National Centre for Immunisation Research and Surveillance

What National Centre for Immunisation Research and Surveillance does

The National Centre for Immunisation Research and Surveillance (NCIRS) is an Australian non-profit research organisation established in 2000 (with earlier origins dated to 1997) and hosted within the Sydney Children's Hospitals Network (SCHN) at Kids Research, Westmead, NSW. It is primarily funded by the Australian Government Department of Health and Aged Care and provides expert evidence and advice on vaccine-preventable diseases, immunisation coverage, and vaccine safety to inform federal and state health policy. NCIRS operates as a publicly funded, mission-driven entity rather than a commercial business; all publications, guidelines, and resources on its website are provided free of charge.

NCIRS' core operational portfolio comprises four flagship platforms: AusVaxSafety, a national active vaccine safety surveillance system monitoring adverse events following immunisation across all National Immunisation Program vaccines; PAEDS (Paediatric Active Enhanced Disease Surveillance), a hospital-based paediatric surveillance network; the Australian Immunisation Handbook, the authoritative clinical reference for immunisation providers in Australia; and SKAI (Sharing Knowledge About Immunisation), an evidence-based communication resource. Supporting offerings include the NSW Immunisation Specialist Service (NSWISS), the PHN Immunisation Support Program, the National Vaccination Insights Project (social science research on vaccination barriers), and annual Immunisation Coverage Reports derived from Australian Immunisation Register data analysis.

The organisation serves health professionals, government policymakers, and the general public, and operates a global health program delivering technical assistance to WHO, Gavi, UNICEF, and Pacific nation governments (Timor-Leste, Solomon Islands, Papua New Guinea). NCIRS functions through institutional/government channels rather than commercial sales, with revenue derived from federal grants, state health contracts, and multilateral project funding. Director Professor Kristine Macartney sits on the WHO Global Advisory Committee on Vaccine Safety, and NCIRS provides the technical secretariat for ATAGI. Headcount is reported at 51–100 staff, organised across clinical research, surveillance, policy support, social science, and global health teams.

Name

National Centre for Immunisation Research and Surveillance

Legal name

National Centre for Immunisation Research and Surveillance

Website

https://ncirs.org.au

Company type

Private

Founded year

2000

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

NCIRS is a publicly funded Australian non-profit research organisation, hosted within Sydney Children's Hospitals Network, that conducts immunisation research, disease surveillance, and policy support for the federal government, WHO, Gavi, UNICEF, and Pacific-region health authorities.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Public Health Immunisation Research and Surveillance

NAICS

Other Scientific and Technical Consulting Services (541690)

akta.pro primary industry

Immunization & Vaccination Programs Administration (BPAIAJAD)

Keywords

• Immunisation research services
• Vaccine safety surveillance
• Clinical immunisation guidelines
• Paediatric disease surveillance
• Immunisation policy support

Headquarters

HQ city

Westmead

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Others

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

NCIRS is Australia's leading immunisation research organisation. It provides expert evidence and advice on vaccine-preventable diseases through active surveillance systems (AusVaxSafety, PAEDS), clinical guidelines (Australian Immunisation Handbook), communication resources (SKAI), social science research, and policy support. Its services are aimed at health professionals, government health departments, and the broader public.

Product overview

NCIRS provides a comprehensive suite of immunisation research, surveillance, and education products and services. The core offerings include AusVaxSafety for vaccine safety surveillance, PAEDS for paediatric disease surveillance, the Australian Immunisation Handbook as the authoritative clinical resource, and SKAI for community and provider communication. Clinical services such as NSWISS offer specialist immunisation advice. The National Vaccination Insights Project conducts social science research on vaccination barriers, while NCIRS also publishes annual immunisation coverage reports and produces the Weekly Jab Newsletter for immunisation professionals.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• AusVaxSafety National active vaccine safety surveillance system that monitors adverse events following immunisation across all National Immunisation Program vaccines in Australia. Built for health professionals and the public to ensure vaccine safety and maintain public confidence.
• PAEDS (Paediatric Active Enhanced Disease Surveillance) Hospital-based active surveillance network for serious childhood diseases including acute flaccid paralysis and other vaccine-preventable conditions, coordinated across multiple Australian children's hospitals.
• Australian Immunisation Handbook Authoritative online clinical resource providing evidence-based recommendations for immunisation in Australia, used by immunisation providers, GPs and other health professionals as the national clinical reference.
• SKAI (Sharing Knowledge About Immunisation) Digital communication package providing reliable, tailored information about immunisation for both health professionals and the community to support vaccination conversations and decisions.
• NSW Immunisation Specialist Service (NSWISS) Specialist clinical service providing expert advice and support for complex immunisation challenges, including assessment and management of adverse events following immunisation, for immunisation providers across NSW.
• NCIRS Weekly Jab Newsletter Weekly email newsletter providing immunisation professionals with the latest NCIRS resources, news, media, events, publications and career opportunities in immunisation.
• National Vaccination Insights Project Social science research initiative examining barriers to vaccination uptake among children and adults through nationally representative surveys and qualitative studies conducted in partnership with the Murdoch Children's Research Institute.
• Immunisation Coverage Reports Annual analysis and reporting on vaccination coverage for children, adolescents and adults across Australia, using Australian Immunisation Register data and additional national data sources.

