In Case You Missed It: How to Crack the U.S. Market - the First Seminar Series

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20 March 2020

To kick off our new 2020 Seminar Series around Australia, we brought out Medical Alley Associations’ VP Intelligence Frank Jaskulke to share his expertise and insights about into breaking into the U.S. market. 

Australia and Medical Alley have a history dating back to the development of the pacemaker. MTPConnect established a cooperation agreement with Medical Alley Association back in 2017 to forge a strong relationship and open further connections for the exciting medical innovations between countries. So our Stakeholder Engagement team, led by Dr Rebecca Tunstall, took Frank to meet the medtech sector across Australia. 

Here’s our wrap-up of the series.

First Stop - Brisbane

Pictured: Medical Alley Association’s VP Intelligence Frank Jaskulke presenting at the University of Queensland’s Centre for Clinical Research (UQCCR) in Brisbane.

Our first seminar in this national series, was held at the University of Queensland Centre for Clinical Research (UQCCR) at the Herston Hospital Campus.

Andrew Bowskill, our Director Stakeholder Engagement QLD, opened and introduced MTPConnect and the work we’re doing to support Queensland-based medtech and pharma companies be export-minded with markets like the United States. Frank presented on Medical Alley and the advice he has given to innovators looking to enter the US market.

After the seminar, we took Frank to meetings with some key companies in Queensland. We then toured the UQCCR clinical trial facilities including the Herston Imaging Facility and visited the Queensland Institute of Medical Research (QIMR), including Q-Gen Cell Therapeutics. 

Frank also met with:

  • Sue Coke, Director – Biomedical, Manufacturing, Industry and Regions, Department of State Development, Manufacturing, Infrastructure and Planning
  • Cathy Wardius, Research Development Manager, UQ Centre for Clinical Research
  • Prof. Rajiv Khanna, Director at QIMR Centre for Immunotherapy and Vaccine Development

We then brought Frank back to our office at the Translational Research Institute (TRI) for a tour of the Institute with:

  • Michelle Richards – Director Building Operations, TRI
  • Charles Ross – Head of Clinical Operations & Supply, Vaxxas

Second Stop - Sydney

Pictured: Our Director Stakeholder NSW Dr Duncan Macinnis and Frank Jaskulke at the University of Sydney’s Knowledge Hub.

We traveled to Sydney where our Director Stakeholder Engagement for NSW, Dr Duncan Macinnis, joined Rebecca and Frank to meet with some NSW-based companies, and then took a tour of Cicada Innovations incubator.

Then it was time to introduce Frank to a wider NSW audience at the Sydney Knowledge Hub, where Duncan opened the seminar. 

Third Stop - Perth

Pictured: Our Director Stakeholder Engagement WA Dr Kate Brooks and Frank Jaskulke at the Harry Perkins Institute for Medical Research.

Before the seminar, Frank, Rebecca and Director Stakeholder Engagement for WA, Dr Kate Brooks, sat down with a Biomedical Translation Bridge (BTB) program recipient. 

Then it was over to Kate to introduce Frank to address the wider WA medtech ecosystem, which turned out in force for the event.

Fourth Stop - Melbourne

Pictured: Our Managing Director & CEO Dr Dan Grant, Frank Jasklulke and Senior Director Stakeholder Engagement Dr Rebecca Tunstall in Melbourne.

With the continuing spread of the virus that causes COVID-19 and increasing travel restrictions, seminars planned for Adelaide and Melbourne had to be cancelled and Frank and Rebecca returned directly to Melbourne from Perth. But we still made the most of his time -- Frank had some discussions with BioMedTech Horizons program recipients and the BTB program.

To capture Frank’s insights and be able to share with the entire sector across the country, including those who’s were not able to attend a seminar in person, we recorded an interview for the MTPConnect Podcast Series. Frank’s presentation slides are also available here for anyone who missed the seminar.

We wanted to say a huge thanks to Frank and his fantastic team at the Medical Alley Association in Minnesota for such a meaningful week of discussions and meetings. As the COVID-19 pandemic mobilises our scientific and medical communities around the world to collaborate for a new vaccine or a treatment, it is a reminder that relationships with international partners such as the Medical Alley Association are critical for meeting the health a medical research challenges we all face – and translating that research to deliver better health outcomes for all.

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