and share phenomics and life sciences data. The goal? To enable access that makes research faster, easier, and more connected — by introducing smarter identity systems and streamlined permissions.
Phenomics is a transdisciplinary research field studying the complex genetic and environmental factors that determine the health and disease of animals and plants. It is powered by integrated biological, genetic, engineering, and statistical sciences and relies on massive, multi-modal datasets.
Phenomics Australia CEO, Professor Michael Dobbie says “Enabling seamless access is crucial because breakthroughs in areas like genetics, stem cell research, and therapeutic development depend on multidisciplinary collaboration. Yet, researchers face hurdles when trying to access data across different platforms and institutions. This incubator aims to break through those barriers to enable insight and innovation.”
So far, the AAF has worked closely with Phenomics Australia on two key services — the Australian Phenome Bank and the Australian Stem Cell Registry — to identify opportunities for improvement. A discovery report is already in hand, mapping out the current landscape and envisioning a future where a centralised identity and access ecosystem powers phenomics research.
What’s Next?
The next steps are ambitious and include designing user-friendly access models, building a secure, centralised system for identity and permissions and creating a phased roadmap to bring this vision to life.
This isn’t just about technology — it’s about accelerating discoveries that could change lives. By making collaboration easier, AAF and Phenomics Australia are helping researchers focus on what matters most: solving the big questions in health and science.
“Our vision is simple: give researchers the tools they need to collaborate without barriers,” said Heath Marks, CEO at the Australian Access Federation. “By streamlining identity and access, we’re not just improving technology — we’re enabling breakthroughs that could transform healthcare and save lives.”
Media Contact:
Kerry Mora (AAF) – [email protected]
Dr Marina Trigueros (Phenomics Australia) – [email protected]