Quantifiable outcome

• NCIRS Annual Immunisation Coverage Report tracks vaccination rates for children, adolescents and adults across Australia
• +1 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.

• UNICEFcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025NCIRS partnered with UNICEF to support the Solomon Islands HPV Big Catch-Up campaign, contributing to 79.4% vaccination coverage.
• PATHmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025NCIRS worked with PATH on the Solomon Islands HPV vaccine Big Catch-Up campaign as part of the South Pacific nation's immunisation program.
• Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025DFAT funding supports NCIRS technical assistance in Papua New Guinea outbreak response, including assessment, surveillance strengthening and evaluation frameworks for polio immunisation rounds.
• World Health Organization (WHO)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNCIRS is a member of WHO's Vaccine Safety Net and its Director serves on the WHO Global Advisory Committee on Vaccine Safety (GACVS) and WHO-SAGE subcommittees. NCIRS collaborates with WHO on international immunisation initiatives.
• Gavi, the Vaccine AlliancecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGavi funding supports NCIRS global health initiatives including the BeSD study in Timor-Leste to understand barriers to childhood vaccination.
• Menzies School of Health ResearchcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNCIRS collaborates with Menzies on global health research, including the BeSD study in Timor-Leste and tropical health research initiatives.
• University of SydneycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNCIRS has conjoint academic appointments with the University of Sydney. Director Kristine Macartney holds a professorial appointment in the Discipline of Child and Adolescent Health at University of Sydney.
• Sydney Children's Hospitals NetworkcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNCIRS is hosted within the Sydney Children's Hospitals Network at Kids Research, providing clinical and academic integration with The Children's Hospital at Westmead.
• Murdoch Children's Research InstitutecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNCIRS collaborates with MCRI on the National Vaccination Insights project, conducting nationally representative surveys of parents on childhood vaccination barriers.
• AusVaxSafetycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNCIRS hosts and operates AusVaxSafety, Australia's national vaccine safety surveillance system, in partnership with state/territory health departments.
• PAEDS (Paediatric Active Enhanced Disease Surveillance)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNCIRS hosts PAEDS, a hospital-based surveillance network for serious childhood diseases, coordinated across multiple children's hospitals.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Sabin Vaccine Institute: US-based non-profit focused on vaccine research, immunisation advocacy, and vaccine education/communications. Sabin shares NCIRS's mission around vaccine confidence and acceptance, runs Boost (a comparable immunisation community platform), and works globally on immunisation policy.
• Telethon Kids Institute: Western Australia-based paediatric research institute with infectious disease, vaccine, and Aboriginal child health research portfolios. Telethon Kids shares NCIRS's model of paediatric infectious disease research embedded in a children's hospital network, with overlapping vaccine preventable disease and Aboriginal immunisation work.
• PATH: Global non-profit focused on health equity, vaccine introduction, and immunisation programme strengthening. PATH is an established NCIRS partner (Solomon Islands HPV Big Catch-Up 2025) and shares the model of a multi-country technical assistance provider supporting LMIC immunisation programmes.
• Task Force for Global Health: US-based non-profit working on immunisation programme strengthening, vaccine financing, and surveillance/elimination efforts (e.g., polio, measles). The Task Force operates a comparable global health mandate focused on immunisation delivery and is a peer in the international immunisation ecosystem alongside NCIRS.
• Murdoch Children's Research Institute (MCRI): Australia's largest child health research institute, hosted at the Royal Children's Hospital in Melbourne. MCRI is a direct NCIRS collaborator on the National Vaccination Insights project and shares paediatric infectious disease research, vaccine safety, and immunisation social science mandates — operating a comparable academic/government hybrid model.
• Burnet Institute: Australian medical research and public health institute focused on infectious disease, vaccines, and global health. Burnet pursues similar translational research and global health advisory work, with overlapping subject matter expertise (vaccine development, immunisation in LMICs, public health policy support).
• Immunisation Advisory Centre (IMAC), New Zealand: New Zealand's national immunisation advisory and education centre, hosted at the University of Auckland. IMAC is the closest functional peer in scope and scale — providing clinical immunisation guidance, workforce education, and vaccine safety support, primarily for one country with regional reach.

Broad incumbents

• European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC): EU agency providing epidemiological surveillance, scientific advice, and immunisation guidance for Europe. ECDC operates a continental vaccine surveillance and coverage mandate comparable to NCIRS's domestic role, with broader multi-country scope but a similar evidence-to-policy translation function.
• UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA): UK government agency responsible for public health protection including immunisation surveillance, vaccine safety, and epidemiology. UKHSA performs an analogous role to NCIRS for the UK (post-public-health split from PHE) and operates national vaccine surveillance systems, clinical guidelines, and outbreak response — a closely comparable public-health remit at national scale.
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC): US federal public health agency that performs disease surveillance, vaccine safety monitoring, and immunisation policy support at national scale. CDC is a much larger, broader public health incumbent with overlapping capabilities in vaccine safety (VAERS, VSD), epidemiology, and immunisation guidance — but covers a vastly wider portfolio than NCIRS.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/NCIRS

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Subsidiaries2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about National Centre for Immunisation Research and Surveillance