Health tech ties grow with USA
Flinders Vice-Chancellor Professor Colin Stirling (left to right) with Minister for Manufacturing and Innovation Mr Kyam Maher, US Ambassador to Australia Mr Jim Berry, and Professor Karen Reynolds, director of Flinders' Medical Device Research Institute.
Business, research and government collaborations with America are helping South Australia’s burgeoning health technology sector to tap into the lucrative global industry, with Flinders playing a pivotal role.
Flinders University hosted the US Ambassador’s Innovation Roundtable at its showcase Tonsley facility yesterday, where the SA Government-backed Medical Device Partnering and Nanotechnology Connect programs are driving the commercialisation of several Adelaide-based startup companies.
With the USA the world’s leading market for advanced and innovative health-care technologies, including medical devices, Australian companies in the sector are keen to build on key collaborations in North America.
The US Ambassador to Australia, Mr John Berry, praised the standards of innovation and research in South Australia.
The US Ambassador’s roadshow was opened by leading biomedical engineer Professor Karen Reynolds, the director of Flinders’ Medical Device Research Institute, the Minister for Manufacturing and Innovation Kyam Maher, Flinders Vice-Chancellor Professor Colin Stirling and included presentations from Australian medical technology groups including Austofix, Tonsley-based Signostics and Micro-X Pty Ltd.
“Today, investment in science, technology and research is the most important guarantee we can make for the successful future of Australia and the United States. And, innovation and invention is essential for success,” Mr Berry told more than 120 guests at the Tonsley precinct, south of Adelaide.
“If we want to solve the world’s greatest problems, we must increase our global cooperation.
“South Australia knows the value of cooperation. These partnerships help our economies expand, develop, and compete in the world market.”
High school students were invited to learn from leading researchers and scientists from Flinders, University of SA, University of Adelaide and Carnegie Mellon about how studies in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) can lead to careers in health technology innovation.
This is the fifth innovation-themed conversation Ambassador Berry has convened in cities across Australia, with further roundtables planned to reach other cities throughout the next year.
Listen to the Adelaide event via the on-demand recording here
