Research and evaluation
Research and evaluation underpins all of Beyond Blue's work, reflecting our commitment to evidence-based practice and continuous improvement.
Since inception, Beyond Blue has an active role in supporting and generating research and has invested more than $65 million into mental health research in depression, anxiety and suicide prevention.
Our role in mental health research
Beyond Blue is both a funder and a translator of research evidence into; policy, practice and behaviour change through our advocacy, programs and services. This is implemented through complementary mechanisms including:
Commissioning research and evaluation to support Beyond Blue’s program and service delivery.
- Investment in large scale, collaborative research programs.
- Supporting investigator-led research proposals.
- Knowledge translation activities which support research findings to be applied both within Beyond Blue and by others.
Beyond Blue research priorities
To guide our investment in mental health research, Beyond Blue has developed four research priority areas:
- Understanding depression, anxiety and suicidality
- A holistic approach to prevention
- Better treatments, supports and services
- Achieving equity
Research and evaluation initiatives
- For more information on any of our existing and prospective initiatives please email us at: research@beyondblue.org.au
Independent Evaluations:
An evaluation of Beyond Blue's previous strategy period (2020-2023) was completed in December 2023. The summary and full evaluation reports are available below, along with Beyond Blue's response to the evaluation and the opportunities it presented:
2020-2023 Independent Evaluation Summary Report
2020-2023 Independent Evaluation Full Report
Beyond Blue Response to Independent Evaluation 2020-2023
Past Independent Evaluation reports:
Collaborative research programs
Centre of Research Excellence in Childhood Adversity and Associated Depression and Anxiety Beyond Blue has partnered with the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) to jointly fund a $2.5 million Centre of Research Excellence to investigate the prevention of depression, anxiety and suicidality by reducing the occurrence of adverse childhood experiences.
The five-year Centre is being led by Professor Harriet Hiscock from the Royal Children’s Hospital in Melbourne and involves 11 researchers from across Australia including from Monash University, University of Melbourne, and University of New South Wales. It also supports early career researchers to work in this space.
This world-first centre brings together researchers spanning paediatrics, education, psychology, psychiatry, population health, and health services research to look at producing documents for practitioners and policy makers showing which adverse childhood experiences at which development stages are associated with depression, anxiety and suicidality, and which interventions are most likely to be effective in reducing these. It will establish feasible, acceptable, and costed integrated approaches to identifying and reducing adverse childhood experiences from the antenatal period through to the end of primary school.
For more information about this program visit Centre of Research Excellence in Childhood Adversity and Mental Health
