The Royal Commission into Victoria's Mental Health System called for the Collaborative Centre to develop a broad reaching translational research strategy that reflects priorities and directions of people with lived and living experiences. With no overarching approach to Victoria’s translational research, knowledge sharing is currently limited and successful initiatives do not necessarily contribute to system-wide improvements.

Translational research involves testing and applying new and enhanced treatments and models of care in service delivery environments to accelerate the transfer of discovery for health and wellbeing benefits. 

This Translational Research Strategy makes contributions to all the functions of the Collaborative Centre, with a key focus on conducting, promoting and co-ordinating mental health and wellbeing research in collaboration with their partners. The Strategy lays out our research priorities for the next three years, co-created with people with lived and living experiences to set us on a path of success. It is comprised of four key elements: strategic goals, focus area, work and enabling pillars, and implementation principles.

Strategic goals

• Narrow the gap between research innovation and practice across Victoria, promoting new ways of working with evidence.
• Lead research that embeds collaboration between people with lived and living experiences, practitioners and researchers in locations where care is provided.
• Aspire to excellence in research translation and practice and provide independent authoritative advice for Victoria.

Focus areas

• Community-based and hybrid models of care
• Supporting and amplifying culturally responsive, intersectional approaches to care for: First Nations people and communities, diverse communities and people impacted by intersecting layers of oppression.
• Eliminating seclusion and restraint and reducing compulsory treatment. 
• The development of dedicated and flexible supports for families, carers, supporters and kin.