Grady S1
1Hunter Medical Research Institute, New Lambton Heights, Australia
Biography:
Shaun Grady is a Senior Health Informatician at Hunter Medical Research Institute (HMRI), where he leads the delivery of research informatics services and manages the Data Sciences Research Training Program. His work spans research data management, digital research platforms, research software solutions, training, and the implementation of technology-enabled research workflows across a diverse range of disciplines.
Originally trained as a Radiation Therapist, Shaun has worked across healthcare, clinical research, health informatics, and research technology. His interests include digital health, research infrastructure, data-driven service design, and the evolving role of technology in supporting the research lifecycle. He is passionate about building sustainable, researcher-focused services that improve access to data, technology, and digital capability within the research sector.
Abstract:
Research support services face growing expectations to deliver expertise, support emerging technologies, and meet the needs of an expanding research community. The instinctive response is often to do more. In our experience, sustainability was achieved by doing the opposite.
This presentation describes the transformation of a research informatics service from a financially unsustainable operating model to a cost-neutral and self-sustaining service. Rather than pursuing growth through expansion, we focused on efficiency, clarifying our value proposition, and making deliberate decisions about where to invest limited resources.
Key changes included standardising common workflows, developing reusable templates and software components, diversifying income streams, and engaging new client groups. Equally important were the decisions about what not to do. We discontinued service offerings that lacked sufficient demand or strategic alignment, removed pricing arrangements that no longer reflected the true cost of service delivery, and embedded reusable tools and standardised approaches alongside bespoke project delivery to reduce duplication and improve scalability.
While no single change delivered the transformation, the cumulative effect was significant. By concentrating on areas of greatest impact, the team improved sustainability without increasing staffing levels or reducing service quality. The result was a more resilient service model capable of supporting growth while maintaining researcher outcomes.
As research support teams face increasing demand and constrained resources, this case study offers practical lessons in service design, prioritisation, and operational sustainability. Sometimes the most effective way to do more for researchers is to do fewer things but do them exceptionally well.