To recognise and nurture the growth of the digital health sector, AusBiotech will launch a new digital health membership package specifically tailored to businesses in this burgeoning sector.
Called the “digital health start-up membership”, this category is an initiative to strengthen connections between the digital health sector and the broader biotechnology ecosystem in Australia by creating a membership option tailored to their unique needs.
Digital health start-ups, which include companies with one or two employees, are eligible to join under this category.
“This new category represents AusBiotech’s plan to meet the unique needs of digital health start-ups and help them strengthen their connections within the broader Australian life sciences ecosystem,” said AusBiotech Chief Operations Officer Glenn Cross.
Membership will include access to events and masterclasses run exclusively for digital health members, which will cover regulatory affairs, investment, intellectual property and business planning. Members will enjoy the full benefits of an AusBiotech membership, including:
- Business Solutions Program, offering special discounts on products and services;
- Complimentary copy of AusBiotech’s official journal, Australasian Biotechnology;
- BiotechDispatch, a twice-weekly e-newsletter providing the latest news and trends in biotechnology and medical technology;
- A listing in the Australian Life Science Innovation Directory, a fully searchable information platform providing free access to information on biotechnology and life science companies and institutes in Australia;
- Member rates and discounted entry to AusBiotech events, including International BioFest 2016, the largest-ever gathering in the Australian life sciences.
To find out more about the new membership category, please contact Tanya Daw on tdaw@ausbiotech.org.
The new membership package is launched following the development of the AusBiotech Digital Health Advisory Group, which is comprised of eight members and chaired by Bronwyn LeGrice, Principal, Fidere Group Pty Ltd. The aims of this Group include:
- Defining digital health and auditing the current landscape in Australia state by state to identify gaps, barriers and opportunities;
- Addressing the divide between digital and biotechnology and health;
- Developing international collaborations; and
- Raising the profile of the digital health sector to the investment community by communicating success of digital health companies.
“AusBiotech has a long track record in supporting companies at the forefront of health technology and is therefore pleased to be leading the way in the emerging field of digital health by launching this new initiative,” said Mr Cross.
“Digital health is the fastest growing technology area in human health. Evidence-based digital health technologies have been demonstrated to deliver significant benefits both in healthcare system efficiencies and patient outcomes. In Australia, we have the perfect environment to become an international leader in digital health by bringing together our world class medical research and with our cutting edge technology development,” said Ms LeGrice.
These two initiatives from AusBiotech are steps to characterise the growing value of digital health, which AusBiotech has long supported. In 2015, AusBiotech ran Digital Health Workshops in Victoria, New South Wales and South Australia to enhance the capabilities of Australian digital health companies looking to expand and commercialise. The AusMedtech conference, held from 10 – 11 May 2016 in Adelaide, included two keynote presentations to highlight issues and trends in this growing sector.
The Group is currently developing a digital health panel to present at Australia Biotech Invest, which will be held from 26-27 October 2016 in Melbourne as part of the International BioFest 2016.
