Exclusive: University of Sydney is a major shareholder in Innowell Pty Ltd, which developed the app

Follow our Australia news live blog for the latest updates

Get our morning and afternoon news emails, free app or daily news podcast

The University of Sydney paid a for-profit company it part-owns to provide a mental health app to staff and students while using their de-identified data for research, a move the tertiary union has described as a “violation of the university’s relationship with its students”.

The Innowell mental health app was developed by the company Innowell Pty Ltd, whose major shareholders are the University of Sydney (32%) and consultancy firm PwC (45%). University of Sydney professors Ian Hickie and Jane Burns are also minor shareholders.

Sign up for Guardian Australia’s free morning and afternoon