Burnet Deputy Director, Associate Professor David Anderson will present at the Australia China Health Summit

There’s been strong interest from the sector in opportunities to engage and network in health and medical research at the forthcoming Australia China Health Summit in Melbourne.

Co-hosted by AusBiotech and the Australia China Business Council Vic (ACBC), the summit will bring together key Australian and international stakeholders to discuss the health industry and opportunities afforded by the Australia-China relationship.

“Victorian and Australian organisations interested in the health space in China can network and learn from experts in the field,” Lisa Renkin, Burnet’s Head, China Program and Manager of International Initiatives, said.

“Topics include the implications of the Free Trade Agreement, IP protection, business matching, and the services provided by groups such as AustCham, the Chambers of Commerce for Australia in Beijing and Shanghai.

“It’s an industry-specific event for Victorian and Australian groups, but it’s also an opportunity for Chinese investors, researchers and collaborators to meet Victorian companies, universities and research bodies like Burnet.”

A Major Partner, Burnet helped to compile the Summit program, which includes a keynote address from ACBC President, former Victorian Premier The Hon John Brumby, and presentation from Jon Evans, Director Health Strategy, Department of Health and Human Services, State Government of Victoria.

Burnet Deputy Director, Associate Professor David Anderson will present a case study on Burnet’s R&D initiative, Nanjing BioPoint Diagnostic Technology Ltd.

“Burnet continues to play a lead role in number of ways,” Ms Renkin said.

“We’ve done it with our own business by establishing our R&D laboratory in Jiangsu Province in China, but we also do it through the leadership role we play in forums like the ACBC where we’re represented on the board and lead the sub-committee on medical research and biotech.

“That’s really the genesis for an event like this, working closely with our industry partner AusBiotech to help promote and showcase Victoria’s expertise and engagement with China and encourage our peer organisations to do the same.”

Ms Renkin said strong interest in the Summit suggests the scheduling is timely.

“China has expressed biotech and medical research as one of their seven key sectors for engagement, so the timing is very good for Australian companies to engage with China around collaborative research and R&D like Burnet’s been doing in Nanjing,” she said.

The Summit will be held at The Park Hyatt, Melbourne on Tuesday, 11 August.