Sector

Health and medical industries

Clinical trials – Ageing well – Pharmaceuticals and biotech – Medical devices

Highlights

South Australia has a global reputation for health and medical industries capabilities.

Adelaide BioMed City is one of the largest health precincts in the Southern Hemisphere including SAHMRI and the Australian Bragg Centre, the first proton therapy centre of its type.

Flinders Village will host the Health and Medical Research Institute, spearheading collaborative research spanning physical and mental health and wellbeing, amplifying the university’s longstanding contributions across the health, education and medical sectors in the heart of the southern medical precinct.

We have world-leading capabilities in artificial intelligence (AI), data analytics, machine learning and research that features across our health and medical industries.

We are the first state to undertake human clinical trials in a COVID-19 free environment (for healthy individuals as well as patients).

Investing in Health and Medical Industries

Companies from around the world can engage with world leaders in biotech and clinical trials, digital health, medical devices, ageing well, research, academia, clinical care and business development.
 
South Australia is recognised for its skillset in niche areas, particularly in the use of artificial intelligence utilised within health innovation, visual recognition machine learning and proton therapy and oncology.
 
Our state has decades of experience in automotive manufacturing which is now being applied to medical device manufacturing with highly skilled workers and sustainable supply chains.

Investment advantages

We have a burgeoning commercial industry, helping jurisdictions around the world support their ageing populations, including the industry-driven Ageing Well International globalising local ageing expertise – from birth to ageing.
 
We support the establishment of medicinal cannabis and industrial hemp industries in South Australia, providing guidance and mechanisms on working with the Office of Drug Control regarding licenses and permits for the legal cultivation, processing and manufacturing of medicinal cannabis products.
 
We are looking to develop and expand our e-clinical trial capabilities, supporting the state’s drive towards a leading position in e-clinical trials in a secure environment.
 
Eligible companies can access up to 43.5% R&D tax incentive for research and development expenses reimbursed either as a tax refund or a tax reduction.
 
We have a visionary approach to growth within the sector, releasing our 10-year sector plan in October 2020 to grow the economic value of Health and Medical Industries to $5 billion by 2030.

Connected ecosystem

South Australia’s hi-tech sector is well-equipped to support the health and medical industries sector in the fields of artificial intelligence, science, engineering and nanotechnology to facilitate new innovations in the biomedical sphere. 
 
Our creative industries ecosystem and internationally recognised companies are working with our health and medical industries to use gaming technology such as virtual reality, to improve healthcare.
 
Medical tourism is providing opportunities for international healthcare options and showcases the state’s world-class capabilities within the health and medical industries sector.

Primary contact

Looking to identify opportunities, strategic partnerships and get advice on the South Australian Health and medical industries sector

Dirk Beelen

Director, Health and Medical

Department for Trade and Investment

Health and Medical Industries

+61 435 960 268 Dirk.Beelen@sa.gov.au

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Case studies

SA home for new cancer treatment

The Australian Bragg Centre, which will house a proton therapy device, designed to target tumours more precisely while sparing surrounding tissue and organs, reducing side-effects and improving long-term results.

Proton therapy beam is more exact and does not scatter or cause damage to surrounding tissue.

Steve Wesslingh
South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute