Australia’s Delegation to the MedTech Conference Hits Washington and Boston
25 October 2022
Pictured: MTPConnect's Australian Delegation to the MedTech Conference visit Johnson & Johnson Innovation’s JLABS life science and healthcare incubator in Washington DC.
As thousands in the medical technology sector descend on Boston for the start of this week’s MedTech 2022 Conference, MTPConnect’s Australian delegation made a pre-conference visit to JLABS in Washington, DC and joined together for a special welcome networking reception over the weekend.
MTPConnect’s team of CEO Stuart Dignam, COO Lisa Dube and delegation coordinator Libby Pearce touched down in the US capital with eight companies and representatives from Austrade, Global Victoria and CSIRO for a tour of Johnson & Johnson Innovation’s fantastic JLABS life science and healthcare incubator, the newest in its worldwide stable of facilities.
The visit also provided an opportunity for the group to connect with BARDA, the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority, through the BLUE KNIGHT™ program run in collaboration with Johnson & Johnson Innovation. The program is exclusive to JLABS Washington, DC and supports companies focused on public health threats and emerging infectious diseases.
The delegation was hosted by Rachel Rath, Director of the BARDA Alliance for Johnson & Johnson Innovation. CEO Stuart Dignam also took the time to meet with David Winter from BARDA’s Division of Research, Innovation and Ventures to explore collaboration opportunities to build Australian capabilities in medical countermeasures.
On Saturday, the entire Team Australia, involving representatives from 18 companies, gathered for a welcome networking reception, supported by Global Victoria. Boston-based Carolin McCaffrey – Director of Investment & Trade with Global Victoria - provided an overview of the Victorian Government’s trade facilitation and promotion network and shared her insights on medtech opportunities in Massachusetts.
It was great to welcome Professor Ian Meredith AM as keynote speaker for the reception. After a distinguished career as director of MonashHeart and executive director of the Monash Cardiovascular Research Centre at Monash University, Professor Meredith has served as Executive Vice President and Global Chief Medical Officer for Boston Scientific since 2017. Professor Meredith generously shared his insights and experience on key drivers for ‘medtech success’ with the delegation.
MTPConnect CEO Stuart Dignam said the members of the Australian delegation are all primed for a big week of partnering meetings and business.
“We are delighted to see so many promising companies taking up this opportunity to come to Boston, one of the world’s most important medtech clusters, to build a deeper understanding of the US market and make some new connections,” he said.
“Valued at more than US$500 billion, the global medtech industry is ultracompetitive but these companies are ready to show the world that Australia’s innovative medtech sector is open for business!”.
The Conference runs from 24 - 26 October and MTPConnect’s Australian Pavilion at Booth #815 will be showcasing companies in the delegation which include Cortical Dynamics, CROW Clinical, CSIRO, Customa, Datarwe, Design + Industry, Ferronova, Hydrix, IDE Group, iiShield, Jay-Nik, Mobius Medical, Optiscan, Proteomics International, ResusRight, Singular Health, Virtetic and WearOptimo.
MTPConnect is leading the Team Australia delegation which is supported by Austrade and state partners Global Victoria, Invest & Trade Western Australia, NSW Health, Trade and Investment Queensland and the Government of South Australia. The delegation is also supported by MTAA, CSIRO and AusBiotech.
We will be bringing you a special podcast series from Boston in November so watch this space.