AU$17 million value boost for South Australia’s biomedical sector supported by MTPConnect’s Adelaide Intermediary Program
The role of MTPConnect’s Adelaide Intermediary Program in providing experienced insights, strategy and mentoring for progressing local start-up innovation along the pipeline towards clinical and commercial success is already resoundingly clear in 2023.
Following expert discussions and one-on-one mentoring with MTPConnect and its Adelaide Intermediary Program, biomedical start-ups Sementis Ltd and Ferronova Pty Ltd were each granted $3 million through successful applications to the federal Cooperative Research Centre Project (CRC-P) program. Together, the awarded vaccine manufacture and cancer treatment projects will deliver more than AU$17 million in value to SA’s biomedical sector.
“Our goal at the Adelaide Intermediary Program is to facilitate connections between researchers and industry, and offer advice and support to ensure innovation success in South Australia,” says Jo Close, Director at MTPConnect’s Adelaide Intermediary Program.
“While we’ve only been in operation since 2022, our active role as a facilitator has already supported two successful $3 million grants for Adelaide start-ups Sementis and Ferronova.”
South Australian companies Sementis and Ferronova both gained support from MTPConnect and the Adelaide Intermediary Program in preparing their CRC-P grants during 2022.
Tapping into MTPConnect’s national reach of networks and expertise, the Adelaide Intermediary Program offered informed advice and insights on CRP-P grant criteria and eligibility by way of a roundtable, plus engagement with experienced team members for one-on-one mentoring, development and review of applications.
Intermediaries Supporting Industry
Leanne Hobbs is CEO at Sementis, an Adelaide-based start-up that applied for CRC-P support in collaboration with the University of South Australia, DMTC Ltd and Cytiva (Australia and New Zealand) to progress technology to strengthen Australia’s sovereign vaccine manufacturing capability.
“Through the Adelaide Intermediary Program, we received non-generic and specific feedback on our previously unsuccessful CRC-P application which was then awarded a $3 million grant,” Leanne says.
“We found Jo Close and her MTPConnect colleagues to be approachable, helpful and easy to work with.”
Adelaide company Ferronova is working with Australian Bragg Centre for Proton Therapy and Research Ltd, Siemens Healthcare Pty Ltd, SAHMRI Ltd, the University of South Australia and The University of Sydney to develop commercial-scale manufacturing of iron-oxide nanoparticles for image-guided radiotherapy and proton cancer therapy.
CEO Stewart Bartlett says Ferronova had twice applied unsuccessfully for CRC-P grant support prior to seeking assistance from the Adelaide Intermediary.
“The Adelaide Intermediary Program was critical in encouraging us to persevere with applying for a CRC-P grant, and in mentoring us to submit a credible and successful $3 million application,” says Stewart.
Leveraging National Connections
The Adelaide Intermediary Program leverages the capacity of MTPConnect nationally.
Duncan Macinnis, MTPConnect’s Director of Stakeholder Engagement in NSW who has reviewed over 150 CRC-P applications, worked closely with the Adelaide Intermediary Program team in South Australia to provide expert advice and mentoring to CRC-P grant applicants over 2022.
“What’s key in a successful CRC-P application is to show how your company offers an industry-lead solution for an industry-identified problem, and that’s what we help our supported applicants to achieve,” Duncan says.
“Along with Sementis and Ferronova, MTPConnect provided strategic feedback to an additional five companies across Australia that were successful in the recent round of CRC-P grants.”
Building Partnerships
The CRC-P program supports short-term (up to 3 years) industry-led research collaborations to develop a product, service or process that will solve problems for industry and deliver real outcomes, that benefit SMEs, and that include education and training activities.
Tim O’Meara, Strategy Manager – Government and Research at Cytiva (Australia and New Zealand), says CRC-P grants plug a vital gap in the innovation pipeline.
“CRC-P grants provide funding to enable companies to take their products from pre-clinical to clinical readiness, and to the point of (or very close to) being market ready,” Tim says.
“I strongly encourage companies to reach out to MTPConnect if they’re looking at applying to the CRC-P program – the insights they will receive offer significantly more value than just reading grant guidelines alone.”
Cytiva were partnered on three successful CRC-P projects in the most recent round, all of which had applied previously and then benefited from advice from MTPConnect.
Work with the Adelaide Intermediary Program to apply for a CRC-P grant
CRC-P Round 14 Grant Opportunity is open to applications until 2 March 2023, with outcomes announced in June 2023 and funding provided from July 2023. Matched funding of between $100,000 and $3 million is available, and grants are for up to 3 years.
Connect with the AIP team
To learn how to improve your odds of being successful in the next CRC-P round, book a one-on-one session with Director Adelaide Intermediary Program, Jo Close to discuss applying.
Contact: Jo Close
Email: adelaide@mtpconnect.org.au
Mobile: 0409 280 832
About the Adelaide Intermediary Program
MTPConnect has been appointed by the Government as the External Innovation and Translation Intermediary for Adelaide BioMed City (ABMC). Through targeted activities and services, MTPConnect’s Adelaide Intermediary Program is focused on growing South Australia’s health and medical industry sector by fostering collaboration, strategically building capacity and attracting new talent and opportunity across the research, innovation and translation value chain.