Stryker collaborates with Government and academia to establish R&D Lab

MedTech News: Stryker has announced its partnership with the Queensland Government and two of Australia’s leading universities to establish an R&D Lab in Brisbane.

The Deputy Premier of Queensland, The Hon. Dr Steven Miles MP, announced that the Queensland Department of State Development, Tourism and Innovation has awarded Stryker a grant to establish the R&D Lab at the Herston Biofabrication precinct at the Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital campus. Stryker will partner with Queensland University of Technology (QUT), the University of Queensland (UQ), Metro North Hospital and Health Service (MNHHS) and Queensland Health to drive the research with a focus on data science, robotics, disease and infection control and advanced manufacturing research.

“I am very proud of Stryker’s new partnership with the Queensland Government, QUT and UQ and grateful for the opportunity to drive forward medical technology innovation together. With a thriving ecosystem of worldclass research, science and health sector capability, Queensland was a clear choice for Stryker to establish an Australian R&D presence,” said Maurice Ben-Mayor, President of Stryker South Pacific.

“Stryker has led innovation in medical technology for 80 years. In pursuit of our mission to make healthcare better, we invest significantly in R&D globally. As a result of our partnership in Queensland, I look forward to directing some of Stryker’s R&D investment towards Australia. The R&D Lab will facilitate Stryker’s engagement with researchers and industry to translate research into high-quality, customised health and medical technology solutions with the potential for global impact,” added Robert Cohen, President, Digital, Robotics, and Enabling Technologies.

The genesis of the R&D Lab is the Just-In-Time project, a five-year collaborative research project with the Innovative Manufacturing Cooperative Research Centre (IMCRC), RMIT University, University of Melbourne, University of Sydney, University of Technology Sydney and St Vincent’s Hospital Melbourne. The Just-In-Time project combines 3D printing, robotic surgery and advanced manufacturing to explore the creation of customised bone implants for bone cancer patients. Stryker has invested over A$9.5million to this joint project since its inception in 2017.

Stryker has been collaborating with the IMCRC (Innovative Manufacturing Cooperative Research Centre) since 2017, co-investing in an $18 million Australian medtech manufacturing research project that is set to transform the way physicians surgically treat tumours and bone cancer.

The five-year R&D collaboration between Stryker, IMCRC and five of Australia’s leading research organisations – RMIT University, the University of Technology Sydney (UTS), University of Sydney, University of Melbourne and St Vincent’s Hospital Melbourne – has incorporated 3D printing, robotic surgery, design and advanced manufacturing.