Australia's leading health industry innovators will converge at Bond University on March 23 for the inaugural Health Innovation Seminar, focusing on the challenges of translating advances in medical technology into commercially viable business outcomes.
The educational forum will feature presentations from three of Australia's most innovative minds in the health commercialisation space, kicking off with Leigh Kelson, a serial entrepreneur who founded one of the country's first cord blood banks in 2002.
Also presenting will be former global vice-president of Cook Medical, Philip Nowell, and former managing director and chief executive officer of Global Kinetics Corporation, Andrew Maxwell.
Executive Dean of the Faculty of Health Sciences and Medicine at Bond University, Professor Helen Chenery, said the seminar would attract a range of stakeholders in the research, innovation and commercialisation continuum including academic clinicians and scientists working within the health system, university and industry researchers and entrepreneurs.
"We need to facilitate the communication between and across disciplines and across industry, government and universities," said Professor Chenery.
"The Health Innovation Seminar will be the catalyst for collaboration, communication and integration – all necessary prerequisites for an innovation ecosystem."
Dr Baden U'Ren, Director of the Bond Business Commercialisation Centre, said the Health Innovation Seminar was being held in response to the National Innovation and Science Agenda looking to create a more innovative and entrepreneurial Australia.
"The Health Innovation Seminar will focus on the challenges of taking health-related research and translating that into successful commercial outcomes," said Dr U'Ren.
"We have brought together an inspiring group of speakers, starting with Leigh Kelson who will tell the story from the perspective of an entrepreneur, having founded Biocell, one of the first cord blood stem cell banks in Australia.
"Leigh will discuss the interplay between entrepreneurs and research scientists in commercialising health innovations and how to manage the different focus of an entrepreneur - who wants to create a product and put it to market - versus a research scientist who wants to create the most perfect science possible.
"Andrew Maxwell will be telling a great Aussie success story from his time as managing director and CEO of Global Kinetics Corporation.
"Andrew led the commercialisation of a research project from the Florey Science Institute that created a global company with a market-leading product that monitors the symptoms of Parkinson’s disease – the Parkinson’s KinetiGraph.
"The seminar will conclude with Phil Nowell who is a global heavyweight of the health commercialisation space, having worked for Johnson & Johnson Medical and served as global vice-president of Cook Medical, a medical technology company that operates in more than 160 countries worldwide.
"Phil will discuss the importance of strategy and collaboration in bringing health innovations to market and other influences that must be in play for successful translational research."
The Health Innovation Seminar will take place at the University Club at Bond University on Wednesday, March 23 from 5:30pm, with networking drinks and canapés to commence at the conclusion of the presentations.
Attendance is free, however registration is essential via https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/bond-university-health-innovation-seminar-tickets-22382363251