Merck exec calls for biotech critical mass

The oft-repeated cliche that Australia 'punches above its weight' in biotechnology is little more than a security blanket, and needs to be replaced with some real muscle, Merck Sharp & Dohme's external licensing coordinator, Graham Macdonald, told a meeting on Friday.

Speaking at the launch of BioSkills, a specialist centre for biotechnology training, in Melbourne, Macdonald said the notion that Australia was outperforming in biotech despite its small size was "a little security blanket that we wrapped around ourselves." Instead, Australia needed to improve its biotechnology critical mass, so that 'punching above our weight' would actually mean something, he said.

People working in the biotechnology industry globally needed to have unprecedented sets of skills, he said.

And if the Australian biotechnology sector wanted to be world best, it needed to match its most devastating competitors in excellence. "People should be chasing us," Macdonald said.

BioSkills, Box Hill Institute's specialist centre for biotechnology training, was opened on Friday. Housed at Box Hills new $AUD19.5 million building, BioSkills was born after industry feedback showed a lack of understanding about the capability of the TAFE sector to provide biotechnology training and resources.

Box Hill Institute was the first TAFE in Australia to offer a biotechnology degree, the Bachelor of Biotechnology and Innovation.

"BioSkills will be the first point of contact for industry if they want skills in the biotechnology sector," said Box Hill Institute CEO John Maddock.

Industry feedback showed that many biotechnology employers had trouble finding staff who had both science and business skills -- an appreciation for the commercial considerations of the biotechnology business, Maddock said.

BioSkills aims to address this skills gap by working closely with industry -- which would make students more employable, he said.

Merck's Macdonald said BioSkills' staff would be very important resources in the biotechnology industry, provided they didn't sit in ivory towers.

He also said that there should be an element of dissent in the student population of any education institution. "Manufacturing and facilitating dissent is vital," he said, and students should be encouraged to speak their mind.

At the launch, Victorian education and training minister Lynne Kosky said higher education in biotechnology had largely been seen as the "domain of the university sector", but that the TAFE sector was "efficient and adapting to the needs of industry". BioSkills will provide the laboratory, business and speciality IT skills demanded by the biotechnology industry, she said.

Box Hill Institute will also host the BioSkills Network, a consortium of five TAFEs.