REDI News: Announcing a New Australian Clinical Entrepreneur Program
12 May 2022
MTPConnect is pleased to announce its partner for the REDI supported Australian Clinical Entrepreneur Program (CEP) – the University of Melbourne and University of Western Australia Partnership, which also includes more than 20 other associates, of which five are major hospitals.
MTPConnect CEO, Mr Stuart Dignam, welcomed the University of Melbourne and the University of Western Australia partnership to the REDI initiative to deliver the Australian CEP pilot across three states: Victoria, Western Australia and New South Wales.
“The REDI supported Australian CEP pilot will provide an avenue to leverage and optimise untapped sector expertise and help foster and support Clinical Entrepreneurship,” Mr Dignam said.
“Our Driving skills development and workforce training for the future MTP workforce report found that successfully harnessing the potential of clinician entrepreneurs could make a real difference to the growth of Australia’s medical sector.
“Through the REDI initiative and commencing in mid this year, the 12-month CEP pilot, similar to an incubator, will deliver workshops and networking opportunities to healthcare professionals to develop their innovative ideas into products and enterprises/businesses that benefit clinical care of patients.
“It is excellent to see the REDI initiative going from strength to strength, ramping up Australia’s MTP sector with new Fellowships and programs to improve workforce skills and boost medical research commercialisation and entrepreneurism in Australia,” Mr Dignam said.
‘Scaling-up’ ideas to transform care
Head of Melbourne Medical School, Professor John Prins, says the CEP pilot would help the University of Melbourne ‘scale-up’ ideas and innovations and strengthen its capacity to support community via the potential to transform care.
“The Melbourne Medical School’s lead role in the CEP pilot builds on the very successful Innovation Acceleration Program partnership with our partnering health services.
“CEP will allow us to encourage and support clinicians in their entrepreneurial endeavours and to leverage the commercial pipeline. Approaches include supporting staff and student innovators; increasing recognition of innovation, social impact and commercial impact; streamlined collaboration with academic partners and industry; and increasing financial and other support schemes for innovation.
“Working and collaborating with business also allows complementary skills, expertise, and capabilities to translate ideas into viable larger-scale outputs and new value opportunities, helping the University of Melbourne broaden its support of clinical entrepreneurship across Western Australia, New South Wales, and Victoria,” Professor Prins said.
The time, knowledge and networks … to develop impactful solutions
Professor Kevin Pfleger, Director, Biomedical Innovation at the University of Western Australia and MTPConnect WA Life Science Innovation Hub, said there are numerous passionate individuals in our healthcare systems who have identified unmet needs and have developed innovative ways to address them.
“Through this program, they will get the time, knowledge and networks to validate these needs and drive towards developing impactful solutions,” Professor Pfleger said.
Summing up, Mr Dignam said: “It is excellent to see the REDI initiative going from strength to strength, ramping up Australia’s MTP sector with new programs to boost entrepreneurism and medical research commercialisation in Australia, as well as new REDI Fellowships.”
About The Australian Clinical Entrepreneur Program - Pilot
The Australian Clinical Entrepreneur Program (CEP) is based on the successful UK NHS Clinical Entrepreneur Program. The Australian CEP pilot will help equip healthcare professionals with the skills to translate and commercialise their ideas and innovation into impactful solutions; drive the development of solutions that will be used by patients and healthcare providers both in Australia and around the world to address key challenges; effect cultural change within the healthcare system by encouraging entrepreneurialism; and retain talented clinical staff who might otherwise leave to pursue entrepreneurial ambitions.
The Australian CEP pilot will be delivered by the University of Melbourne and the University of Western Australia partnership, across three states: Victoria, Western Australia and New South Wales. The partnership involves more than 20 associates, of which five are major hospitals and a broad selection of industry.