Growth Centre: MTPConnect
Case study from: Growth Centres Success Stories
With help from the Industry Growth Centres Initiative, the Medical Device Partnering Program (MDPP) is being expanded nationally to support entrepreneurs and researchers in bringing medical technologies to market.
Business in focus: Medical Device Partnering Program
Founded in 2008 by Flinders University, the Medical Device Partnering Program is an ideas incubator focused on the early stage development of medical device technologies, ensuring that cutting-edge concepts aren’t left languishing in the minds of their inventors.
Through leveraging collaborative networks of researchers, entrepreneurs, industry experts and end-users, the Program takes these concepts and provides up to 250 hours of professional expertise to rapidly establish proof of concept, prototypes, commercial planning or clinical evaluation. This helps to get inventions off to the best start.
Building on its success, MTPConnect is supporting the MDPP to expand its model nationwide, establishing nodes in each state. MTPConnect has also helped attract additional interest from state governments. LaunchVic has committed $2 million to establishing the Program in Victoria, and the South Australian Government has announced a further $1.5 million over five years for the Program. Together, this support allows the MDPP to screen over 150 enquiries for new medical technologies and undertake 30 projects per year.
With their national outlook and industry expertise, the Growth Centres are helping to bring alignment between state and federal government funding, improving commercialisation outcomes for Australia’s med-tech innovators.
The Medical Device Partnering Program is just one of many affiliates engaged with the Industry Growth Centres Initiative across Australia’s six growth sectors.