Message from the CEO

As the focus continues on building workforce skills and capacity in our sector, we are delighted to have announced another 16 industry placements through our REDI Fellowship program. The new fellows will be working for up to 13 months with SMEs and international companies based in Australia and internationally. Strong engagement from industry has been vital for the success of our fellowship program and we appreciate that so many companies, from CSL, Astra Zeneca, Stryker and Penumbra to GE Healthcare Australia, Seer Medical and SpeeDx, have come on board. Since inception, the program has provided a total of 47 sought-after industry placements, with 54 per cent of the fellowships secured by women.

Ahead of opening the TTRA program’s third funding round in early 2023, which will support diabetes and cardiovascular disease projects that address the unmet health and medical needs of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in rural, remote, regional and urban centres, we hosted the first in a series of webinars on indigenous health research. Titled ’The Principles of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health research and engaging meaningfully with community’, the webinar showcased the knowledge, experience and advice of panellists Professor Alex Brown, Dr Michelle Kennedy and Ray Kelly. If you missed it, watch the important panel discussion in the video on-demand or listen to our podcast episode available soon. 

Taking an international lens to other opportunities, we supported ANDHealth’s Australian delegation to the HLTH conference in the US which attracted a huge crowd of 9,000 attendees in the healthtech sector. I joined ANDHealth CEO Bronwyn Le Grice for the mission and met the impressive group of Australian digital health entrepreneurs and start-ups profiling their innovations internationally.

If you’re interested in why Australian companies target international markets for their innovations, check out our MTPConnect Podcast two-part episode on The Medtech Conference held in Boston in October. I spoke with guests and delegate companies who joined our Team Australia delegation about their market access plans, exploring opportunities in the US and making  business connections - it’s an interesting snapshot.

In other world news, we marked World Antimicrobial Awareness Week with the release of a new report 'Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) Impact Report: How big is Australia's AMR threat?'  Developed by AARMNet in conjunction with CSIRO, the report reveals that deaths by drug-resistant infections are higher than previous estimates in Australia. It highlights the challenge of measuring the true impact of AMR and makes recommendations on how to improve data collection to best inform strategies and interventions to combat this critical threat. Through the MTPConnect Podcast we also highlighted the story behind Bugworks Research Inc. efforts to develop a new antibiotic with CARB-X support and their decision to run a clinical trial in South Australia.

So much is happening in South Australia and our Adelaide Intermediary Program team captured it all by hosting APPLAUSE22 with partners Adelaide Biomed City, Medical Device Partnering Program and Health Translation SA – an event designed to celebrate SA’s health and medical innovations ecosystem. The AIP team welcomed 180 special guests, industry leaders, researchers, entrepreneurs, innovators and changemakers. I joined our Chair Sue MacLeman on stage along with Chief Scientist for South Australia Professor Caroline McMillen and Telix Asia Pacific CEO David Cade. Check out the APPLAUSE22 video to see what the celebrations are all about.

It is great to see ANDHealth launch the WA Connected Health Commercialisation Initiative to build the capability of WA digital health companies - in collaboration with our WA Life Sciences Innovation Hub. Next month we are also supporting ANDHealth’s Digital Health Summit in Melbourne on 6 December, and I hope to see you there.

Our team developing the National Diagnostic Action Plan published preliminary findings from the stakeholder engagement process at the six-month mark. Take a look at the interim report that identifies key barriers to the growth of Australia’s diagnostics product sector, covering the full R&D, manufacturing and commercialisation cycle.

Finally, I would like to thank Libby Pearce, our Communications and Digital Projects Manager who is moving on after 3.5 years with MTPConnect. She will be missed by everyone in our team and we wish her all the best as she makes a change and takes on new challenges.

We may be entering the final stretch for 2022 but we’re busier than ever and our team looks forward to connecting with you at events and activities across the country in the coming weeks. 

Kind regards,

Stuart Dignam
Chief Executive Officer 

MTPConnect & Industry News

MTPConnect  Announces 16 REDI Fellowships for Industry Roles
Sixteen highly skilled Australian researchers, clinicians and professionals from the medical technology, biotechnology and pharmaceutical sector have secured sought-after industry placements under the REDI (Researcher Exchange and Development within Industry) Fellowship program. The new fellows will be working for up to 13 months with SMEs and international companies based in Australia, the US, the UK and Europe. 

