Australia’s high-quality and affordable healthcare system is envied around the world. It’s underpinned by a world-class medical research sector, which is nurtured in our universities and hospitals, medical research institutes and life science companies.
Health and life sciences is our 8th largest export sector, worth A$8.5 billion.
Australia offers nearly A$70 billion in grants, incentives and funding pools to Australian-based companies across priority sectors.
Source: Accenture
A culture of innovation
Australia is a sought after hub for cutting edge life-saving medicines and procedures. Medical research pioneers are drawn to a culture of innovation backed by generous funding and incentives. Our history of producing Nobel Prize- winning research and high tech solutions are making a significant contribution to global medical scientific discovery.
Check out the new patent box for Australian medical and biotech technologies. Companies will pay a concessional corporate tax rate of 17% on income from Australian medical and biotech patents.
When you bring your talent to Australia, you’ll have access to collaborative innovation hubs and research centres, and a world-class clinical trials ecosystem.
Add to this strong intellectual property protection, an ideal test bed market for clinical trials and access to large export markets, and you have an ideal location for the development of new diagnostics, devices and therapies.
Life sciences research in Australia
- ranked 8th globally overall
- ranked top 6 in optometry, ophthalmology, paediatrics and reproductive medicine
In addition to the public sector activities, I’ve now been involved in other projects in Melbourne and Sydney including scientific collaborations and commercial networking. Half of the shareholders in my company (Neuro-Bio Ltd.) are actually Australian. I therefore feel qualified to testify that Australia is a fantastic place for science and all STEM activities. I really feel my experiences there have gone a long way to building my confidence in a way that would not have been possible in the UK.
To anyone considering relocating in Australia, I would say that this is a wonderful opportunity!
It all started by bringing together exceptional Australian academic research, entrepreneurial experience, and targeted government support – a combination that continues to be a great model for success 40 years later.
We’re a proudly Australian company, but we’ve succeeded by bringing together exceptional people from all parts of the world. Fortunately for us, Australia is a fantastic place to live and has a blossoming tech community. So we can attract the best people from around the world – the people who will bring our life-changing technology to more people in more places.
Decades on, those characteristics still underpin my work as a geneticist and inspire my research into aging, lifespan extension and keeping people healthier for as long as possible.
While much of my time is spent at Harvard Medical School, I come back to Australia whenever I can. And as a conjoint professor at my alma mater, the University of New South Wales, I keep a keen eye on the world-leading research coming out of Australia and the many opportunities there for talented professionals in health and life sciences.
For those who share the same spirit of possibility and want to push the boundaries of science, as I have, Australia is a wonderful place to pursue your passions.
A high-energy ecosystem
Our top-ranking universities and academics are global leaders in clinical medicine and pioneers in many areas of health and life sciences research. We’re breaking new ground in specialist fields such as oncology, neurology, regenerative medicine, medical devices, tropical diseases, diabetes, cardiovascular disease and diagnostics.
Australia is home to several comprehensive cancer care centres that are pioneering genome research. We also boast world-leading immunology facilities with the infrastructure and expertise to develop viral vectors and companion diagnostics.
Our medical technology, biotechnology and pharmaceutical sectors work lockstep with industry, entrepreneurs and academics. Collaborating with an Australian university can give you access to some of the world’s best minds and a share of the impressive A$10.6 billion in revenue generated via partnerships with Australian universities each year.
We’re also world leaders in electronic medical records, and big data and artificial intelligence are swiftly being adopted by the Australian healthcare sector, with fantastic opportunities to access and create data-driven health services and products.
Australia’s national science agency CSIRO is leading new strategies to prevent and minimise the impact of diseases through the delivery of evidence-based products, programs and services, including its molecular diagnostic solutions and precision health and medicine research.
It’s also an internationally renowned catalyst for advanced manufacturing, connecting industry to global supply chains. Its work with industry on research into 3D printing has led to world-firsts in printing human body parts. It even invented Wi-Fi, the empowering technology at the heart of the digital health revolution.
CSIRO is in the top 1% of the world’s scientific institutions in 15 of 22 research fields.
