What is MTPConnect?
MTPConnect is a not-for-profit organisation aiming to accelerate the rate of growth of the medical technology, biotechnology and pharmaceutical (MTP) sector in Australia.
Background
Formed in December 2015 as part of the Federal Government’s Industry Growth Centres Initiative, MTPConnect is an independent, not-for-profit organisation. MTPConnect is forging stronger connections between research and industry to help maximise opportunities for Australians to not only make scientific and technological breakthroughs, but to see them developed through the proof-of-concept stage and successfully translated and commercialised. In this way, MTPConnect is building a more resilient and competitive medical products manufacturing sector.
MTPConnect raises awareness, fosters collaboration and competition, aggregates existing knowledge and shares it with the broader MTP sector. It also jointly funds projects that address the Sector Growth Priorities and the constraints and gaps identified in the sector.
Industry Growth Centres Initiative
MTPConnect Is One Of Six Industry Growth Centres Established By The Australian Government:
- Advanced Manufacturing
- Cyber Security
- Food and Agribusiness
- Medical Technologies and Pharmaceuticals (MTPConnect)
- Mining Equipment, Technology and Services
- Oil, Gas and Energy Resources
The Initiative is an industry-led approach that is driving innovation, productivity and competitiveness. By focusing on areas of competitive strength and strategic priority, it is helping to enable national action on key issues such as deregulation, skills, collaboration and commercialisation. With a focus on accelerating excellence, not dependence, it creates an economy that ensures Australia’s ongoing prosperity.
The Growth Centres address barriers to success, and the Australian Government has tasked them with looking at four broad themes:
- Identifying regulations that are unnecessary or over-burdensome for the key growth sectors and impede their ability to grow, and suggesting possible reforms;
- Improving engagement between research and industry, and within industry, to achieve stronger coordination and collaboration of research and stronger commercialisation outcomes in the key growth sectors;
- Improving the capability of the key growth sectors to engage with international markets and access global supply chains; and
- Improving the management and workforce skills of key growth sectors and its participants
Objectives
MTPConnect’s mandate as an Industry Growth Centre is focused on four key areas:
- Increasing collaboration and commercialisation across the sector
- Improving management and workforce skills
- Improving access to global supply chains and international markets
- Optimising the regulatory environment
Latest News
14 January 2021 – $20m Committed to Launch Leading National Research Centres for Diabetes and Cardiovascular Disease
Two major new Research Centres will be established in Australia, with $20 million committed through the Targeted Translation Research Accelerator (TTRA) initiative, delivered by MTPConnect.
The new Research Centres are:
- The Australian Centre for Accelerating Diabetes Innovations (ACADI)
- The Australian Stroke & Heart Research Accelerator (ASHRA)
Each centre will receive $10 million over four years from the Australian Government’s Medical Research Future Fund. MTPConnect Managing Director and CEO, Dr Dan Grant, says the new centres focus on building a culture of collaboration.
