July Edition 2026

Message from the CEO

We are celebrating the companies, organisations and research groups supported through our Targeted Translation Research Accelerator with the release of the report - Vital Signs: Boosting Australian Innovation in Heart and Diabetes Health. It details their progress and successes - and the impact of this groundbreaking six-year program that AUScelerate developed and delivered for the Medical Research Future Fund (MRFF).

Diabetes and cardiovascular disease are among the most widespread health conditions facing communities across Australia and this program has unlocked $220 million in investment, established two new research centres – ACADI and ASHRA - and supercharged the translation of 80 new heart and diabetes products and solutions towards clinical impact and importantly, people living with these life-threatening health conditions.

The accelerator program also featured a dedicated round for First Nations health research initiatives engaging 481 First Nations people in project leadership and co-design. Importantly, it created clinical trial access for more than 5,000 people through 47 new clinical trials / participant studies.

In a nutshell, it has de-risked innovations for private investment, increased funding into Australia’s life sciences sector and is making a real-world impact on people’s lives and their health.

Much has been said lately about how to overcome the challenges of life science translation and commercialisation, particularly with the release of the government’s National Health and Medical Research Strategy. The impressive results of AUScelerate’s TTRA are a tangible example of how it can be done – by combining targeted funding with coordinated translation support.

As we continue to deliver world-class accelerator and innovation programs, we understand the challenges involved in taking ideas and turning them into medical products. This is the fifth highly successful program AUScelerate has delivered for the MRFF, and there are many involved who I would like to acknowledge.

Firstly, congratulations to all the project teams involved in progressing these 80 innovations – turning ideas into viable products and solutions is an inspiration.  There are also the members of the Expert Advisory Board, chaired by Hon. Judi Moylan AO, who provided guidance and expertise, and our selected program partners – ANDHealth, the Australian Centre for Health Services Innovation (AusHSI), the Lowitja Institute, Medical Device Partnering Program (MDPP) and UniQuest – who have strengthened the program and the projects. I would also like to acknowledge the vital contribution of the members of the TTRA Indigenous Advisory Group.

None of this would have been possible without AUScelerate’s TTRA team who have built strong relationships with our partners, awardees and helped guide this program to success – our thanks to Lauren Kelly who has led the program as the Senior Director and co-chaired the TTRA Partner Steering Committee, Dr Erin McAllum, Dr Andionne Parlade, Dr Mana Liao, Dr Meghana Kulkarni and Libby Pearce.

Enjoy reading about these new innovations and programs which are highlighted in the report as a series of insightful case studies.

Moving to an international focus, we are once again inviting you to join our Australian delegation to The Medtech Conference in Boston, Massachusetts in October. The conference and AUScelerate's extensive value-add program of activities and events is ideally suited for medtech startups, service providers, SMEs, researchers, tech transfer professionals and entrepreneurs looking to explore new business opportunities and build valuable connections in the US medtech market and beyond.

If you are ready to showcase your technology and make an impact with strategics and investors, don’t miss this curated medtech trade mission. Register by 4 September to join us. With a top-notch site visit program around Boston’s ecosystem, an added stop in New York City for a pitch session to US investors, and co-exhibitor status on the Australian Pavilion for your company branding with support from AUScelerate’s on-the-ground concierge service, I can’t reiterate enough how valuable these delegations are.

My colleague Dr Tracey Wilkinson, AUScelerate’s Director Stakeholder Engagement, WA and National & WA Life Sciences Innovation Hub, summed up the benefits of travelling to international conventions as part of a trade delegation in her post-BIO blog published this week – it's worth a read.

And on the subject of improving access to new markets and global supply chains, we are developing our BioGateway China program for companies keen to connect with the Chinese market – with planning underway for a delegation in November. If this is of interest, complete our survey which will help inform our program of activities. 

And if the Middle East is more your pathway, we continue to build a program for BIO Middle East in Riyadh in December, subject to travel restrictions. Join us!

We just tracked 75,000 downloads for The AUScelerate Podcast and the latest episode features the great minds driving Micro-X, the Adelaide-based ASX company using its innovative portable X-ray technology to develop a new small portable stroke head CT scanner with the Australian Stroke Alliance, with clinical trials now underway.

Don’t miss our upcoming grant writing workshop in August for our WA Grant Excellence Service.

Thank you for continuing to connect with us and you’ll find more details below about exciting events and opportunities coming up over the next few months.

Kind regards,

Stuart Dignam
Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director 

AUScelerate & Industry News

A new report launched this week reveals how AUScelerate’s inaugural Targeted Translation Research Accelerator (TTRA) has unlocked $220 million in investment, established two new research centres and supercharged the translation of 80 new heart and diabetes products and solutions towards clinical impact. Download the report here

Registrations are now open for our Australian delegation to Boston for The Medtech Conference – with valuable curated activities including, an opt-in New York Investor Pitch Session, and a two-day site visit program ahead of the MedTech Conference. Register by 4 September, and grab your early bird Advamed conference tickets by 6 August 2026.

If you are wondering if its worth travelling overseas for trade missions and conferences, check out the blog from AUScelerate's Dr Tracey Wilkinson, who shares her insights from attending BIO 2026 in San Diego and joining AUScelerate's site visit program and other key events in California, while she supported WA companies and promoted WA’s biotech sector to international connections.

Are you interested in engaging with the Chinese market? We’re exploring potential activities in China and we'd value your input to help shape our BioGateway China program. Please take a moment to complete this short survey so we can better understand your needs.

AUScelerate joined 16 other leading bodies from across Australia’s biotechnology, medical technology, pharmaceuticals, health technology, science and research sectors to raise concerns about two Federal Budget RDTI changes that risk undermining Australia’s growing science-based industries.

Launching our new episode for the AUScelerate Podcast this month, we speak to Micro-X CEO Kingsley Hall and COO Anthony Skeets about their patented x-ray technology and the Adelaide company’s trajectory that led to the development of their life-saving mobile stroke CT imaging platform using unconventional carbon nanotubes.

In July, we held our WA Grant Excellence Service workshop focusing on major collaborative grant bids. Registrations have opened for the next online workshop, 'Strategic Grant Development Workshop Essentials of Research Impact for NHMRC and MRFF' to be held 27 August 2026. And registrations open soon for the Commercialisation Grant Development Workshop on 24 September. Subscribe to be notified.

Our WA Grant Excellence Service is seeking experienced researchers to join the program as Expert Peer Reviewers - register your interest!

Join us for WA Life Sciences Innovation Hub's WA Spotlight on 17 August exploring Global Biopharma: Innovation, Competition and Geopolitics with the US Consulate in Perth.

The AUScelerate SA team invite you to join the next SA Insights event, Trials before Trials, exploring advanced manufacturing and how to accelerate medical device innovation and production at Tonsley Innovation District on 26 August. Join MDPP's National Innovations Manager Stephen Blakeney, as he facilitates a dynamic fireside chat with leaders in advanced manufacturing, exploring how to accelerate medical device innovation and production.

AUScelerate is proud to support BrainTech 2026 – convening researchers, clinicians, founders, investors and policymakers for a day of bold thinking – in Melbourne on 15 October 2026.

👏Congratulations to AUScelerate alumni 4D Medical who received TGA approval for its CT:VQ™ tech, enabling ventilation and perfusion imaging derived directly from routine chest CT scans, without contrast agents, radiotracers or dedicated nuclear medicine infrastructure

👏Congratulations to Misti who received funding support from the Industry Growth Program. Hear about their new inhaler in our March episode of the AUScelerate Podcast, Lightning Moment with Nobel Prize Winner Spurs on Misti’s Smart Inhaler for Advanced Respiratory Therapeutics

👏Congratulation to AUScelerate's CTCM alumni Navi Medical Technologies, a Melbourne and Boston-based medical device company that has just closed a $A6.8 million capital raise to commercialise its breakthrough paediatric vascular access technology in the United States.

