The launch of the Australian Clinical Entrepreneur Program (AUSCEP) was held at the Harry Perkins Institute of Medical Research at the QEII Medical Centre in WA, as well as at Melbourne Connect in Victoria and Microsoft's Australian Headquarters in New South Wales.
"We were so pleased to kick-off the program and to welcome the community that comes with it, and we were blown away by the quality of the applicants.
Professor Kevin Pfleger, Director Biomedical and Health Innovation, UWA
AUSCEP is a national program led by experienced clinical entrepreneurs and administered by The University of Western Australia and University of Melbourne, in partnership with a range of leading industry and healthcare organisations.
The program is part of the Researcher Exchange and Development within Industry initiative delivered by MTPConnect, Australia's Growth Centre for the medical technologies, biotechnologies, digital health and pharmaceuticals sector, funded by the Commonwealth Medical Research Future Fund.
In WA, access to the program has been made possible by co-funding from the Future Health Research and Innovation Fund, enabling participants to benefit from a series of workshops and networking opportunities, as well as access to national and international mentors and industry leaders.
Professor Kevin Pfleger, Director Biomedical and Health Innovation at UWA and one of the program’s Executive Sponsors, said the AUSCEP had brought together a leadership team of exceptional clinical entrepreneurs, supported by a delivery team with a demonstrated track record of providing highly-successful entrepreneurial training programs, such as Biodesign and the Innovation Acceleration Program.
“Many thanks to Hon Stephen Dawson MLC for launching the program in WA, as well as panel chair Dr Tracey Wilkinson and co-panellists Professor Fiona Wood AM, Professor Vishaal Kishore and Angela Kelly PSM for a great discussion,” Professor Pfleger said.
“There was amazing energy in the rooms in Perth, Melbourne and Sydney as the program was launched simultaneously across the country. We were so pleased to kick-off the program and to welcome the community that comes with it, and we were blown away by the quality of the applicants."
The program has been designed to equip healthcare professionals with better skills to transform their ideas and innovations into tangible solutions within the health system and is inspired by a UK National Health Service program.
Any Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA) registered clinician (public or private provider) as well as allied health professionals such as audiologists, speech pathologists or social workers that hold national peak body membership and are credentialed by a health service/network, that are based in WA, VIC or NSW, and that have an innovative idea/product/service that is at any stage of development can apply.
Further details are available on the website.