A major step forward in vaccine and infectious disease development and innovation is underway, with Biointelect receiving $32.9m from the MRFF BioMedTech Incubator Grant Opportunity to establish a new national virtual incubator, Biointelect Venturer. This incubator will accelerate research from discovery to commercialisation, supporting globally competitive vaccines, immunotherapies and related technologies for the prevention of infectious diseases.
Biointelect Venturer has been established with support from a wide range of national stakeholders, including the NSW Health Office for Health and Medical Research (OHMR).
NSW is home to world-leading infectious disease research, and scientists are developing vaccine candidates for tuberculosis, malaria and antimicrobial-resistant pathogens. They are also actively engaged in shaping the NSW vaccine development pipeline, ensuring NSW research reflects real-world needs and opportunities.
Development of vaccines for multi-resistant organisms is an important area of research, which has already progressed vaccines to treat conditions caused by bacteria, including Urinary Tract Infections and Haemophilus influenza type B.
Crossover uses for vaccines are also being investigated worldwide. For example, in NSW, the Meningococcal B vaccine is currently being studied for protective impacts against Gonorrhoea, a sexually transmitted infection, which is increasing in Australia and globally.
Laying the groundwork
The framework for the national incubator was co-developed by OHMR staff and collaborators from across all states and territories, and strengthened during the 2024 Vaccine Value Chain Conference (AVVCC24), which called for enhanced national collaboration to tackle infectious disease and vaccine development. OHMR’s strong strategic support for this initiative builds on a series of efforts focused on bolstering NSW’s vaccine research ecosystem, including:
- the Infection and Immunology Collaborative Research Group, studying clinical and immunological responses to COVID-19 vaccines (which also received support from OHMR via the COVID-19 Research Program), and
- VaxNSW Connect, a researcher network linking academic, industry and government expertise to accelerate vaccine development in NSW.
Applying for the national incubator funding
From 2026 – 2029, the national virtual incubator will support projects with up to $5million in non-dilutive funding, alongside mentorship, connection to infrastructure and tailored commercialisation support to fast-track success.
Expressions of interest for funding closes at 11.59pm AEDT on Friday 19 December. Small and medium enterprises are encouraged to apply.