TTRA Webinar on Principles of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Research
TTRA held the first in a series of webinars – ‘Principles of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health research and engaging meaningfully with community’ – for interested researchers to prepare for its forthcoming Round 3 research opportunity focused on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health in relation to diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Panelists included Professor Alex Brown – Professor of Indigenous Genomics, Australian National University and Telethon Kids Institute. Dr Michelle Kennedy – Executive Manager of Research and Knowledge Translation, Lowitja Institute and Ray Kelly – Accredited Exercise Physiologist/Researcher and creator of ‘Too Deadly for Diabetes’. Watch the webinar on demand and download the webinar slides.

ACADI Holds Inaugural Annual Partnering Summit
ACADI - the Australian Centre for Accelerating Diabetes Innovations, held its first Annual Partnering Summit on World Diabetes Day, 14 November 2022. Hosted jointly with MTPConnect’s TTRA program, the Summit provided an opportunity to meet other diabetes research professionals, listen to commercialisation and translation success stories, and share ideas. 

MTPConnect Supports Digital Health Delegation to HLTH in US
MTPConnect threw its support behind ANDHealth's Australian delegation to the HLTH Conference, the world's leading digital health event for health innovation. Sixty digital health companies showcased their innovations to the US market. MTPConnect CEO Stuart Dignam was on deck at the Australian Pavilion with ANDHealth CEO Bronwyn LeGrice.

APPLAUSE22 Lights Up South Australia
More than 180 innovators, entrepreneurs, leaders, researchers, and changemakers, including MTPConnect’s CEO Stuart Dignam and Chair Sue MacLeman, Chief Scientist for South Australia Professor Caroline McMillen, and Telix Asia Pacific CEO David Cade, gathered for the inaugural Health and Medical Innovation (HMI) ecosystem celebration, APPLAUSE22 in Adelaide. The event was hosted by MTPConnect’s Adelaide Intermediary Program team in partnership with Adelaide Biomed City, Medical Device Partnering Program, and Health Translation SA. Watch the APPLAUSE22 presentation, showcasing South Australians working in research, trialing new innovations, and improving health outcomes.

Podcast Specials on MedTech Boston and World Antimicrobial Awareness Week 
Check out this month's new episodes. In a two-part Medtech Conference podcast special we chat to a range of special guests and delegate companies. In part one you will hear from Rachel Rath, Director of the BARDA Alliance for Johnson & Johnson Innovation, Australian cardiologist and Boston Scientific's Executive Vice President and Global Chief Medical Officer, Professor Ian Meredith. In part two, Medical Alley Association's Vice President of Intelligence Frank Jaskulke explains the Medical Alley-MTPConnect alliance and we hear more from companies in the Team Australia delegation.  In a special episode to mark Antimicrobial Awareness Week, co-hosts Caroline Duell and AAMRNet Co- Chair Andrew Bowskill get an update from Bugworks Co-founder and CEO Anand AnandKumar about developing novel antibacterials and immunotherapies and selecting Adelaide, South Australia to conduct a Phase 1 clinical trial.

2022 Prime Minister's Prizes for Science 
The twelve 2022 prize recipients were announced by the Hon Anthony Albanese MP, Prime Minister of Australia and the Hon Ed Husic MP, Minister for Industry and Science. Congratulations to Seer Medical's Dr Pip Karoly, a founding member of the company, who received the 2022 Prize for New Innovators for greatly advanced global understanding of epilepsy. Seer Medical is a BioMedTech Horizons Program awardee. SpeeDx Co-founders, Adjunct Professor Alison Todd and Dr Elisa Mokany, received the 2022 Prize for Innovation for the commercialisation of their highly advanced molecular diagnostic tests for cancer and infectious diseases. SpeeDx is a Biomedical Translation Bridge Program awardee.

Little Green Pharma wins Australian Export Award
WA-based Little Green Pharma has taken out the International Health category in the 60th Australian Export Awards. Little Green Pharma (LGP) is pioneering Australian grown and manufactured medicinal cannabis and its medications assist thousands of patients. It has secured export access to Germany, France, UK, Italy, New Zealand and Brazil. The award was presented to CEO Fleta Solomon by MTPConnect Chair Sue MacLeman at an event at Parliament House in Canberra. Read more

AAMRNet and CSIRO Launch AMR Impact Report 
We kicked off World Antimicrobial Awareness Week with the release of a new report developed by AAMRNet and CSIRO titled ‘Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) Impact Report: How big is Australia’s AMR threat?’. Not surprisingly, it’s much higher than what was previously thought: in the thousands rather than hundreds. Grab yourself a cuppa and read the report.

