1-3 December 2026
Melbourne ConnectMelbourne, VICkeyboard_arrow_right
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DAY ONE - Australia/Melbourne
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DAY ONE - Australia/Melbourne
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08:00 - 08:55
BREAKFAST SHOWCASE
08:55 - 09:05
Welcome to Country
09:05 - 09:10
Welcome to Melbourne Connect
09:10 - 09:40
INTERNATIONAL KEYNOTE | Attracting philanthropic funding, startups, investors, and companies to precincts
- Natalie Self - SVP of Equitable Economic Impact, Cortex Innovation Community, St Louis
09:40 - 10:10
KEYNOTE | How you leverage a health precinct to enable the digital transformation of a health system
- Peter Steel - Chief Transformation Officer, The Royal Melbourne Hospital
10:10 - 10:40
KEYNOTE | National Health and Medical Research Strategy and the MRFF Strategy and Priorities
- Leon Teo - Assistant Director, Australian Government Department of Health, Disability and Ageing
10:40 - 11:10
Networking Break
11:10 - 11:40
JOINT KEYNOTE CASE STUDY| Building the future healthcare workforce: The Centre of Excellence in Paramedicine model for collaborative innovation innovating workforce development in partnership
- Patrice O'Brien - Chief Employment & Engagement Officer, Victoria University
- Senior Representative, Ambulance Victoria
11:40 - 12:25
KEYNOTE PANEL | Governance, Leadership & economic sustainability: Building Adaptive health & innovation precincts
- Elizabeth Koff AM - Managing Director, Telstra Health & Chair of the RHIP Council
- Victoria Cogger - Executive Director, Sydney Biomedical Accelerator
- Trent Munro - General Manager, Boggo Road Innovation Junction (BRIJ) & Venture Partner & Head of Biocatalyst for Queensland, Brandon Capital
- Paula Rogers - Inaugural Independent Chair of the Precinct Leadership Group (PLG), Western Australia’s Health and Biomedical Precinct at Queen Elizabeth II Medical Centre (QEII)
12:25 - 12:55
Beyond the precinct: Building innovation ecosystems at city scale
- Tom Bentley - Vice President, Strategy and Community Impact, RMIT University
12:55 - 13:55
Networking Lunch
Showing 2 of 2 Streams
TRACK 1: Industry & Commercialisation
TRACK 2 Governance & Community Engagement
13:55 - 14:00
Chair remarks
14:00 - 14:25
From Payer to Partner: Building Preventative Health Ecosystems Beyond the Hospital
- Robert Read - Group Lead - Amplar Health, Medibank
14:25 - 15:10
PANEL | Research Translation and Commercialisation: Bridging the Gap from Lab to Market
- Tara Kernezis - CEO & Managing Director, Gertrude Biomedical
- Felicia Pradera - Director, Regional Research Centre and Strategic Alliances, Moderna Australia
- Alan Cui - Partner, Boson Ventures
- Katrina Lapham - Head of Policy and Economics, Biointelect
15:10 - 15:40
IN CONVERSATION | Translating mRNA and AI Innovations Through Global Biomedical Ecosystems
- Sarah Herridge - Director Research & Scientific Affairs, BioNTech
15:40 - 16:10
Afternoon Tea
13:55 - 14:00
Chair remarks
14:00 - 14:45
PANEL | Building Human-Centered Precincts: From Community Co-Design to Thriving Innovation Hubs
- Annemarie Hennessy AM - Deputy Dean (Westmead), University of Sydney
- Heather St John - Associate Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Research Partnerships and Translation, RMIT University
- Kate Spencer - General Manager, Fishermans Bend Innovation Diversity Experimentation and Activation Ltd
14:45 - 15:10
CASE STUDY | Workforce Attraction, Retention & Development
- Maya De Mattia - Manager, Murrumbidgee Health and Knowledge Precinct
- Narelle Mills - CEO, Murrumbidgee Primary Health Network (MPHN)
15:10 - 15:35
Beyond “Grow Our Own”: Measuring the Regional Health Workforce Impact of Place-Based Higher Education
- Lou Conway - Chief Executive Officer, Country Universities Centre
15:35 - 16:10
Afternoon Tea
16:10 - 16:30
Industry Roundtable 1: Precinct constellations, networks & collaboration
- Simon Radmore - Executive Director, Strategy & Office of the Chief Executive, Northern Sydney Local Health District
- Tom Bentley - Vice President, Strategy and Community Impact, RMIT University
16:30 - 16:50
Industry Roundtable 2: Victoria University roundtable – The flipped campus partnership model for future proofing workforce
- Patrice O'Brien - Chief Employment & Engagement Officer, Victoria University
- Natalie Zaibak - Director, Major Partnerships, Victoria University
16:50 - 17:10
Industry Roundtable 3: Why Are We Losing Our Best Startups? Retaining Innovation Talent in Australian Precincts
17:10 - 18:30
NETWORKING DRINKS
18:30 - 21:00
NETWORKING DINNER | Science Gallery Victoria
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