Entrepreneurial-minded people across Australia with expertise in medical technology and medical devices will be able to vie for a QUT-based accelerator program being held in 2018 – the Bridge Tech Program.
MTPConnect – the Medical Technologies and Pharmaceuticals Industry Growth Centre – will provide $300,000 to run the program, with another $420,000 coming from industry partners and QUT.
The program will provide training for 100 successful applicants, via online resources and a three-day residential course at QUT in Brisbane.
The Bridge Tech Program follows a similar program which ran this year with a focus on the pharmaceutical industry.
The Bridge Program, which wraps up this month, selected 101 participants from across Australia who received a training boost on vital skills needed for research translation and the commercialisation of medicine. Applications for the 2018 pharmaceuticals Bridge Program close on February 2.
The new Bridge Tech Program will focus on skills to commercialise medical technology and medical devices and be open to applicants including start-up entrepreneurs and senior researchers and scientists.
The project is led by QUT and includes members from Siemens Healthcare, Stryker Australia, Cook Medical, Hydrix, IDE Group, Magnetica, Ellume, The Actuator, Immuneexpress, Cicada and Flinders University. They will provide program funding and training assistance for participants.
Professor Lyn Griffiths is Executive Director of QUT’s Institute of Health and Biomedical Innovation (IHBI) and is the director of the new Bridge Tech Program.
“This is an exciting opportunity to enhance the development of medical technology and medical device commercialisation in Australia in partnership with many of the key industry players in the sector,” she said.
“Developing this important educational initiative in partnership with industry means that participants will be provided with relevant and specific commercialisation training to better assist the commercialisation of medical technology and medical devices in Australia.”
MTPConnect CEO Sue MacLeman said the organisation was focused on harnessing Australia’s world-class research to seize more commercialisation opportunities.
“As part of our mission, we are funding big, bold ideas that will deliver results on a national scale, have sector-wide impact, and are aligned with the Sector Growth Priorities we have identified in our 10-year Sector Competitiveness Plan,” she said.
“By supporting projects such as the Bridge Tech Program, we believe we can develop a more vibrant MTP sector ecosystem with more successful companies, and ultimately improve the health and wellbeing of Australia and the world.”
For information on the Bridge Tech Program, contact Professor Griffiths on lyn.griffiths@qut.edu.au. Application information will also be posted on the QUT website soon.
Media contact: media@qut.edu.au
