Frequently asked questions

The Veteran and Family – Learning and Innovation Network of Knowledge (VF‑LINK) is a research-and-evaluation partnership model that connects evidence with policy and services for veterans and families of veterans. 

The Department of Veterans’ Affairs (DVA) has established a strategic research-and-evaluation partnership with Phoenix Australia to support the delivery of the VF-LINK model over five years (2025-2030). VF-LINK  aims to improve the health and wellbeing of veterans, and families of veterans, by strengthening how research and evaluation evidence is generated, used, and shared to support decision making and the design of policy, programs, and services.  

Phoenix Australia has partnered with nine organisations, along with key subject-matter experts and a group of veteran and families-of-veterans advisors, to form the VF-LINK Consortium. The Consortium will work collaboratively with DVA to deliver research and evaluation projects under the VF-LINK model.  

The objectives and intended outcomes of VF-LINK align with recommendations from the Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide by: 

• delivering research and evaluation projects that address priority areas and emerging issues  

• ensuring a focus on research translation by building this into studies early  

• being more transparent about DVA research, with annual research workplans to be published on the DVA website. The DVA website has also been updated with research publications going back more than 20 years, supported by improved search functionality to enhance user experience  

• improving the quality and strategic oversight of research and evaluation in DVA through the new DVA Research Strategy, the DVA Evaluation Strategy, and VF-LINK outcomes-and-impact monitoring.

By bringing research, lived-experience, and decision-making closer together, research commissioned via the VF-LINK model will focus on issues that matter most to veterans, and families of veterans, with a clear emphasis on translating findings into policy, programs, and services that improve real-world outcomes.  

There are several ways to engage, including participating in consultations, collaborating on specific projects, joining Veteran and Family Research Learning Community events, and helping to share and translate findings through your own networks. To stay informed, sign up to the VF-LINK mailing list. 

Veterans and families of veterans have multiple opportunities to engage with VF‑LINK. They have already played a key role in shaping research priorities through consultation on the DVA Research Strategy. 

Looking ahead, veterans and families can contribute to upcoming research by participating in studies. They can also stay informed and engaged by joining the VF-LINK mailing list, which provides updates on future webinars and research opportunities.  

Research under VF‑LINK covers health, wellbeing, and broader social- and system‑level factors that affect veterans and families of veterans.

It supports research and evaluation that improves outcomes across different aspects of their lives.  

Research will be guided by the 5-year DVA Research Strategy (currently in development). DVA’s annual research work plans will be flexible and support pursuing projects to meet evolving priorities and evidence gaps. 

As the funder, DVA is accountable for public money and retains final decision‑making responsibility.  

DVA will work primarily with the VF-LINK Consortium, led by Phoenix Australia, to deliver research and evaluation projects. In some circumstances the VF-LINK Consortium may seek to engage expertise outside of this arrangement based on identified need.  There are also some exceptions where DVA may procure research and evaluation services outside the VF-LINK partnership. For example: 

• where the data required or the IP (intellectual property) rights for that data are held by an entity outside the VF-LINK Consortium; 

• projects that the VF-LINK Consortium are unable to undertake; or 

• the fees or capability of VF-LINK Consortium for a project are not competitive against other whole-of-government panels for similar services. 

The outcomes and impact of VF-LINK will be measured and reported annually. This includes how research is used in policy, programs, and services and the contribution it makes to improving outcomes for veterans and families of veterans.  

All research will be guided by the 5-year DVA Research Strategy currently under development, however it will be suitably flexible to accommodate research into new and emerging issues that need to be investigated.

No. A DVA letter of first contact is only required where the research or evaluation participants are being recruited through a direct approach from DVA.

DVA requires that the DDVA HREC is the primary ethics review body for research where DVA is directly involved. Common examples include where DVA has commissioned the research, or a DVA program evaluation is recruiting DVA clients as participants, or the project will be using DVA administrative data.

For veteran community research where DVA is not directly involved in the project, the researcher’s own institution’s HREC should provide the primary ethics review. The project can then also be submitted to the DDVA HREC for mutual recognition, if required. Further information about the mutual recognition process is available on the DDVA HREC website.