New partnership to boost health and medical life sciences

Perth Biodesign, administered by The University of Western Australia, and the New England Medical Innovation Center have partnered to help start-up companies navigate the US and Australian health and medical life sciences ecosystem.

Professor Kevin Pfleger, Chair of Perth Biodesign and Director Biomedical and Health Innovation at UWA, said Perth Biodesign and New England Medical Innovation Center had similar philosophies and cultures in their goal to support entrepreneurship and innovation.

“There is a real meeting of minds, and we are looking forward to helping each other’s innovators progress their solutions to unmet clinical needs, to ultimately reach those that need them internationally,” Professor Pfleger said.

Image: Professor Kevin Pfleger (left; Chair of Perth Biodesign) and Mr Aidan Petrie (right; NEMIC co-Founder and Managing Partner) with (left to right) Minister Stephen Dawson, Maey Petrie (NEMIC Executive Director), Lydia Shin (NEMIC co-Founder and Managing Partner) and Brett Smiley (City of Providence Mayor).

Aidan Petrie, Co-Founder and Managing Partner of New England Medical Innovation Center, said partnering with Perth Biodesign was absolutely a win-win.

“Over the past few years, we have worked with dozens of overseas companies and this partnership brings value for both parties as the synergies are very nicely aligned,” Mr Petrie said. 

“We have both developed models to help startups navigate this important but complex space and that has great potential as we progress.”

The Memorandum of Understanding was signed on March 4, 2024 at the Cambridge Innovation Center, Providence, Rhode Island, US by Mr Petrie and Professor Pfleger.

The MOU was also signed in the presence of the Western Australian Government’s Hon Stephen Dawson MLC, Minister for Emergency Services; Innovation and the Digital Economy; Science; Medical Research; Minister assisting the Minister for State and Industry Development; Jobs and Trade, and Mayor Brett Smiley, Mayor of the City of Providence, Rhode Island.

“This looks set to be an amazing opportunity for Western Australian innovators and startups to gain entry into the US market and for Rhode Island based companies to enter the Australian market through WA,” Minister Dawson said.