In Case You Missed It: Here’s What The MTPConnect Team Has Been Up To in February

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06 March 2023

Hon. Jaala Pulford Appointed as Chair of MTPConnect
MTPConnect has appointed the Hon. Jaala Pulford as Non-Executive Director and Chair of the MTPConnect Board. Ms Pulford has enjoyed a distinguished career as a senior minister in the Victorian state government, including serving as Minister for Innovation, Medical Research and the Digital Economy until her retirement ahead of last year’s state election. Thank you to Sue MacLeman, who has served with distinction as MTPConnect’s Chair since 2018 and will now step down from the Board, but will continue to act as an advisor though the initial transition. Please join us in welcoming Ms Pulford to MTPConnect.

TTRA Webinars - Round 3 Information Session and Indigenous Research
As part of the TTRA program’s third funding round supporting diabetes and cardiovascular disease projects to address the unmet health and medical needs of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, we hosted two webinars. The first webinar was an Information Session about the Round 3 funding opportunity that opened in January 2023, featuring our TTRA team and partners. The second webinar, ‘Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Research - Ethics and Reciprocity’ featured Dr Summer May Finlay and Professor Jenni Judd. The webinars are now available as videos on demand (on our website) and podcast episodes.

A Year of Firsts for our Adelaide Intermediary Team Supporting SA’s Ecosystem
MTPConnect's Adelaide Intermediary Program (AIP) celebrated its first year of delivering services to SA’s Health and Medical Innovation ecosystem at its first Insights Series event for 2023 featuring a fireside chat with BioCina’ CEO, Ian Wisenberg, and Vice President and General Manager Michael Tsaconas. Our CEO, Stuart Dignam, was there to celebrate the team’s achievements - Over 12 months, AIP has held 9 networking events with 822 attendees, supported 20 bids with 7 successes & held 626 meetings with 157 organisations. The AIP is focused on growing South Australia's health and medical industry.

Adelaide Intermediary Program Helps Launch New PhD Program to Advance Biomanufacturing Industry Skills and Capabilities
MTPConnect, through its Adelaide Intermediary Program (AIP), will deliver the biomanufacturing stream of the PhD Plus program conducted in the innovation district, Adelaide BioMed City. The program was launched this month with our AIP Director, Jo Close, SA Deputy Premier Dr Susan Close and the Chief Scientist of South Australia, Professor Caroline McMillen, touring BioCina’s labs.

First WA Spotlight for 2023 Kicks Off with Cyber Security
WA Life Sciences Innovation Hub’s first WA MTP Sector Spotlight event for 2023 was delivered in partnership with the WA AustCyber Innovation Hub focusing on the hot topic of cyber security. Speakers Glenn Murray (FundWA) and Dan Benporath (APM) provided valuable insights (in non-cyber speak) on the importance of building cyber security from day one and how to develop a culture of proactive cyber management in your organisation.

WA Life Sciences Innovation Hub Events
Researchers, innovators, and public sector representatives gathered for The Challenge Workshop, supported by the WA Life Sciences Innovation Hub. The Challenge is an initiative from the Government of Western Australia - a global call for a medical research and innovation solution to reimagine health service delivery in the Pilbara region of WA. Afterwards, an information session from the WA Connected Health Commercialisation Initiative (WACHCI), delivering a turbocharged pilot of ANDHealth’s targeted commercialisation programs, was held in partnership with ANDHealth.

February Podcast Episodes
Check out February’s new episodes including 'An International Perspective on the Business of Digital Health' with US digital health expert Lisa Suennen and a chat with clinician entrepreneur Dr Sarah Crowe, inventor of the 4eyes Vision Kit, which enables those living in inaccessible and often disadvantaged communities to have their eyes tested and prescription glasses assembled on the spot. We also published a bonus episode from the recent TTRA webinar, 'Funding information session: Diabetes and Cardiovascular Disease for Indigenous Health', for those interested in Round 3 funding opportunity.

Follow the WA Life Sciences Innovation Hub on LinkedIn
The WA Life Sciences Innovation Hub now has a dedicated LinkedIn page. Keep up to date with news, events and opportunities in the WA sector, access local, national and global networks, and celebrate emerging innovations happening in WA.

Melbourne Centre for Nanofabrication Tour
The Operations team from the Clinical Translation and Commercialisation Medtech (CTCM) program, along with program partners, MTPConnect staff and the team from Navi Medical Technologies, toured the Melbourne Centre for Nanofabrication in Clayton, a member of The Australian National Fabrication Facility (ANFF). It was a great opportunity to see first-hand the capabilities of this purpose-built, world class facility, that is driving Australian innovation of micro/nano technologies in collaboration with research and industry, nationally and internationally.