In Case You Missed It: Here's what the MTPConnect team has been up to this week
05 April 2019
Dr Dan Grant – CEO
Budget Lock-up
Our board member, Dr Douglas Robertson, was joined by our CEO and GM Corporate Communications & Policy at the Health portfolio budget lockup on Tuesday. It was great to see the support the Medical Research Future Fund will continue to provide for the MTP sector.
Asian Investment Series
Dan rounded out the AusBiotech Asian Investment Series in Shanghai where he presented on the strengths of Australia’s clinical trials capabilities, and the factors that make Australia a country of choice for Chinese companies looking to conduct clinical trials. The factors include Australia’s world class healthcare and research infrastructure and expertise, rapid world class regulatory environment and favourable costing structures.
Dr Sandhya Tewari – GM International & Government
BMTH Site Visit
Sandhya and the MTPConnect BioMedTech Horizons program Project Managers Divya visited Monash Vision Group, one of the eleven projects that have been funded by the BioMedTech Horizons program. The project is developing a Brain-Machine Interface (BMI) that is designed to bypass damage to the visual pathway and restore basic vision. The project provides funding to assist the transition between preclinical and clinical programs, allowing the utility of the visual prosthesis to be demonstrated. The successful commercialisation of this technology will help establish Australia as an exporter of implantable medical devices and global market leader in BMI manufacturing.
New Staff addition – Welcome Vishal!
Vishal Srivastava started with MTPConnect on Monday as Project Manager while Divya takes some parental leave. Vishal has extensive experience in the MTP sector including project and investment management. His background included an Investment Manager position at the Foundation for Research, Science and Technology (FRST) – the New Zealand Government’s largest R&D investment agency, where he managed a large portfolio of biotechnology investments. Vishal has a PhD in Biotechnology and Bioprocess Engineering from Massey University in New Zealand and a Post-Graduate Diploma in Business Administration from Victoria University, New Zealand.