National Imaging Facility – Advancing federated access for imaging research

When research operates in silos

As imaging research becomes increasingly multi-site, researchers often need to work across institutions, facilities and systems to access the participants, services and expertise needed to support their studies.

While NIF’s facilities operate as a partnership, they have historically managed systems and access independently. As research expands across institutions, the complexity of managing access, data and collaboration increases significantly.

Getting a connected view of participants has historically been difficult. Researchers working across multiple sites often need to coordinate access to different platforms, participant management systems and datasets, creating significant administrative complexity.

The cost of complexity

The challenge is not simply one of convenience. NIF has already seen how difficult it can be to establish the infrastructure required to support collaborative research.

“We ran a pilot with one of the traumatic brain injury research projects. It took two years to set up the infrastructure and data pathways so they could start their research,” said Peter.

“That is an appalling amount of time, especially when research projects are often funded in three-year cycles. We need to reduce that from years to months.”

For projects involving multiple institutions, researchers may need access to shared datasets, participant management platforms and imaging informatics systems while coordinating collaborators across different organisations.

Building a more connected approach

The project focuses on creating stronger connections between imaging platforms, participant management systems and clinical research environments. In particular, the work has focused on integration between XNAT and REDCap, two platforms commonly used within imaging research workflows.

The goal is to create a more connected research environment where researchers, collaborators and services can work effectively across institutional boundaries.

Creating confidence in access

Because much imaging research involves sensitive health and medical information, trust and identity is also about confidence.

Data originating from hospitals is typically de-identified before being used for research. However, in some cases, identity information must be maintained, creating additional governance and security requirements.

Trusted identity frameworks provide greater visibility and assurance around who is accessing services and data. They help organisations meet privacy, governance and security obligations while supporting collaboration across institutions.

A national capability, not a local solution

While the immediate focus is supporting multi-site imaging studies, the challenges being explored are shared across many research domains that rely on distributed infrastructure, sensitive data and cross-institutional collaboration.

According to Peter, this broader ambition is one of the reasons AAF’s involvement has been so important.

“We absolutely can’t do this without a body like AAF. You need to take a national view. What we’re trying to build is a reusable capability that can support research communities beyond imaging, rather than another solution designed for a single institution or project.”

AAF CEO Heath Marks sees the incubator as an example of how trust and identity can help simplify research collaboration.

“Research increasingly happens across institutions, platforms and communities,” he said. “Our role is to help remove the barriers that make that collaboration difficult, so researchers can focus on the work they are trying to do rather than the systems they need to navigate.”

Translational research and community benefit

For NIF, the long-term value of this work goes well beyond technology.

A large proportion of NIF’s activities support health and medical research, particularly translational research, which focuses on turning research discoveries into better care, treatments and outcomes for patients.

Peter sees better-connected research environments as an important enabler of translational research and more personalised treatment approaches.

“An individual with epilepsy, for instance, can see a practitioner who is leveraging the latest research, have their profile analysed, participate in a clinical trial, and receive treatment that’s tailored to their illness,” he said. “That gives them a much greater chance of recovery or a better life.”

Making it easier for researchers, clinicians and institutions to work across data, systems and services lays the foundations for more effective translational research and, ultimately, better patient outcomes.

“It’s really about better access to more targeted treatment strategies, individualised treatment, with better outcomes,” he said.

Looking ahead

For NIF, success would mean a reusable national Trust & Identity service that institutions, services and research communities can join and operate through a common framework.

“In the next two years we’d like that national service to evolve and become available, and we’re very keen to help that happen,” said Peter.

As imaging research becomes increasingly collaborative and data-intensive, initiatives such as the AAF incubators are helping lay the foundations for a more connected research ecosystem.

The goal is not simply better access. It is for researchers, clinicians and institutions to work together more effectively while enabling Australians to receive the full value of the research infrastructure that supports discovery, innovation and better health outcomes.