Round three of NSW Medical Devices Fund

Applications for round three of the NSW Medical Devices Fund have officially opened. The fund is a $5 million per annum technology developments and commercialisation program, with $6.7 million available for the 2015-2016 funding round.

NSW Minister for Health and Minister for Medical Research Jillian Skinner said the funding is available to help individuals, public and private hospitals, medical research institutes, universities, other public sector research organisations and the medical devices industry to take NSW technologies to the world.

“NSW has long been a world leader in the field of medical devices and over half of Australia’s medical devices industry is based here,” Skinner said.

“The recipients of the NSW Medical Devices Fund will be instrumental in the application of new treatments, diagnostic techniques and devices that will be major contributors to health improvements in the future.”

Skinner is hopeful that “these potentially groundbreaking devices will one day have the same global impact that Cochlear has had for people with hearing impairment”. Past recipients of the funds include Saluda Medical’s fully implantable chronic pain management system and Elastagen’s use of the human protein elastin to naturally repair skin.

The application process has three stages:

1. Online Eligibility and Commercial Opportunity (opened 12 December 2014)
2. Preliminary Application Form (closes 5 February)
3. Full Application Form (invitation only)

Applicants will self-determine whether they proceed from stage 1 to stage 2, and full applications will be by invitation only.

NSW Chief Scientist and Engineer Professor Mary O’Kane will chair the expert group appointed to assess Medical Devices Fund applications. Minister Skinner has given the group sufficient flexibility to tailor funding support according to what they believe is required to assist in the development and commercialisation of a medical device.

An application kit and guidelines are available at http://www.health.nsw.gov.au/ohmr/mdf.