Support for researchers

On this page:

The NDIA is committed to supporting researchers and developing partnerships with academic institutions and research bodies to drive and shape the disability research agenda.

Services we offer on request include:

  • Access to tailored NDIS data (summary or unit record data)
  • Access to NDIA staff (employees, contractors and volunteers) as:
    • study subjects in research; or
    • project team members, steering committee experts, working parties or similar
  • Collaboration or partnership on research or evaluation 

For more information, please refer to the External Researcher Request Policy:

Accessing NDIS data

The NDIA has data publicly available on our Data and insights page.

For information about NDIS data sharing for research, please review the NDIS Public Data Sharing Policy.

This document explains:

  • the type of data we share
  • what data is not available
  • the principles of NDIS data
  • why data sharing is important
  • how to gain access to NDIS data

If you are requesting access to tailored data (summary or unit record data), see information below on how to make a request. If you are requesting unit record data, please also read the cyber security requirements:

Making a research request

For access to tailored summary-level NDIS data:

For access to tailored unit record NDIS data, NDIA staff, or to request a collaboration or partnership with the NDIA:

Your duties as a researcher:

  • Follow the Australian Code for the Responsible Conduct of Research and the National Statement on Ethical Conduct in Human Research .
  • Make sure all data and information is used confidentially so that privacy is maintained according to the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth).
  • Other than information in the public domain, you do not disclose—except to the NDIA—any confidential information relating to the Agreement or the Research Project without written approval from the NDIA.
  • Ensure all required ethical, administrative and governmental approvals relating to the Research Project are in place before commencing. These approvals must be provided to the NDIA upon request.
  • Provide a Final Project Closure Report to the NDIA on completion.

For more information on the use of NDIA tailored data, please read our full terms and conditions:

Current partnerships and approved requests

Approved external research requests are listed in the summary log:

Below is a list of some of our current collaborations with academic institutions and research bodies:

TRANSMIT Study: Multifaceted knowledge TRANSlation iMproving function in Cerebral Palsy:

  • Cerebral Palsy Alliance and the University of Sydney are leading this project and will develop a resource to improve outcomes for children living with cerebral palsy. The TRANSMIT project is funded through the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) Partnerships for Better Health. This project will develop a mobile health aid that will help parents and carers of children living with cerebral palsy to better understand and access evidence-based supports.

Bridging the Digital Divide: Building Health Self-Efficacy through Communication-Accessible Online Environments:

  • University of Queensland is leading this project and will develop technology, training and guidelines that make the internet more accessible to people with communication disability. This project aims to reduce the barriers to internet based essential health and support services for people with disability. This project is funded by the Medical Research Future Fund.

Cost, effectiveness and access for psychosocial disability.

  • The University of Sydney is leading this project in partnership with the NDIA and focuses on NDIS access, effectiveness, efficiency, and outcomes for participants with psychosocial disability and take into account how the NDIS interacts with state and territory health and social care systems. The research will map the experience of participants within the NDIS as it currently operates and use new data to model improvements to the Scheme. The research will be used to develop a program logic that may inform future psychosocial support programs. The project is funded through an ‘Australian Research Council Industry Laureate Fellowship Scheme’ grant. For further information about this grant project, please visit the ARC website.

Examining the links between disability support, crime and release from custody.

  • The Centre for Innovative Justice (CIJ) at RMIT has been engaged by the National Disability Insurance Agency to examine the links between disability supports, risk and release from custody. This research project looks at people with disability who commit serious and high risk offences. It aims to better understand the relationships between these factors and explore models of support for this group of people.
This page current as of
18 December 2025