Flinders University has been given a major role to grow links between industry and researchers, under the Federal Government’s innovation agenda.
Minister for Industry, Innovation and Science, Christopher Pyne, has announced Flinders will become one of two ‘nodes’ nationally of a new Medical Technologies and Pharmaceutical Growth Centre.
The MTPGC is part of the $225 million Industry Growth Centres Initiative. Growth Centres will work to grow commercial opportunities and drive innovation by enhancing links between businesses and industry organisations and the science and research sector.
The Growth Centre node at Flinders University will be co-located with the Medical Device Research Institute (MDRI) and Medical Device Partnering Program (MDPP) based at Flinders’ Tonsley campus, where it will work with industry partners and other research groups. The Centre will be headquartered at The University of Sydney.
Professor Karen Reynolds, Director of the Medical Device Research Institute (MDRI) at Flinders University, said the announcement recognised Flinders’ strong standing and reputation in the medical technology space.
Dr Bronwyn Evans, Chair of the Medical Technologies and Pharmaceuticals Growth Centre, said a significant goal of the Industry Growth Centres will be to forge better links between industry and Australia’s world class researchers to maximise outcomes and return on investment.
“Australia is already successfully participating in this sector’s global value chains and this will position Australia even more strongly,” she said.
Mr Pyne said the Centre, which will be headquartered at the University of Sydney and have another node at Monash University in Melbourne will create a “national footprint … within key universities across Australia”.