Industry fellowships champion a gender diverse cohort of researchers and clinicians

Medical: Highly skilled Australian researchers, clinicians and medical professionals have secured sought-after industry placements in the pharma, medtech and biotech sectors under the REDI (Researcher Exchange and Development within Industry) Fellowship program.

According to MTPConnect, the 16 new fellows will be working on priority research projects for up to 13 months with SMEs and international companies based in Australia, US, UK and Europe.

MTPConnect CEO, Stuart Dignam, said connecting researchers, clinicians and sector professionals with the pharma, medtech and biotech sectors is critical for the growth of Australia’s medical products sector.

He said “Our congratulations to these 16 new fellows who are doing crucial work in our sector for patients – and to the companies at home and abroad who are sponsoring them.

“We are delighted that so many companies, from CSL, Astra Zeneca, Stryker and Penumbra to GE Healthcare Australia, Seer Medical and SpeeDx, have seized the opportunities provided by our highly regarded REDI Fellowship program. The fellowships are industry focused, providing research intensive companies with the opportunity to access academics and clinicians for distinct projects involving discovery, translation and commercialisation and, in doing so, driving greater collaboration between industry and research.”

Associate Professor Melinda Coughlan, one of the fellowship recipients, is a Laboratory Head from Monash University’s Central Clinical School who will undertake a six-month project with AstraZeneca. She will work with the Renal R&D team developing industry-related skills and increasing commercial knowledge. A/Prof Coughlan will focus on targeting mitochondria therapeutically to suppress the development of or reversal of kidney disease in diabetes and other chronic kidney diseases.

Another recipient, Professor Grant Brinkworth, a Senior Principal Research Scientist from CSIRO will undertake a 12-month project with DDM Health Ltd, a UK company delivering scalable digital health solutions to provide precision care to healthcare services and partners, with a focus on minimising health care inequalities. Working virtually from Australia, Professor Brinkworth will cultivate knowledge and skills in the development, translation, and commercialisation of evidence-based digital health technology, with a focus on using Artificial Intelligence (AI) powered algorithms to identify and inform personalised strategies for disease management using precision health approaches.

Mr Dignam added “With these new fellows selected, the REDI Fellowship program has seen total funding of $8.15 million awarded to 47 Fellows, exceeding our expectations – a fantastic and game-changing result for the MTP sector in Australia. To add to this, the focus on gender diversity means 54% of the total REDI fellowships have been secured by women.”

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