ARC Grants $94.5M to Establish Centre of Excellence for Quality Work in a Digital Age

As rapid advances in artificial intelligence, automation, and algorithmic management continue to reshape the modern workplace, a major national initiative aims to ensure technology serves human wellbeing rather than undermining it. The Australian Research Council (ARC) has awarded $34.8 million to establish the ARC Centre of Excellence for Quality Work in a Digital Age (QWiDA). Supported by an additional $59.7 million in cash and in-kind co-investments from partner organisations, the seven-year, $94.5 million initiative marks one of the country's most significant research investments in workplace transformation.

Administered by Curtin University, QWiDA establishes an interdisciplinary network linking 17 Chief Investigators across seven Australian universities, including Curtin, UNSW, QUT, Swinburne, the University of Melbourne, the University of Queensland, and the University of South Australia. Crucially for our community, the Centre’s scientific leadership features five SOBA members serving as Chief Investigators: Dr Sharon Parker, who leads the initiative as Centre Director, alongside Dr Andrew Neal, Dr Mark Griffin, Dr Catherine Collins, and Dr Tim Ballard. Together with their project colleagues, the team will advance socio-technical research across three interlinked streams, pairing empirical inquiry with a practical "Design in Action Hub" to trial evidence-backed workplace interventions.

The Centre’s work addresses a timely imperative for organisational psychology, management, and workplace policy. By examining the complex interplay between emerging digital tools, job design, and employee health, QWiDA seeks to generate actionable frameworks that help organisations build jobs that remain productive, inclusive, and psychologically sustainable.