BioMedTech Horizons Team Visits Awardees
Our BMTH team visited several awardee projects in NSW and Queensland during October for in-person, on-site catch ups. At IntelliDesign in Brisbane, the team checked out the prototype development of a Low Field portable MRI instrument for patient bedside imaging, and at WearOptimo in Woolloongabba the team received a progress update on  development of the hydration and cardiac microwearables to use in clinics that aim for real-time, minimally-invasive personalised diagnostics. Other NSW visits included time with Merunova,  Kunovus Technologies and Venstra Medical.

CTCM Kicks Off Round One Project Meetings 
CTCM recently met with Round One awardees – Navi Medical Technologies and Eudaemon Technologies for project kick-off meetings in person and on-site. In Melbourne, Navi is developing the Neonav®, a device that helps guide and monitor a catheter’s position in newborns and young children, and the visit included a tour of the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at The Women's. The  team also visited Eudaemon at its base at IDE Group headquarters in Sydney, and toured facilities. Using an advanced material, Eudaemon is developing an innovative new generation condom to disrupt the existing contraception on the market and offer an alternative for sexual health & wellness.

WA Spotlight Series With Recce Pharmaceuticals 
This month, WA-based Recce Pharmaceuticals took to the stage for WA Life Sciences Innovation Hub’s final WA MTP Sector Spotlight at Harry Perkins Institute of Medical Research with Rebekah Craggs in the hosting seat. The Spotlight took attendees through the Recce Pharmaceutical journey, from R&D to funding and beyond, and discussed the importance of building new antimicrobials to fight the problem of antimicrobial resistance. Missed out? Watch the recorded session. 

Upcoming ANDHealth Digital Health Summit In Melbourne
ANDHealth will hold its Digital Health Summit – The Future of Australia's Fast-Growing Digital Health Sector: The Awakening Giant, on 6 December. The event will bring together digital health entrepreneurs and thought leaders to discuss learnings on investment, commercialisation and innovation in the digital health industry. MTPConnect are proud to be supporting the event. Use our code 'MTPCONNECT_20' when booking your tickets to save 20%.  Check out the latest agenda. 

National Diagnostic Action Plan Preliminary Findings Published
MTPConnect has been engaged by the Department of Industry, Science and Resources (DISR) to develop a National Action Plan for establishing end-to-end sovereign manufacturing capability for diagnostic products in Australia. The project is mid-way to be being delivered in partnership with Pathology Technology Australia (PTA) and supported by HTANALYSTS. The interim report has been developed from Phase I interviews conducted in three states and focuses mainly on manufacturing capabilities. Data from the remaining three states will be analysed in the final report. Read it here.

REDI GMP Uplift Training Program Featured in Video
Launched via a video in Australian Health Journal, GMP Uplift is a training program aimed at uplifting Australia’s sovereign manufacturing capability. The training was developed by the Centre for Biopharmaceutical Excellence (CBE) and MTPConnect’s Researcher Exchange and Development within Industry (REDI) Initiative. More information: GMP Uplift training programs.

