The Darling Downs and South West Queensland region encompasses a large regional and rural geographic area, covering over 400,000 square kilometres, with a diverse population of over 300,000 people.

There is one large regional referral hospital, four medium-sized regional hub hospitals, three acute care private hospitals, fourteen rural hospitals, eleven multipurpose health services, seven community outpatient clinics, eight residential aged care facilities, one community care unit and an extended inpatient mental health service spread across the region.

The Darling Downs and South West Queensland supports a high proportion of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, elderly persons, often living in situations of social isolation and a high proportion of young families with infants and children who often have complex maternal and early childhood needs. Engaging local communities to increase their capacity to contribute to and benefit from innovation and research is essential.