UQ spinoffs ranked amongst top five research and development companies

30 Mar 2016

For a country that makes up just 0.3% of the world's population, Australia packs a heavyweight punch in science – generating 3.9% of the world's research publications.

Fostering the commercialisation of research success and encouraging collaboration between industry and researchers is at the forefront of the government's renewed focus on scientific innovation, with over $1.1 billion earmarked to kickstart the “ideas boom” as part of the National Innovation and Science Agenda.

In March, Science Meets Business announced their inaugural rankings for the Research & Development Top 25.

Three of the top five companies in the list originated in the labs of UQ, an achievement Professor Nicholas Fisk, Executive Dean for the Faculty of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences said is “a testimony to UQ’s superlative performance in the biomedical innovation and translation space.”

“Our research aims to advance progress from laboratory discovery to application in our communities - to make a difference to people’s lives,” Professor Fisk said.

UQ spinoffs in the top 25

  • 2nd Spinifex, which commercialised the revolutionary pain treatment developed by UQ researcher, Professor Maree Smith, and last year was acquired in a multi-million dollar deal by global pharmaceutical company Novartis.
  • 3rd Admedus is a healthcare group investing in the future of medical technologies, including Professor Ian Frazer’s therapeutic vaccine technology, being used to combat herpes
  • 5th Vaxxas is pioneering “nanopatch” technology for the needle-free delivery of vaccines, developed by Professor Mark Kendall and his team at the Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology.

Professor Smith said she was delighted with Spinifex’s ranking and was also quick to acknowledge the scientists behind the innovations.

“This achievement, together with the ranking of Admedus and Vaxxas in the top five, is a testament to the high quality of research at UQ, and to the passion of the founding scientists for their research to be translated into products for improving human health.”


Media: UQ Communications, communications@uq.edu.au, 07 3346 7086.

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