MTPConnect has announced that the first REDI Fellowships have gone to researchers in South Australia and Queensland and urged the industry to get behind the program.
The REDI (Researcher Exchange and Development within Industry) Fellowship Program provides financial support to companies to bring in-house talent to work for up to twelve months on priority medical research projects.
Dr Christina Kulis is a research officer at the University of Queensland’s Institute for Molecular Bioscience focused on the discovery, design and development of new drugs.
MTPConnect said Dr Kulis will be moving to Brandon Capital Partners in Brisbane to gain experience on venture capital investment analysis and management. Brandon Capital is one of Australia’s leading life science venture capital investors and manager of the Medical Research Commercialisation Fund (MRCF).
Dr Alexander Staudacher is a postdoctoral research scientist working in a translational oncology laboratory for the Central Adelaide Local Health Network (CALHN).
Dr Staudacher will be working closely with Melbourne-headquartered Telix Pharmaceuticals to create a development roadmap for the commercialisation of humanised APOMAB for clinical combination therapy for the treatment of cancer.
MTPConnect managing director and CEO Dr Dan Grant said these are the first of up to 40 industry-led fellowships to be announced as part of the REDI program.
“Congratulations to Dr Kulis and Dr Staudacher on their Fellowships and to Brandon Capital Partners and Telix Pharmaceuticals for making the connections,” said Dr Dan Grant.
“Creating meaningful links that allow researchers to move seamlessly between research and industry is critical for the growth and success of the MTP sector.
“Importantly, our REDI Fellowship Program requires that the researcher or clinician return to their home institution for a period at least equal to the term of their placement in industry.
“This will help address the issue of ‘brain drain’ of researcher talent into companies and ensure we embed the high-level, industry-ready experience in the research sector.
“By providing the flexibility of full and part-time fellowships over a 6 month to two-year period, the REDI Fellowship Program provides a valuable opportunity to boost the boundaries between industry and academia. Subject to COVID 19 restrictions, domestic and international fellowships will be considered.
“As the program is ongoing, I urge industry to consider taking up this valuable opportunity to boost our commercialisation capabilities,” added Dr Grant said.