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

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06 April 2023

Supporting Science Meets Parliament in Canberra
MTPConnect supported the STA's Science Meets Parliament National Press Club Address by Minister for Industry and Science Ed Husic who spoke about “Believing in science and acting on science: revitalising science frameworks in Australia”. In this Sold Out address, the Minister outlined the essential role science plays across Australian society, celebrating the achievements of Australia’s science community and setting out the government's vision for science. Prior to the Minister’s address, our Chair Jaala Pulford made opening remarks to the room full of journalists, researchers, scientists and representatives from the medtech, biotech and pharma sector. Congratulations also to Professor Alex Brown whose appointment to the CSIRO Board was announced by Minister Husic at the event. Alex is the Professor of Indigenous Genomics at the Telethon Kids Institute and The Australian National University and also a member of our TTRA Indigenous Advisory Group.

Advancing the SABRE Alliance Workshop in Canberra
We supported the “Advancing the SABRE Alliance” workshop held as part of Science Meets Parliament, to connect biotech, research & industry capabilities with Defence Australia to safeguard Australia from future threats and national security risks. The carefully crafted scenario workshops facilitated by Defence and subject matter experts, including our former Chair Sue MacLeman, created an exciting and engaging atmosphere to explore emerging technology and build new cross-sector collaborations to enhance Defence capability. Stay tuned for our podcast episode coming soon! Contact Dr Amelia Vom for more information about SABRE.

TTRA Webinar: ‘Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Research - Implementation Science'
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 a third webinar, ’Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Research - Implementation Science’ with Professor Gillian Harvey and Professor Ray Mahoney. The webinar is now available as a video on demand, and a podcast episode. Applications for Round 3 funding close 28 April 2023.

AusMedtech and SA Showcase and Tours Opportunity
More than 400 industry leaders from across the medtech ecosystem will gather for AusMedtech in Adelaide to engage with 70+ cutting-edge keynotes and experts – 24-25 May. There’s an opportunity to connect to SA’s ecosystem by attending 'Discovering South Australia’s Medtech: A showcase of Places, People and Opportunities', which includes a SA Medtech Showcase with 40 organisations, and tours of Adelaide BioMed City, Lot Fourteen and Tonsley Innovation District on 23 May, hosted by our Adelaide Intermediary Program.

New Podcast Episodes
Check out new episodes including 'SMP2023 Keynote: Dr Katalin Karikó, the Scientist Who Gave the World mRNA' who was joined by STA’s Chief Executive, Mischa Schubert, for a fireside chat on International Women’s Day for Science Meets Parliament conference. And take a listen to two bonus episodes from our TTRA webinars focusing on Indigenous health research - 'Funding information session: Diabetes and Cardiovascular Disease for Indigenous Health' and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Research - Implementation Science.

CTCM Team Visit WA’s OncoRes
MTPConnect’s Clinical Translation and Commercialisation Medtech (CTCM) program team, along with CTCM Program Partner Dr Andrew Milligan from Medical Device Partnering Program (MDPP), visited Perth to tour the headquarters of Round 1 CTCM awardee, OncoRes Medical and meet the team. OncoRes Medical is developing a novel diagnostic imaging system to guide complete surgical clearance of cancer in breast conserving surgery. CTCM-funded the project to advance commercialisation of device.

WA Parliamentary Friendship Groups for Technology, Innovation and Medical Research
The WA Life Sciences Innovation Hub helped launch two Parliamentary Friendship Groups - the Parliamentary Friends of Technology and Innovation Group event, and the Parliamentary Friends of Medical Research. These are informal groups established by Members of the Parliament of Western Australia to raise awareness of, or increase liaison with, particular groups, organisations, and issues.

Business Insights Workshop with Moore Australia in Perth
Funding the development of a biotech or medtech company is challenging, and for most founders this means learning about finance and investment. Moore Australia hosted a Business Insights event, in partnership with the WA Life Sciences Innovation Hub, offering insights into the investment market, qualifying as an early-stage innovation company and the associated tax benefits, and the benefits of implementing ESG metrics into your organisation.

WA Spotlight on the Australian Clinical Trials Alliance
WA Life Sciences Innovation Hub’s WA MTP Sector Spotlight focused on Australia’s clinical trials network with Founding Director and Chair of the Australian Clinical Trials Alliance, Professor Steve Webb. The discussion outlined how the Australian Clinical Trials Alliance can support clinical trials with expert guidance and access to clinical trial networks.

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.

SA Insights Series features Avance Clinical and Agilex Biolabs
The Adelaide Intermediary Program’s Dana Bell hosted the March SA Insights Series with Avance Clinical’s CEO Yvonne Lungershausen and Agilex Biolabs COO Jason Valentine. These inspiring guests shared their start-up journey from UniSA researchers to 'spinning out' global companies, and the event was a great networking opportunity for SA’s health and medical innovation ecosystem.

Follow MTPConnect ‘s Adelaide Intermediary Program LinkedIn Page
We have recently established a dedicated LinkedIn page to collate and curate opportunities for members of the SA health and medical innovations ecosystem to learn, connect and collaborate. Follow the Adelaide Intermediary Program to stay in touch with a host of activities, events and opportunities.

AAMRNet Backs Screenings of Salt In My Soul Documentary on AMR
AAMRNet was part of the Australian Antimicrobial Resistance Mission Tour organised by Lixa, which wound up in Sydney in mid-March, after touring across Perth, Brisbane, Adelaide, and Melbourne. The tour included Australian Premiere screenings of Salt in my Soul, a powerful posthumously published memoir-turned-documentary of Mallory Smith, and her battle with resistant infections through cystic fibrosis. Each screening was followed by an interactive discussion forum with US AMR influencer, Diane Shader Smith, CARB-X Chief Scientist Dr Richard Alm, and leading Australian AMR scientists, clinicians, policy makers. In Brisbane, AAMRNet’s Co Chair, Andrew Bowskill, appeared on the panel.

AusBiotech and Medicines Australia host NSW Women in Life Sciences Luncheon
Our Sydney-based team members joined former MTPConnect Chair Sue MacLeman and biotech industry representatives at the NSW Women in Life Sciences Luncheon hosted by AusBiotech and Medicines Australia. The keynote speaker Dr Kathryn J Evans, author of the recently published book Advancing Australia Fairly, discussed the benefits of taking a gender equity approach in the MTP sector as part of International Women’s Day celebrations.