Specialised Centres
Focused research environments. Real-world outcomes.
NIIN's Specialised Centres are dedicated research and innovation environments that bring together university expertise, industry capability and Cisco technology to address some of Australia's most pressing digital challenges. Each centre is anchored by a Cisco Research Chair and operates with a clear mandate: to translate research into practical, deployable solutions.
Together, they form a nationally connected network of deep capability — spanning health technology, artificial intelligence, IoT, cybersecurity and advanced networking — that gives NIIN partners access to world-class expertise across multiple domains.
RMIT–Cisco Health Transformation Lab
RMIT University, Melbourne
The RMIT–Cisco Health Transformation Lab is a place where health and innovation leaders come to tackle the most complex challenges of health system reform — combining human-centred design, systems thinking and digital technology to reshape how care is conceived and delivered. It operates at the intersection of the human and the technological, providing a practical environment for prototyping, testing and deploying innovations that address real problems in Australia's health system.
The Lab is the coordinating hub of the NIIN Health Alliance and a proven platform for applied innovation at scale. Its work spans digital health prototyping, workforce capability development and connected care research — with a growing focus on AI-powered care models and the secure integration of digital tools across health infrastructure. The Lab's research chair is Professor Vishaal Kishore, Executive Chair, supported by Director Nithya Solomon.
Cisco–Flinders Digital Health Design Lab
Flinders University, Tonsley campus, Adelaide
The Cisco–Flinders Digital Health Design Lab is dedicated to developing practical, scalable digital health solutions by examining how technologies are assembled into clinical and operational capabilities. Based at Flinders University's Tonsley campus — one of Australia's leading innovation precincts — the Lab works at the systems level, helping health organisations understand how digital infrastructure, cybersecurity and medical devices can be integrated into real-world workflows to improve outcomes for patients and clinicians.
The Lab's research spans safe hospital wireless design, medical device security, infrastructure maturity assessment, IoT in health settings, and cybersecurity frameworks for clinical environments. It operates within the Flinders Digital Health Research Centre and maintains a close research relationship with the RMIT–Cisco Health Transformation Lab. The Lab's research chair is Professor Trish Williams, Cisco Chair and Professor of Digital Health Systems.
UniSC Digital Health Productivity Lab
University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland
The UniSC Digital Health Productivity Lab focuses on digital innovation for aged care and healthy ageing — one of Australia's most pressing national challenges. The Lab develops, tests and implements digital health solutions designed to improve outcomes for older adults, drive efficiencies in the care sector, and support a workforce under significant pressure. UniSC is the first regional university in the NIIN, and the Sunshine Coast — with one of the highest proportions of residents aged 65 and over in the country — provides a uniquely relevant environment for this work.
The Lab's research encompasses automation opportunities in nursing and aged care, digital health adoption in older adult care settings, and technology solutions that enable people to live independently for longer. It is connected to other NIIN labs and partners developing related technologies, supporting cross-institutional collaboration across the network. The Lab's research chair is Associate Professor Alison Craswell, Cisco Chair of Digital Health and Ageing.
Cisco–La Trobe Centre for AI and IoT
La Trobe University, Melbourne (Bundoora)
The Cisco–La Trobe Centre for AI and IoT specialises in the convergence of artificial intelligence and the Internet of Things — two technologies that are individually transformative and significantly more powerful in combination. The Centre conducts applied research in federated learning, edge AI, on-device AI, and AI-driven analytics, with practical applications across smart cities, connected infrastructure, sustainability, health and advanced manufacturing.
Co-located with Innovation Central Melbourne at La Trobe's Digital Innovation Hub, the Centre is embedded in an active industry collaboration environment where research moves rapidly from concept to application. It represents La Trobe in the SmartSat CRC and has been instrumental in establishing Australia's AI and IoT research capability, including the development of the country's first accredited IoT engineering honours degree program. The Centre's research chair is Professor Wei Xiang, Cisco Chair of AI and IoT.
UQ Centre for Future Networks
The University of Queensland, Brisbane
The UQ Centre for Future Networks focuses on securing and strengthening the digital networks that underpin Australia's economy, critical infrastructure and national security. The Centre develops AI-driven approaches to network security — building practical tools that detect and respond to cyber threats in real time, and contributing to Australia's sovereign capability in a domain of growing national importance.
The Centre's research spans machine learning for network intrusion detection, edge AI for real-time threat response in software-defined networking environments, and the application of large language models to network security and traffic engineering. This work is directly relevant to organisations and infrastructure operators who depend on secure, resilient and performant digital networks — and connects directly into NIIN's broader Cyber Alliance research agenda. The Centre's research chair is Professor Marius Portmann, UQ–Cisco Chair of Network Security.
Connecting the Network
Each Specialised Centre operates as part of NIIN's integrated ecosystem — connected to Innovation Centrals, research chairs, industry partners and government stakeholders across Australia.
This network model means that expertise developed in one centre can be applied, scaled and deployed across the broader NIIN community, amplifying impact beyond individual institutions.