Sector Snapshot

• Congratulations to the nine winners of the 2022 Australian Technologies Competition  including HealthTech Award winner My Medic Watch, for developing apps that automatically detect falls or seizures
• ANDHealth has announced the five digital health companies selected for the second cohort of the ANDHealth+ program - congratulations to Baymatob, BioEye, Macuject, Neurotologix and WeGuide
• The Australian Medical Research and Innovation Priorities 2022-2024 have been recently been published. They are the fourth set of priorities for the Medical Research Future Fund (MRFF).
• Ab Initio (supported by MTPConnect’s Growth Centre Project Fund Program) has been listed in the Australian Financial Review as one of the fastest growing start-up companies in Australia, being ranked in the 2022 AFR Fast Starters List
• Congratulations to Atmo Biosciences and RMIT University who have been granted European and Australian patents for their ingestible gas-sensing capsule, following the recent granting of the equivalent patent in the USA
• FivePhusion announces a strategic collaboration with the University of South Australia, a successful capital raising and non-dilutive funding as it develops Deflexifol™, a novel anti-cancer drug reformulation designed to address the safety and efficacy limitations of standard of care chemotherapy
• Congratulations to CSL, on signing a $313 million licensing deal with US medicines maker Arcturus Therapeutics, which is developing mRNA vaccines to fight influenza and COVID-19
• Congratulations to WearOptimo who have received a $5 million investment boost enabling the company to progress its game-changing hydration monitor, through clinical trials at QUT 
• Planet Innovation has more than doubled its manufacturing floor space in the United States with the opening of its all-new 70,000 sq. ft. production facility in Irvine, California
• BMTH-awardee Carbon Cybernetic's CEO David Garrett features in the latest Tedx Talks Sydney, where he discusses their carbon electrode array, which records brain activity to predict and prevent epileptic seizures. Watch now! 
• BMTH awardee, Iventia Life Science, a global leader in 3D cell culture and 3D bioprinting technology will build a new advanced manufacturing hub in Sydney with support from the NSW Government's Jobs Plus Program
• CSL, WEHI and The University of Melbourne jointly announce the appointment of Cicada Innovations as the independent operator of the new biotech incubator which will be located in CSL’s new Global Headquarters currently under construction in the Melbourne Biomedical Precinct
• Congratulations to Clinical Translation and Commercialisation Medtech (CTCM) Program awardee Eudaemon Technologies who received $4.035 million funding through the NSW Health Medical Devices Fund for the development of a next generation condom
• Blood bioTech Aegros will build a $352m manufacturing hub for plasma fractionation in Queensland for therapeutic plasma products, and base its global headquarters in the state
• The Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering (ATSE) announced the first 50 scholarship recipients for the $41.2 million Elevate: Boosting women in STEM program
• Sydney vascular imaging startup Vexev has raised $8.5 million to ramp up the global expansion of its 3D medical imaging device
• ARCS Australia has appointed three Board Directors at their Annual General Meeting, as part of a competitive election process with a total of eight nominations
• Sonic Healthcare has acquired a major stake in Microba Life Sciences gut health testing business
• Read ANDHealth's latest State of the Industry report 'The Awakening Giant: The Rise of Australia's Evidence-Based Digital Health Sector' - out now!
• BioMelbourne Network has announced the launch of Wilam, a new digital platform for the life sciences industry to engage in real time. Preview Wilam!
• Read the BTB Impact Report  summarising the progress and impact of 21 projects that have now completed MTPConnect's BTB program
• Read the MTPConnect report commissioned by the TGA on 'Cell, Gene and Tissue Regulatory Framework in Australia: Stakeholder Perspectives', developed in collaboration with Evohealth
• Read MTPConnect's third REDI skills gap report and find out how the COVID-19 pandemic has shown up critical workforce skills gaps
• Take a look at MTPConnect's 2022 Sector Competitiveness Plan

Sector Opportunities

• CARB-X has announced new funding rounds for three distinct product themes: Oral therapeutics, Vaccines for neonatal sepsis and Gonorrhea products. Watch the 40 min video to find out more! Expressions of interest (EOI) can be submitted during the following dates: 16 January to 30 January 2023 and 17 April  to 1 May 2023 

• The Innovation Seed Fund is now open for Western Australian innovators. Minimum data form due 7 December 2022 and applications close 15 December 2022. Apply now!

• The WA Near-miss Awards (WANMA) Emerging Leaders Program supports Western Australian early-and-mid-career researchers to achieve future success in National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) grant funding rounds. Apply before Thursday 8 December 2022

• Medical researchers! Do you have an innovative project that could benefit from funding support to make a real impact in the lives of Victorians and patients around the world? Apply now for Victorian Medical Research Acceleration Fund (VMRAF) and mRNA Victoria Research Acceleration Fund (mVRAF)

• ATSE has launched IMNIS Ignite, a new postgraduate internship program connecting industry-ready IMNIS Engage alumni with industry-based internships at host organisations. Register your interest

• 10 new $10,000 internship vouchers are now available to medtech, biotech and pharma businesses through APR.Intern’s ongoing partnership with MTPConnect REDI. The vouchers provide eligible businesses with a subsidy to ease the cost of engaging a PhD student intern. Find out more!

• Expressions of interest are now open for the UNSW's SynBio 10x accelerator for 2023 - for any SynBio start-up in Australia that harnesses entrepreneurial experience and R&D capabilities to accelerate SynBio or Biotech product development and commercialisation

• Are you an APAC-based MedTech /BioTech /HealthTech Startup keen on expanding your reach to Australia? MedTech Actuator Global Navigator Program will facilitate the entry of APAC-based Health startups into the Australian market. Singapore, Sydney and Melbourne. Express your interest

• Get nominating for the BioMelbourne Network Women in Leadership Awards.  The awards acknowledge leadership and commitment to drive change and impact in the health industry. Nominations close 15 February 2023.