Podcast: Bloomberg interview with Professor Sharon Lewin
Ideal location for clinical trials
Australia’s clinical trial capabilities, skilled workforce and specialised infrastructure are second to none. With some 50 trial networks and biobanks across the country, Australia started 1880 clinical trials in 2019 with 95,000 Australian participating. Conduct your clinical trials in Australia and you benefit from:
- streamlined regulatory and ethics approval
- a multicultural population ideal for trials
- high-quality data that is recognised around the world
- cost effectiveness – it’s 28% cheaper to run trials here than in the US.
It’s no wonder that our sophisticated clinical trials environment draws both local and international participants, with nearly one-third of industry-led trials in Australia led by multinational companies.
Australia ranks 3rd for intellectual property rights on the International Property Rights Index 2021
Australia has the 2nd largest biotech public market in the world
Source: AusBiotech
Australia is home to 500 medtech companies
Source: Why Australia Benchmark Report
Grants, incentives and support
- MTPConnect, part of the Australian Government’s Industry Growth Centres Initiative, champions the growth of Australia’s medtech, biotech and pharmaceutical (MTP) sectors. MTPConnect raises awareness, fosters collaboration and competition, and aggregates and shares existing knowledge with the broader MTP sectors. In addition, it delivers several Medical Research Future Fund activities
- Australia’s A$20 billion Medical Research Future Fund aims to transform health and medical research and innovation to improve lives, build the economy and contribute to health system sustainability. Granting activities from the Medical Research Future Fund include:
- the A$45 million MRFF BioMedTech Horizons, which drives discoveries that address key health challenges towards proof-of-concept and commercialisation, maximising entrepreneurship and idea potential
- the A$22.3 million MRFF Biomedical Translation Bridge Program, which nurtures early-stage health and medical research to reach proof-of-concept with the potential to attract further capital and support
- the A$47 million MRFF Targeted Translation Research Accelerator, which is improving the prevention and treatment of diabetes and cardiovascular disease.
- Australia’s A$1.5 billion Modern Manufacturing Strategy has a dedicated stream for medical products.
- The Research and Development Tax Incentive encourages businesses to invest more in R&D through tax offsets.
- The Australian Tax Office’s New Investment Engagement Service gives tailored guidance on tax issues to businesses planning significant new investments in Australia.
Business.gov.au provides information, grants, services and support from across government to help businesses succeed.
Case studies
- Coviu puts remote medical access in good health
- Implantable monitoring and seizure detection for traumatic brain injury
- Building a world-class influenza vaccine manufacturing facility in Australia
- Spray-on skin revolutionises burns treatment
- Gardasil: Reducing cervical cancer rates through HPV vaccine
- Commonwealth Serum Laboratories
Are you a talented individual working in health industries?
Get an idea of the kinds of skills and roles we’re looking for
We’re targeting exceptionally talented individuals who are leading ground breaking projects in medtech, biotechnology and pharmaceuticals, medical research, disease management, and health IT.
The following specialisations are intended to be used as a guide and are not an exhaustive list. The global talent profile provides examples of the calibre of individuals who may meet program requirements.
Specialisations
- Antimicrobial resistance
- Biochemistry and cell biology
- Biostatistics
- Biotechnology
- Biomedicine and bioengineering
- Cell and gene therapies - genomics
- Clinical trials
- Commercialisation experience in the health industry
- Digital health
- Healthcare entrepreneurship
- Health economics
- Implantable and wearable devices (3D printed devices, bionics
- and prosthetics)
- Infectious disease prevention
- Medical devices
- Medical physics
- Microbiology and immunology
- Nanotechnology and genomics
- Neuroscience and neurology
- Pharmaceuticals
- Precision medicine
- Point of care diagnostics
- Regenerative medicine
Global talent profile
Pharmaceutical executive and founder of a multi-million dollar global company dedicated to accelerating clinical trial processes by utilising a novel e-platform to track patient data.
Renowned infectious diseases researcher and practitioner of international repute.
Senior auditory neuroscientist with a track record of research in health technologies, leading the research and design of cochlear implant technology.
Biomedical engineer with expertise in medical application of polymers, biomaterials and delivery platforms.
The following experience or professions would not usually meet the parameters of the program:
- General practitioners
- Retail pharmacists
- Dentists
- Physiotherapists
- Nurses
- Veterinarians
- Aged care workers