Sector Opportunities

• US-based Medical Alley has created two Market Access Accelerator offerings, designed to address the majority of questions they receive in a format that also allows personalised advisory from our leading content experts. Learn more about 2026 enrolment
   

• BrainTech 2026 convenes the people shaping the future of brain health — researchers, clinicians, founders, investors and policymakers. Happening on 15 October in Melbourne. Early bird tickets until 31 July. Use our exclusive promo code BT26-FRIENDS and get 20% off the ticket price
   

• MAITRI, an Australia–India Innovation & Investment Initiative led by the Deakin Small-to-Medium Enterprise Research Centre, is welcoming registrations for its upcoming online workshops, designed to support Australian SMEs in exploring market opportunities, partnerships, and investment pathways in India's fast-growing innovation ecosystem with a focus on AI, robotics, health technology, pharmaceuticals, and related innovation sectors. Learn more and register
   

• The National Foundation for Medical Research and Innovation (NFMRI) has announced a new milestone grant to celebrate its 50th anniversary. NFMRI will award a single grant of up to $1 million over a period of up to three years to an Australian Publicly Funded Research Organisation (PFRO) (e.g. University, MRI) with Deductible Gift Recipient (DGR) status. This grant round opens 3 August 2026 and closes 29 October 2026.
   

• Here is a tip - subscribe to gemaker's monthly newsletter to stay up to date on commercialisation, innovation and research news, plus jobs, funding, awards, events and more

AUScelerate's trade mission to the 2026 Medtech Conference in Boston

Join us for a curated site visit project program, investor pitch session, Australian Pavilion showcase, and lots more in Boston! Register by 4 September. Early bird conference rates apply before 6 August 2026.

Events​

• 17 August 2026 - WA Spotlight on Global Biopharma: Innovation, Competition and Geopolitics, WA life Sciences Innovation Hub (Perth)
• 26 August 2026 - Trials before Trials: What it really takes to get a medical device from prototype to trial ready, AUScelerate SA (Adelaide)
• 27 August 2026 - WAGES Essentials of Research Impact for NHMRC and MRFF Grant Writing (Perth)
• 9 September 2026 - Cicada x Tech23 2026 Deep Tech Festival, (Sydney)
• 24 September 2026 - WAGES Commercialisation Grant Development Workshop, (Perth)
• 15 October 2026 - Braintech 2026 (Melbourne)
• 14–21 October 2026 - The MedTech Conference (AdvaMed) (Boston)
• 19 - 23 Oct 2026 - AusBiotech International Conference, AusBiotech (Gold Coast)
• 11–18 November 2026 - HLTH Conference & US Delegation, ANDHealth (San Francisco & Las Vegas)
• 6–9 December 2026 - Australasian Pharmaceutical Science Association (APSA) 2026 Annual Conference, RMIT University (City Campus, Melbourne)
• 14–16 December 2026 - Bio Middle East (Riyadh, Saudi Arabia)
• 2–3 March 2027 - MTAA MedTech Conference 2027, MTAA (Sydney)
• 27–28 May 2027 - Women's Health Medtech Summit, MTAA (Sydney)
• 19–23 October 2027 - AusBiotech Conferences, AusBiotech (Gold Coast)

To see what events are coming up in 2026, visit our news webpage and events webpage.

Case Study Showcase

ACADI: transforming diabetes care by translating research towards clinical impact

In Australia, diabetes is the fastest growing chronic condition and represents one of the most significant challenges facing the health system, with new innovations for the prevention, diagnosis, treatment and management of diabetes and its complications urgently needed.

Despite the significant impact diabetes has for those living with the condition, their families, communities and the health system, dedicated funding for translational research has largely come from philanthropic sources and there has been little in the way of coordinated effort to drive this research towards clinical impact.

Established through a $10 million investment from AUScelerate's Targeted Translation Research Accelerator (TTRA) program in 2022 and founded on an inclusive and collaborative model, the Australian Centre for Accelerating Diabetes Innovations (ACADI) is an Australian-first, tackling this challenge head on.

Headquartered at the University of Melbourne, find out how ACADI is uniting Australia’s leading researchers, clinicians, industry partners, and communities, across 66 partners and supporters and all states and territories, in a shared mission to transform diabetes care – delivering novel interventions for timely diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of diabetes and its complications, while ensuring every Australian, regardless of background or location, has equitable access to the latest innovations.