AusBiotech has published the latest edition of its member journal, Australasian Biotechnology e-journal (September 2015, Volume 25, Number 3), featuring:
- AusBiotech 2015: What’s in store as the industry event of the year returns to Melbourne; and
- Biotech’s role in advanced manufacturing.
The e-journal also has regular features, such as the AusBiotech Chair and CEO Report and AusBioSTOCK, an exclusive report from Baillieu Holst Stockbroking’s Joanna Hill.
Feature 1: AusBiotech 2015
The special edition feature explores what’s in store with national and global industry leaders convening for the annual flagship conference.
The conference forms a very special part of AusBiotech’s broader work to position Australia’s biotechnology industry for growth. The feature provides a comprehensive overview of AusBiotech 2015, including a number of articles from the speaker line-up, including articles from Emeritus Professor Alan Trounson and Lucy Turnbull, Chairman of Prima Biomed.
This year’s conference will be held at the Melbourne Convention Centre from 7 - 9 October, attracting some of the world’s brightest biotech experts, as more than 1,000 delegates are expected to gather to connect on new and challenging ideas in their fields to advance our world-class biotech sector.
For almost 30 years, the annual AusBiotech national conference has brought our global community together in one place, to reflect on what we have achieved and look ahead to what we need to do to further advance our leading biotech sector.
Feature 2: Biotech’s role in advanced manufacturing
Manufacturing is one of the major sources of innovation in Australia and therefore inextricably linked with success in biotech. While the manufacturing sector makes up just 8% of the economy, it is responsible for a quarter of all investment in R&D. A constant push-pull operates, whereby innovation in product design encourages innovation in manufacturing processes, and vice versa.
Biotech and medtech companies are predominantly manufacturers. In the 2015 Industry Position Survey, 70% of respondent companies said they manufacture: 52% manufacture in Australia and 43% manufacture overseas, and a cross over of 25% manufacture both in Australia and oversees.
Manufacturing has received unprecedented attention in the last five years, as Australia grapples with its desired and sustainable place in a fast-changing global economic and technology environment.
The feature’s lead story from Peter Roberts, Founder of the Australian Manufacturing Forum says:
“Daily, we are being fed lies and myths about Australia’s advanced manufacturing sector.
“That ‘all the good stuff comes from overseas’ is a myth peddled by the economic dries who think their achievement creating a country with the export profile of a third world nation will bring us national prosperity.
“We are an advanced manufacturing nation – companies that have survived three decades of restructuring pressure are either in some cosy niche or doing something very right indeed.
“We all know about Cochlear, ResMed and global blood products and vaccine giant, CSL. But how many know about Sydney computer chip manufacturer Sillana Semiconductor whose communications chips are installed on the Mars Curiosity rover where they relay data and pictures to and from the red planet.”
Copies of the journal (hard or e-magazine) are available by contacting the Editor, Chief Industry Affairs Officer, Lorraine Chiroiu (lchiroiu@ausbiotech.org). Hard copies will be available at AusBiotech 2015.