University of Melbourne, Australia is expanding its Innovation Acceleration Programme (IAP) into regional Victoria, giving clinicians the opportunity to build solutions for today’s urgent unmet healthcare needs.

Announced by Minister for Industry Support and Recovery Ben Carroll and delivered in partnership with regional health network Bendigo Health, the 12-month pilot programme will engage regional healthcare staff in the development of manufacturing opportunities for new medical technologies.

Aimed at supporting regional clinicians to understand entrepreneurial thinking, participants will have the opportunity to translate their ideas into commercially viable and impactful solutions for patients and healthcare providers.

Clinicians will be connected with a multi-disciplinary team of innovators, engineers and manufacturers to work together to create real-word medtech solutions, alongside other hospital stakeholders, medtech entrepreneurs, investors and mentors.

The IAP is a multi-partner pre-accelerator programme designed to identify and support early-stage venture creation across the University and its hospital partners.