Bioscience professionals who want to know more about commercialisation can apply to enter a national Bridge Program run by QUT.
The program, now in its second year, caters to bioscience industry professionals including scientists, IP lawyers, academics, entrepreneurs and business developers.
Program director, Professor Lyn Griffiths, who is also the director of QUT Institute of Health and Biomedical Innovation, said last year’s program saw more than 100 participants from across Australia selected to take part in face-to-face and online training.
“The Bridge Program aims to equip participants with the knowledge and skills needed to navigate the complex regulatory, financial, scientific and intellectual property steps involved in taking laboratory discoveries to pharmacy shelves,” Professor Griffiths said.
The Bridge Program is funded through the Federal Government’s Industry Growth Centre, MTPConnect, and a consortium of pharmaceutical companies, industry associations, a venture capital fund and university partners.
Professor Griffiths said a Pitch Competition run as part of the program last year has enabled four bioscience professionals to receive an exclusive industry tour of three pharmaceutical research facilities in the USA.
“Sue Choong, James Hill, Gorjana Mitic and Dr Marianne Gillard come from differing fields within the Australian bioscience sector - from regulatory affairs, applied chemistry, bioengineering and commercialisation and their projects cover new treatment approaches for Alzheimer’s disease, type 2 diabetes, snake bites and cancer,” she said.
“They’ve toured the head offices of industry leaders Amgen, AbbVie and Merck (known in Australia as MSD) where they’ve gained first-hand industry knowledge and created global connections between the Australian and US biotech sectors.
“Taking our four winners of the Pitch Competition to the head offices of these industry leaders, has exposed them to expert translation of drug-to-market processes. This is important, as they will be able to consolidate their learning in the program and bring back the experience and expertise to Australia which they can utilise in their own fields, thus promoting the Australian bioscience ecosystem to further expand and develop.”
The Pitch Competition gave participants in the Bridge Program an opportunity to display their honed skills by creating a 2-minute video pitching a novel scientific development with the aim of securing investment.
Pitch Competition winner Dr Marianne Gillard said meeting with the teams at Amgen, AbbVie and Merck was a fantastic opportunity that provided great networking and a glimpse into the complex strategies that companies utilise.
“We can now share this valuable experience with colleagues back in Australia,” Dr Gillard said.
Bioscience professionals can lodge applications for the 2018 program via the Bridge Program website.
Media contacts: Rose Trapnell, QUT Media team leader, 07 3138 2361, 0407 585 901, rose.trapnell@qut.edu.au, media@qut.edu.au or Ren Smith, Bridge program, 3138 8210, bridge.program@qut.edu.au
