ANDHealth, Australia’s leading digital health commercialisation organisation, has launched the WA Connected Health Commercialisation Initiative, in collaboration with the WA Life Sciences Innovation Hub, a partnership with MTPConnect, the WA Government Department of Jobs, Tourism, Science and Industry, and the University of Western Australia.

Announced by Minister for Emergency Services; Innovation & ICT; Medical Research; Volunteering, the Hon Stephen Dawson MLC, the Initiative is designed to build the capability of WA digital health companies to lead West Australia (WA) to become a global destination for digital health innovation and commercialisation.

Under the Initiative, ANDHealth will deliver a “turbocharged” pilot of its targeted commercialisation programs to the WA digital health sector. Companies will have access to global and national digital health expertise through ANDHealth’s BRIGHT Ideate & Innovate programs, a series of expert workshops and one-on-one coaching sessions, alongside the establishment of a dedicated ANDHealth program office in WA.

“ANDHealth’s programs are proven to support Australian digital health companies to navigate the complex commercialisation pathway, from idea to international market entry.  This initiative is focused on increasing, enriching, and maturing the pipeline of evidence-based digital health companies in WA to enable them to grow locally and scale globally” said ANDHealth Managing Director and CEO Bronwyn Le Grice.

MTPConnect CEO Stuart Dignam flagged the new digital health initiative as an exciting development for growing the WA medical products sector. 

With ANDHealth’s support, WA companies will be in a stronger position to access the annual intake of the national ANDHealth+ program. Funded by the Australian Government’s Medical Research Futures Fund, ANDHealth+ participants share in up to $3.75M of direct project funding, up to $3.5M of in-kind services from pre-vetted suppliers, and approximately $700k of ANDHealth expertise dedicated to assisting selected SMEs to undertake project activities, procure specialist expertise and meet necessary milestones.