Texas Medical Center and Australia Launch BioBridge

MELBOURNE, Australia, Dec. 6, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- The Texas Medical Center (TMC) and the Health Informatics Society of Australia (HISA) today announced the establishment of a new international BioBridge, a health technology startup exchange program between Australia and the Texas Medical Center, the largest medical city in the world.

HISA and the Texas Medical Center, with the support of Austrade, are initiating a program to create a global health innovation ecosystem where emerging technologies can be developed, shared and accelerated to advance patient care.

TMC will provide top Australian companies with access to TMC's Innovation Institute and TMCx – one of the largest life sciences business accelerators in the United States. Through the program, Australian companies will be provided critical services at no cost, including: legal, business planning, regulatory counsel and access to the eight million patient encounters at the TMC annually.

TMC has partnered with HISA to promote and recruit applicants for TMCx's upcoming Digital Health cohort, beginning Feb. 13, 2017. The application deadline is Dec. 23, 2016. Recruitment for the Medical Device cohort will begin in June 2017. In addition, HISA will provide guidance to U.S. companies that come to Australia to expand into international markets.

"We believe that through collaboration, we can all achieve more for the health of patients around the world," said Dr. Robert C. Robbins, president & CEO of TMC. "We want to advance the very best technologies from around the globe and reduce the financial and operational barriers that stall advances in health care."

"This alliance brings an immediate and real opportunity for Australia's best and brightest to learn from some of the world's top health innovators on a scale we don't yet see in Australia," said HISA CEO Dr. Louise Schaper. "We believe TMC offers a unique learning experience for Australians to test and learn how to embed their innovation within an active, large medical centre – it's a rare opportunity to have real users involved in the co-design and co-creation process."

"We are eagerly awaiting the first Australian startups that will join TMCx in early 2017," said William F. McKeon, EVP and chief strategy and operating officer of TMC. "This international BioBridge would not be possible without collaborative efforts between TMC and Australian Consul General Alastair Walton and the Austrade team."

HISA is a now working with TMC and their partners within Australia to identify and fast track a number of startups and promising companies in Australia within the digital health, health technology and medical device space. Over the longer term, the alliance provides the foundations for growing a bi-lateral innovation and technology transfer between Australia and the United States in digital health and medical technology.

For more information or to apply online, visit www.tmc.edu/innovation.

About TMC
What was sparked with the founding of a single hospital in Houston in 1925 has come to be the Texas Medical Center (TMC) today. Home to 57 member institutions, including 21 hospitals, 13 support organizations, nine academic and research institutions, six nursing programs, three public health organizations, three medical schools, two universities, two pharmacy schools and a dental school, TMC operates the world's largest medical city with eight million patients and family encounters with doctors, nurses and staff at TMC every year. TMC is dedicated to reinventing life sciences to improve the health and wellness of Houston, and the world. Learn more at tmc.edu.

About HISA
The Health Informatics Society Australia (HISA) is a not-for-profit organization and is the peak body for digital health, e-health and health informatics in Australia. We have a broad and diverse stakeholder community with over 1,200 active members and a database of over 13,000 committed participants in digital health and informatics. HISA is Australia's only community of individuals and organizations that share a common passion, expertise and leadership in digital healthcare. Learn more at HISA.org.au.

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SOURCE Texas Medical Center