• Do you have a great idea for a medical or assistive device and need R&D assistance? Connect with MDPP - supported by REDI

• Subscribe to gemaker's Monthly Insights newsletter for researchers, inventors and innovative businesses

• List your medtech organisation on MDPP's online Capability Directory

• Report a Trade Barrier through the Trade Barriers Register

REDI Skills Gap Training and Development Programs on Offer

MTPConnect’s Researcher Exchange and Development within Industry (REDI) Initiative has launched 11 new industry training courses/programs with seven new industry partners for 2022-23. The programs listed below, are also featured in an updated edition of the courses brochure and online. The REDI Initiative, launched in 2020, now boasts 20 industry partners and supports more than 40 training programs to plug the capacity, capability and experience gaps identified in the MTPConnect REDI Skills Gaps Analysis Reports.

Advanced Manufacturing and Supply Chain

• SeerPharma Quality Management System (QMS) Primer – Is a wholly online, self-paced course providing an overview of quality management systems, their benefits and what you need to consider before implementation. Now until 28 February 2023 (virtual)

•  SeerPharma ISO 9001:2015 Workshop – Online (6-8 March 2023)

• SeerPharma ISO 13485:2016 Workshop –  Melbourne (20-23 February 2023), Online (27,28,30, 31 March 2023)

• SeerPharma GLP Workshop –  Online (20-22 March 2023)

• Centre for Biopharmaceutical Excellence (CBE) GMP training courses:

• REDI Supported Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) Training, GMP Uplift CBE’s GMP Uplift Programs have launched, and our first cohorts of participants are getting ready to finish and graduate. Register now.
  
  Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) Uplift – Essential Program: a 5-day equivalent training program for new entrants into GMP related roles for those involved in human health.  More about the Essentials program.
  
  CBE’s Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) Uplift – Advanced Program: a wholly online series of self-paced learning courses coupled with facilitated webinars from CBE subject matter experts. Read more about the  Advanced Program.

Business Operations

• Life Sciences WA - Investment Series – open to all investors seeking to increase their knowledge of this growing sector. Register your interest

Clinical Trials

• ARCS Foundations Bootcamp - Essentials of clinical trial design for non-clinical trial specialists) - Medical Devices or Medicines. Register your interest.
• ARCS Grow Program (CRA training program). Register your interest
• The PRAXIS Australia Clinical Trials Coordinator (CTC) Internship Program aims to equip new CTCs with the skills needed in Australia’s clinical trials landscape through leading-edge training. Interns will receive a stipend to assist with living expenses for the duration of the program. Apply via PRAXIS Australia website.

Health Data and Cybersecurity

• intelliHQ AI in Healthcare Training Program  – Course 1 & Course 2 Register your interest!

Events​

• 1 December 2022 - ARCS Signature Program Information Session, ARCS Australia (Sydney)
• 1-2 December 2022 - Sydney Cardiovascular Symposium, Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute and the Heart Research Institute (Sydney)
• 4 - 9 December 2022 -  West Tech Fest's annual conference (Perth)
• 6 December 2022 - ANDHealth Digital Health Summit, ANDHealth (Melbourne)
• 8 December 2022 - Perth Angels' Annual Investor Breakfast, Perth Angels (Perth)
• 14 December 2022 - Vic End-Of-Year Function 2022, AusBiotech and BioMelbourne Network (Melbourne)
• 14-16 February 2023 - STEMfest, Techgirls movement (Sydney)
• 7- 9 March 2023 - Science Meets Parliament 2023, Science and Technology Australia (Canberra)
• 6-8 June 2023 - ARCS Annual Conference 2023 - Abstracts open, ARCS (Sydney)

To see what industry events are coming up in 2022-2023, visit our events page.

Case Study Showcase: WA's VeinTech Is Finding The Right Vein, First Time, Every Time

With over 70% of hospital patients requiring a cannula, cannulation is one of the most common medical procedures in our health system. Yet, since the invention of intravenous cannulas in the 1950s, 40% of intravenous cannula insertions still fail, with up to 70% failure rate in individuals with difficult intravenous access (DIVAs) such as children, chemotherapy and obese patients. Dr Katherine Arenson, Nick Buckley and Nikhilesh Bappoo founded VeinTech in 2020 to develop and commercialise a medical device to assist with correctly inserting a cannula into a vein in situations when intravenous access is difficult.

Read more about VeinTech's  ultra-portable hand-held vein imaging device, the VeinWave, which aims to help clinicians successfully target the right vein, first time, every time.

Sector Profile: The Maker Man

The Maker Man offers a wide range of services for obtaining your product or parts, from prototyping and low-volume manufacturing to mass production and custom part procurement. We have the resources and expertise to take your product from concept to market. We want to help you bring your invention or product to life. 

Learn more in our Sector Directory.  

List your organisation on the MTPConnect Sector Directory.