Posted: November 2022
Deliver fee paying and sponsored initiatives that improve, strengthen and enhance the healthtech industry aligned with our data, and industry engagement
Industry events and training
In 2021-22, we held 33 events which were attended by 4,545 people, an increase of 60% from 2020-21.
We covered a diverse range of subjects, from CEO/CFO/NED roundtables to Medtech and Health IT
Please note that we often discuss more than one subject at a BioMelbourne Network event.
For a full overview of our event program, read pages 24-27 of our 2021-22 Annual Report.
Going forward, we will continue to offer both in-person and hybrid events. In-person events will be available to online participants to ensure broad access and inclusion to these valuable assets. We will also record most events and plan to provide our events program on demand. For more information, refer to Learning Lab in the BioMelbourne Network Digital Transformation Strategy section, below.
If you have an idea for an event, want to get involved or provide sponsorship, visit About us. You will find out how your organisation can engage with us and play a pivotal role in event planning and connecting with our ecosystem.
Grow breadth and depth of the Network
Membership
BioMelbourne Network has grown its membership by 5% over the past year for the second year running, highlighting the continued strength of the sector and BioMelbourne Network’s increasing value proposition.
We are continuing to broaden our reach through:
- greater coordination across Victorian Government departments
- industry wide collaboration with other State and National bodies, industry associations, Victorian Government and international partner organisations
- more direct outreach and support to the research and STEM communities
- increased outreach and support to the growing Victorian healthtech industry start-up ecosystem
- support for Victorian manufacturing and service providers
- increasing support for universities.
BioMelbourne Network Digital Transformation Strategy
Wilam
BioMelbourne Network is undergoing a digital transformation to change how the life sciences industry connects, strengthens and grows.
In June 2022, we received an initial tranche of funding for the development and implementation of our new Wilam Life Sciences Industry Community. This new digital platform, which we’ve launched, is accessible to members and non-members anywhere in the world, and allows our ecosystem to engage and network in novel ways.
Through Wilam, the ecosystem will connect, ask questions, access knowledge, network and participate in community-led groups.
Wilam has discussion boards, tiered community and working groups, a searchable directory, library and an events calendar. It brings you networking, information, events, questions and resources that you’re interested in, to you. Members will also be able to advertise here.
Wilam is for manufacturers, researchers, service providers, universities, start-ups, SMEs and global enterprises.
With you, we are building Wilam, a living database and new virtual home for the Australian life sciences industry.
Join your community today. Go to Wilam.com to register, sign up and watch our promotional video.
Current focus:
- increase engagement between our 6400+ Wilam members
- grow and strengthen Victorian manufacturing
- grow and strengthen the Victorian services sector
- develop a continuous improvement community of practice
- provide support for the research and STEM community
- establish financial partnerships with key industry stakeholders – by industry for industry.
Next steps:
- national expansion.
Learning Lab
Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, we have been recording all our events, whether fully virtual or hybrid events. We have received funding to build an online home for our library of events so they can be watched on demand.
We are planning to launch Learning Lab in the first quarter 2023.
Current focus:
- All our events from the start of pandemic will be online and on-demand as video recordings, text transcriptions and podcasts.
- All future hybrid events will go online.
- There will be a mix of free and paid events.
- Events will be searchable by topic and key words
- We will establish pay per view and bundle packages to use over time.
- We will develop partnership opportunities.
Potential uses:
- Start-ups can learn about product translation and commercialisation from the experts
- Learning Lab will expose international ecosystems to the Victorian ecosystem.
- You will be able to access the ecosystem living memory.
Identify and fill training gaps
MedTechVic
Over the past months we’ve seen the launch of MedTechVic. This is an initiative of Swinburne University of Technology in partnership with BioMelbourne Network, Scope and Solve-TAD Limited. Together, we are working on the design, digitalisation and manufacture of customisable medical and assistive devices, ensuring these new medical and enabling technologies are shaped by the people who need them.
Futuremap Assessments – Victorian Healthtech Industry Manufacturing
As part of this work, BioMelbourne Network is focused on delivering the Advanced Manufacturing Industry 4.0 Hub, which are assessments of Victorian manufacturing organisations to determine their readiness to make the continuous improvement journey.
For more information, read our MedTech Vic Futuremap workshop flyer.
From December 2021 to July 2022, we presented a series of 8 Futuremap workshops to over 100 participants from 80 Victorian manufacturers across medical devices, pharmaceutical and other healthtech related organisations.
We are now preparing to establish a community of practice around continuous improvement.
Medtech Vic Industry Roundtables
BioMelbourne Network is also supporting MedTechVic to engage with the Victorian ecosystem, with two new industry roundtables on Building Manufacturing around Assistive Technology and Building Lived Experience into Assistive Technology and Product Development.
These two invitation-only events, which will be held in 2023, aim to produce robust discussions about how to build medtech manufacturing and the benefits of connecting with people with lived experience when developing products.
