ARC Centre for Medical Implant Technologies receives 2022 ACGR Award for Excellence

A woman is hooked up to a treadmill-like piece of machinery in front of a large screen displaying a digital image of a forest
The CAREN laboratory at the Faculty of Engineering and IT is a virtual reality biomechanical facility supporting cross-disciplinary research in human movement and rehabilitation. Image: University of Melbourne

The Australian Research Council Training Centre for Medical Implant Technologies (ARC CMIT) has been awarded the 2022 Australian Council of Graduate Research (ACGR) Award for Excellence in Promoting Industry Engagement in Graduate Research.

Director of ARC CMIT Professor Peter Lee together with Deputy Director Associate Professor David Ackland and Centre Co-Managers Associate Professor Jia-Yee Lee and Ms Meg Belmonte lead Australia's largest industry-university-hospital collaboration focusing on orthopaedic and maxillofacial implants.

The team is based in the Department of Biomedical Engineering in the Faculty of Engineering and Information Technology.

ARC CMIT trains PhD students and early career researchers to design and develop personalised medical implants in collaboration with industry and clinical partners.

Professor Lee said one of the most rewarding experiences for students and academic supervisors at the centre was to involve clinicians and industry experts at the early stage of the student's PhD project.

“A university-hospital-industry supervisory team helps create a highly stimulating research and learning environment for students, enabling them to explore and solve real-world challenges,” Professor Lee said.

Associate Professor Ackland said the centre focused on training graduate research students with skills relevant to the MedTech industry, including implant design and testing, surgical planning and clinical trials.

“Our students work closely with our industry and clinical partners during their candidature, and on graduation will have a unique opportunity to work in the sector, from start-ups and SMEs, through to large multinational companies such as those in orthopaedics,” Associate Professor Ackland said.

To find out more about the award, watch the video.