The Network, launched at the University and boosted with an $80,000 grant from the State Government of Victoria, will provide a forum for greater communication between government, industry, research organisations and education providers to foster growth, innovation, and the development of new eHealth products and services.

Director of IBES Laureate Professor Rod Tucker says the network will be a great way for the Institute to work with leaders in the field to investigate high -performance technologies for health and wellbeing.

“Ubiquitous high-speed broadband made available by the National Broadband Network will transform the delivery of healthcare in Australia. It has the potential to enable pervasive and mobile healthcare over distance, and deliver improved efficiencies through all tiers of the medical system,” he says.

Jaala Pulford, Parliamentary Secretary for Industrial Relations, representing the ICT Minister John Lenders launched the network and says the sector has potential to grow substantially over the next 10 years, particularly with opportunities that will arrive with the roll out of the National Broadband Network.
 
The Victorian eHealth Network includes representatives from The University of Melbourne, University of Ballarat, Australian Centre for Health Innovation, IBM Australia, iCare Solutions, project.net, Llewelyn Grain Informatics and Rex Ideas.

IBES is a cross-disciplinary research institute that was established in 2009 at the University of Melbourne. The Institute is dedicated to innovations in products and services that maximize the benefit of new broadband technologies to Australian society in a wide range of fields including health. The eHealth Network complements the Health and Wellbeing Theme within IBES which focuses on broadband enabled individual electronic health records; broadband enabled youth mental health and wellbeing; tele-health and ageing well.