Research training for medical technologies in partnership with 3DMEDiTech

A new Joint Research Training Centre (JRTC) for Medical Technologies is set to make Melbourne a leader of innovation in personalised medical device technology and commercialisation, securing better health outcomes for patients and a growing talent pool of industry-ready biomedical engineers.

The JRTC for Medical Technologies is a collaborative initiative between 3DMEDiTech – Australia’s first large-scale manufacturer of customised 3D printed medical and healthcare devices – and the University of Melbourne.

PhD students and post-doctoral fellows will be co-located at the University and at 3DMEDiTech’s cutting-edge facilities in Port Melbourne, as part of a suite of initiatives to be established through the JRTC for Medical Technologies.

Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research) Professor James McCluskey said the JRTC for Medical Technologies will bring industry, hospitals and researchers together to collaborate on projects that will make a big difference to people’s lives, by creating safer and more efficient surgical procedures and customised implants for patients to achieve faster recovery times.

“The Joint Research Training Centre for Medical Technologies will also build sovereign manufacturing capability in medical technologies and position Victoria to be the personalised medical technology capital of Australia,” Professor McCluskey said.

“The initiatives and programs undertaken through the JRTC for Medical Technologies will contribute to a pipeline of medical technology innovations, driven by market demands for better health outcomes, and develop a talent pool of industry-ready biomedical engineering graduates.”

Professor Peter Lee, JRTC for Medical Technologies Director, said the Centre evolved from 3DMEDiTech’s partnering in the ARC Training Centre for Medical Implant Technologies, based at the University of Melbourne.

“The university-industry-hospital collaborative model is integral to the success of the JRTC for Medical Technologies and is applied through the interdisciplinary and experienced leadership of our advisory committee,” Professor Lee said.

Paul Docherty, Executive Director and founder of 3DMEDiTech, said the JRTC for Medical Technologies would deliver a vital new opportunity and growth for Victoria.

“Together with the Victorian Government, which has provided significant support to the JRTC concept, we are committed to building our knowledge economy through the creation of a world class MedTech innovation facility, designed with the objective of being the number one personalised medical device research centre in the world,” Mr Docherty said.

“3DMEDiTech has a successful track record of taking innovation in MedTech to scale. The JRTC for Medical Technologies will benefit enormously from the leadership of Professor Peter Lee and our new 3DMEDiTech Chair Toby Hall, taking our advanced manufacturing and commercialisation capability to the next level.”

Toby Hall, Chairman of 3DMEDiTech and formerly Group CEO of St Vincent’s Health Australia, said 3DMEDiTech is committed to reducing Australia’s reliance on imported personalised medical devices and providing more personalised care for patients.

“The JRTC for Medical Technologies partnership between the University of Melbourne and 3DMEDiTech brings to reality the concept of translational medical devices. Doctors can describe what they need, university engineers design it and, through advanced manufacturing technologies, 3DMEDiTech produces resultant customised devices at scale and speed," Mr Hall said.

“This is engineering delivering the future of medicine. The fact that Victoria will now be at the forefront of personalised medical device manufacturing creates remarkable new economic opportunities and, most importantly, the impact for patients will be unprecedented.”

Learn more about the Joint Research Training Centre for Medical Technologies here: https://eng.unimelb.edu.au/industry/medtech/research/jrtc