NCIRS was established 25 years ago in August 1997 by the Australian Government Department of Health and Ageing ((now known as Australian Government Department of Health and Aged Care) as part of the development of the Immunise Australia program and its ‘Seven Point Plan’. Since then, NCIRS has expanded considerably in both staff numbers and research activity and has gained significant national and international recognition. 

The years since 1997 have seen the greatest ever expansion of Australia’s National Immunisation Program (NIP). Australia’s NIP is now one of the most comprehensive in the world, in terms of both the number of vaccines and age groups included and the immunisation coverage achieved. This large investment in disease prevention necessitates high-quality information on the use and impact of public funds.

The roles and responsibilities of NCIRS have evolved to meet this need as new initiatives to deliver vaccines and monitor vaccine coverage, vaccine safety and the incidence of vaccine preventable diseases have been introduced.

NCIRS also contributes to training and education of postgraduate students and health professionals, and contributes to regional and global initiatives in immunisation.

View our 25 year timeline here to learn more about our history

 

Last updated March 2023