Australian Autism Knowledge Hub
TURNING RESEARCH INTO REAL-LIFE CHANGE
The Australian Autism Knowledge Hub (AAKH) @ The Olga Tennison Autism Research Centre is a new national initiative with one clear goal: to turn autism research into real‑life change.
The Hub will bring together Autistic people, families, researchers, service providers and communities to make sure research does not stay in academic journals, but is shared, understood and used to improve everyday life. The Hub will be co-designed from the outset with the Autistic and the broader autism community. This means that one of our first activities will be working with the community to co-design and shape the priorities for the Hub – and that will be just the start! Read on to find out how this will happen and how you can be involved.
WHAT IS THE AUSTRALIAN AUTISM KNOWLEDGE HUB?
The Australian Autism Knowledge Hub is a national platform that connects autism research with real‑world practice, policy and community needs.
The Hub is an initiative of the Olga Tennison Autism Research Centre (OTARC) at La Trobe University and works in genuine partnership with Autistic people and the autism community. It will be led by Professor Dawn Adams (Hub Director), an internationally recognised Autism researcher, and Associate Professor Josie Barbaro (Hub Deputy Director), an Autistic academic skilled in research translation.
The Hub exists because research is most valuable when it leads to meaningful, community-informed change. By combining research evidence with lived experience, the Hub aims to make autism research more useful, accessible and impactful.
The Australian Autism Knowledge Hub is funded by the Australian Government’s Department of Health, Disability and Ageing for three years from July 2026 – June 2029.
WHAT WILL THE HUB DO?
The Hub will work with the community to turn research into practical outcomes by:
- Translating autism research into clear, practical tools, guidance and resources
- Supporting Autistic‑led and co‑produced research and knowledge translation
- Strengthening collaboration between researchers, service providers, governments and communities
- Helping research inform policy, services and everyday decision‑making
- Building skills and capability across the autism research sector
- Promoting neurodiversity‑affirming and culturally safe research practices
The focus is on making knowledge easy to understand and easy to use, so it can make a real difference in people’s lives.
WORKING IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE COMMUNITY
The Hub will be built on partnership. Autistic people, families and community organisations will be involved across all Hub activities. The times and ways that people can be involved will be shaped in partnership with the community during the establishment phase, but this is expected to include:
- Helping set research priorities
- Informing how research is designed
- Guiding how findings are interpreted
- Guiding how research is shared and put into practice
By working this way, the Hub ensures that research reflects what matters most to the autism community and supports outcomes that are meaningful and relevant.
The Hub will also work in partnership with La Trobe University’s Gabra Biik, Wurruwila Wutja Centre to embed First Nations leadership and culturally safe practices and ensure that all work in the Hub aligns with data sovereignty principles.
ADVISORY PANEL
An Advisory Panel will be established to guide the Hub’s work and help ensure it stays grounded in lived experience.
The Panel will bring together diverse perspectives from across the Autistic and autism community. It will be intentionally set up so that it includes people with lived experience from all priority groups identified in the National Autism Strategy, including:
- First Nations peoples
- Children and young people
- Women, girls, and gender-diverse people
- LGBTQIA+ people
- People with higher or more complex support needs
- Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CALD) and Culturally and Linguistically Marginalised (CALM) people
- Older people
The Panel will be able to share their views through a flexible and inclusive approach, which may include one-on-one conversations (spoken or written) and small group discussions through meetings or written forums. The Advisory Panel will use this approach to work closely with the Hub’s leadership and governance to:
- Provide advice on priorities and direction
- Support culturally safe engagement
- Ensure community perspectives are reflected in decisions, and ensure the community are kept informed of the work of the Hub.
- Support respectful, transparent and community-informed approaches to data use and governance
This helps ensure the Hub’s work is inclusive, ethical and shaped by the communities it serves.
HOW TO GET INVOLVED
The Australian Autism Knowledge Hub welcomes involvement from across the community.
You may wish to get involved if you are:
- An Autistic person
- A family member or carer
- Part of a community or advocacy organisation
- A researcher or practitioner
- A service provider or policy maker
Opportunities to be involved will begin from July 2026 and grow over time as the Hub is co-designed. This may include contributing ideas, sharing lived experience, partnering on projects, or helping shape how research is used.
STAY CONNECTED AND GET INVOLVED
You can register to be informed about news and events from the hub by signing up here
OUR TEAM
Hub Director, Professor Dawn Adams
Deputy Director, Knowledge Translation, Associate Professor Josephine Barbaro
We are recruiting for roles in the hub. Check in at the Jobs at La Trobe website regularly for opportunities, and follow the OTARC LinkedIn for updates.
CONTACT US
If you would like more information or want to talk about getting involved, we’d love to hear from you.
WHEN WILL THE HUB BEGIN?
Co-design and establishment of the Australian Autism Knowledge Hub is expected to begin in July 2026, following the commencement of funding.
More information will be shared as the Hub develops.