Murdoch Children’s Research Institute – Australia’s largest children’s health research institute – has come out on top in the MedTech and BioTech category at the InnovationAus 2021 Awards for Excellence.
The InnovationAus 2021 Awards for Excellence were presented on Wednesday night at a gala black-tie dinner at the Overseas Passenger Terminal in Sydney.
The Medical Technology and Biotechnology category of the awards was sponsored by the Digital Health Cooperative Research Centre.
Murdoch Children’s Research Institute won the award for the MedTech and biotech category for its work on making discoveries to prevent and treat childhood conditions.
The institute is in the top three worldwide for child health research in terms of quality and impact, and has a team of 1200 researchers, many of whom are also clinicians at the Royal Children’s Hospital in Melbourne, ensuring that their work is informed by real patients.
Four years ago, Murdoch’s pioneering genetic services arm – Victorian Clinical Genetics Service – set out an ambitious goal to speed up genomic testing so answers could be found for critically ill babies and children with rare diseases in time to help with their clinical care.
The service has now provided a genomic test report in less than five days to over 350 Australian families.
CSIRO spinout Coviu, which provides video telehealth solutions, and Sleeptite, which is focused on creating world-leading products for the connected bedroom of the future, were both highly commended in the MedTech and biotech category.
GERMii Australia was also a category finalist.
There has never been more attention on Australia’s MedTech and biotech sectors in light of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, and the category aimed to shine a light on some of the companies leading the way.
“Australia’s entrepreneurial scene is one of the most vibrant ones worldwide, having produced 20 tech unicorns last year following a second-to-none funding and investment surge,” Digital Health CRC chief innovation officer Dr Stefan Harrer said.
“The InnovationAus Awards for Excellence [highlighted] some of the most stunning stories of translating innovation into real-world impact, and we’re thrilled to be shining a light on the prolific innovators behind these successes.”
Australia already has a well-established reputation in MedTech and BioTech, and they contribute significantly to the domestic economy. Governments around the country are also pouring in unprecedented levels of money to the sector, which has been crucial in Australia’s pandemic response.
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