Expressions of Interest open for The Bridge Program
23 March 2017
Expressions of interest are now open to take part in The Bridge Program—face-to-face and online training in the scientific, legal, financial, clinical, regulatory and reimbursement disciplines that contribute to research translation and the commercialisation of medicines.
Launching in June 2017, The Bridge Program will select 100 participants annually from across Australia to take part in the first round of the training program, with participants also benefitting from direct exposure to networking opportunities with top pharmaceutical companies operating globally.
As part of the MTPConnect Project Fund Program, The Bridge Program—involving a consortium of 14 pharmaceutical companies, universities and industry associations—has been awarded $540,000 of industry matched funding to deliver an exciting education program that will provide the necessary training to enable successful commercialisation of Australian pharmaceutical research.
A key barrier identified in MTPConnect’s draft Sector Competitiveness Plan, and addressed by the Bridge Program, is the lack of commercialization skills and business acumen across researchers and life science entrepreneurs. Across the innovation ecosystem, start-up businesses struggle to identify and employ managerial talent who possess the necessary business development skills. This is particularly true in Australia’s life science sector.
The Bridge Program aims to boost the commercial outputs of Australian pharmaceutical research, by improving the quality and quantity of commercial deals that arise from Australia’s pharmaceutical research sector.
The Bridge Program is unique in its integration into venture capital and global pharmaceutical networks and its ability to share specific, detailed and practical know-how that will assist researchers and entrepreneurs to improve the quality and quantity of leads that they could offer for development, and to accelerate the process of commercialisation.
The Bridge Program is specifically set up as a national, sector-wide program that will benefit a large number of participants and their organisations, particularly those from the SME sector. The program will not only benefit trainees, it will also improve the planning and execution of research & development in their organisations, and the networking opportunities available to them. This will ultimately deliver more advanced and commercially viable leads, better deal opportunities, and higher returns from Australian research.
The Bridge Program leverages the global pharmaceutical industry to improve the skills, knowledge and professional networks of Australian biotech entrepreneurs, industry related professionals, research scientists and business development orientated academics. Global experts sourced from across the industry will assist participants to understand and navigate the complex regulatory, financial, scientific and intellectual property issues involved in bringing new medicines to market.
Topics to be covered face-to-face and online include:
- Protecting intellectual property
- Structuring biotech financing deals
- Designing clinical trials to shorten regulatory approval processes
- Enhancing reimbursement returns
This exclusive program provides access to international speakers and global leaders from top-tier pharmaceutical companies.
For more information, download the flyer below, email bridge.program@qut.edu.au, or visit the website.
The Bridge Program will be convened and administrated by Queensland University of Technology.