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Trials resources
Background
The Return to Work Innovation Trials are funding organisations to work together to address significant recovery and return to work challenges affecting Victorian workers and employers.
Multiple grants of up to $1.25 million are available to support organisations to co-design, test, evaluate and scale innovative approaches that improve recovery and return to work outcomes and have the potential to create lasting system-level change.
At a glance
- Funding: Up to $1.25 million per Trial
- Duration: Up to 2 years
- Applicants: Organisations leading a consortium
- Focus:
- Construction
- Manufacturing
- Health care and social assistance
- Workers from multicultural communities from within those industries
- Applications open: 10.00am AEST, 5 October 2026
- Applications close: 2.00pm AEST, 27 November 2026
About the Trials
The Trials are designed to drive system-level change by bringing together organisations from across industry, research, community and worker networks to address complex recovery and return to work challenges.
Applicants must lead a consortium of partners to co-design, test, evaluate and scale innovative initiatives that improve recovery and return to work outcomes.
Through innovation, collaboration and independent evaluation, the Trials aim to identify what works, generate evidence and support the adoption of successful approaches across Victorian workplaces, industries and communities.
Timeline
1 September to 5 October 2026.
5 October 2026.
5 October to 27 November 2026.
27 November 2026.
March 2027
July 2027 (30 days post contract execution)
From August 2027
From January 2028.
By July 2029.
Consortium model
Better outcomes through collaboration
Partnerships are essential to achieving system-level improvements in recovery and return to work outcomes.
Applicants must establish a consortium to co-design, deliver and evaluate their Trial. Strong consortiums bring together organisations with complementary expertise, experience, networks and perspectives.
Every consortium must include
- A lead organisation (the Applicant)
- An independent evaluation partner
- Industry or sector bodies
- Union representation
- Subject matter experts (treating health practitioner peak bodies for multicultural cohort)
Trial workplaces are central to every Trial. Workers, employers and workplace representatives should be actively involved throughout the design, delivery and evaluation of Trial activities.
FAQs
- What are the Return to Work Innovation Trials?
The Return to Work Innovation Trials (the Trials) are a competitive funding opportunity delivered by WorkSafe Victoria's Return to Work Innovations division. Applications are open between 5 October 2026, 10.00am AEST and close on 27 November 2026, 2.00pm AEST.
The Trials provide funding to a lead organisation to work together with a consortium to design, test, evaluate and scale innovative approaches that improve recovery and return to work outcomes for Victorian workers and employers.
- Who can apply?
WorkSafe welcomes applications from organisations capable of leading a consortium and delivering a large-scale innovation Trial.
Applicants must:
- target an eligible industry or cohort
- deliver the Trial within Victoria for the benefit of Victorian workers and employers
- have an ABN and be registered for GST
- demonstrate value for money
- meet all eligibility requirements outlined in the Guidelines
- What is WorkSafe looking for in a lead organisation?
The lead organisation needs the capability and experience to lead a complex, large-scale innovation Trial that will deliver benefits for Victorian workers and employers.
Strong lead organisations are likely to demonstrate:
- Experience managing complex projects, programs or grants of a comparable scale to the proposed Trial.
- Strong governance, financial management and risk management capability.
- Experience bringing together and leading multiple organisations, partners or stakeholders to achieve shared objectives and outcomes.
- Capability in areas such as innovation, co-design, service design, systems thinking, organisational change or large scale program delivery.
- A strong understanding of the recovery and return to work challenge they are seeking to address, including who is affected, the underlying barriers and the evidence for change.
- The ability to deliver initiatives that create impact beyond a single workplace.
- Experience driving system-level change or large-scale adoption across industries, workplaces or regions.
While organisations may be based outside Victoria, the proposed Trial must be delivered in Victoria and demonstrate recovery and return to work outcomes for Victorian workers and employers.
- What is a consortium?
A consortium is a group of organisations and individuals that work together to design, deliver, evaluate and scale a Trial. Consortiums bring together complementary expertise, perspectives, networks and capabilities to address complex return to work challenges and drive sustainable change.
Applicants must establish a consortium that includes the required partners outlined in the Guidelines.
- What are the key investment principles?
The Investment principles are designed to help applicants design an approach that delivers on the aim and objectives of the Trials. Applicants will need to demonstrate how they will achieve the following principles.
- Innovation: The Trials propose novel methods, techniques, services or processes to improve recovery and return to work outcomes.
- Evidence based: The Trials are grounded in research, data or have a theoretical foundation demonstrating their potential effectiveness.
- Potential for scaling: The initiatives within the Trials may be scaled up, replicated and rolled out across the industry, cohort or different geographical locations within Victoria.
- Capability building and knowledge sharing: The Trials create new knowledge and build capability through sharing findings and best practices with a broader audience to promote potential wider adoption.
- Inclusivity and accessibility: The Trials propose solutions that are accessible and user-friendly for all workers regardless of their cultural needs, values, and beliefs, literacy levels or disability. They focus on removing barriers and creating equitable opportunities for everyone to participate, contribute and access services.