The Sydney Biomedical Accelerator has partnered with life sciences investor and venture builder Proto Axiom to launch an Australian-first program to help promising biomedical discoveries move from the lab towards a real-world solution that will benefit patients.
The Academy is designed to tackle the difficult stage between research discovery and market launch, often called the “valley of death”. This complex stage is where the research is refined and developed into a solution that can be delivered to consumers or embedded in clinical practice. Over 12 months, up to three emerging life sciences ventures from the University of Sydney or Sydney Local Health District will receive hands on training and entrepreneurial support, as well as $100,000 each to progress their project and build a stronger case for investment in their new biomedical device, therapeutic, diagnostic, or adjacent biotech solution.
The program takes a different approach to other Australian research commercialisation programs by providing entrepreneurial development through embedding participants within established biotechnology companies. Each project team will nominate an Academy Fellow, typically a postdoctoral researcher, who will spend about one day a week working inside Proto Axiom and its venture network from early 2027. There, Fellows will gain immersive first-hand experience of how investors assess research and how new biotech companies are built.
At the same time, Fellows will work with Sydney Biomedical Accelerator, Proto Axiom and the University’s Research Venture Investment team to progress their project, including completing critical experiments and receiving expert guidance on clinical, regulatory and commercial planning.
The Sydney Biomedical Accelerator, currently under construction, will span the University's Camperdown Campus and Royal Prince Alfred Hospital.
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LinkDeputy Vice-Chancellor (Research) Professor Mike Ryan said the Academy is an exciting new opportunity for Sydney researchers to play an active role in the commercialisation and translation of their research while learning from investors and Proto Axiom’s expertise in establishing biotech ventures.
“We’re backing our research community to support innovative ideas through the ‘valley of death’ by giving them the connections, resources and facilities they need to fast-track promising ideas into real-world solutions,” Professor Ryan said.
“The Academy is an important milestone as the University delivers on our Sydney in 2032 strategic ambitions to deliver world-leading research that tackles the world’s biggest challenges in partnership with industry and our community. This new partnership builds on the University’s productive relationship with Proto Axiom, which has already resulted in Endo Axiom, a spinout company founded on research led by the University and the Sydney Local Health District, progressing to clinical trials for a potential new treatment for type 1 diabetes.”
Endo Axiom was co-founded with Proto Axiom in 2023 to commercialise research that had been in development for more than 20 years, into a form of insulin that can be taken as a ‘smart pill’, rather than by injection. Endo Axiom’s new oral insulin tablet surrounds the insulin particles in a nano coating that protects the drug through digestion and dynamically responds to a patients’ blood sugar levels to deliver the right dose when needed. This could drastically reduce the burden of self-administering regular injections throughout the day and minimise side-effects experienced by injectable forms of insulin.
Proto Axiom Chief Executive Officer Anthony Liveris said: “We need to invest in the people who will build Australia’s next generation of life sciences companies as deliberately as we invest in their science. Through the Academy, researchers will work alongside our team while advancing their own discoveries, learning how investors assess opportunities and what evidence is needed to take the next step towards patients. Working with the SBA and the University’s investment and commercialisation teams, we want to help researchers make those decisions earlier and develop the experience and confidence to build companies of their own.”
The Academy aims to create more opportunities for researchers to follow that path, while giving investors earlier insight into promising discoveries. It builds on the wider innovation and enterprise ecosystem at the University of Sydney, with targeted opportunities to support academics, students and alumni from diverse disciplines to turn their ideas into impact, including the PERIscope Commercialisation Award, Pre-seed Launch Fund and GENESIS program.
Applications are now open to life sciences projects based on research and intellectual property from the University of Sydney or Sydney Local Health District. Find out more about eligibility and register to attend information sessions on 26 November or 10 December. Submit your application by 22 January 2027.
The Sydney Biomedical Accelerator is a partnership between the University of Sydney, the Sydney Local Health District and the NSW Government that brings researchers, clinicians and industry together to tackle complex health challenges. Its new 36,000-square-metre research complex will span the University’s Camperdown Campus and Royal Prince Alfred Hospital when it opens in 2028. Located in the Camperdown node of Sydney’s Tech Central precinct, the Sydney Biomedical Accelerator will connect biomedical research with clinicians, industry and startups.