Maha’s dream of biotech greatness

Springfield City is rapidly becoming known around the country as a hub for biotech innovation, with high-tech vaccines and cancer treatments all on the cards.

Maha Sinnathamby’s Springfield City is rapidly becoming known around the country for its biotech innovation. Building on that reputation south-east Queensland’s top biomanufacturing experts gathered at Springfield’s BioPark Australia, 30km south-west of Brisbane, last week for a high-profile talkfest aimed at boosting capacity for the biomanufacturing sector.

The annual Future of Health Series event is hosted by Springfield City Group (SCG) in partnership with Life Sciences Queensland (LSQ), as part of the city’s program to build one of Australia’s leading life science business campuses at the planned community.

Life Sciences Queensland chief executive Erin Evans says the life sciences industry drove significant income for Queensland, with an estimated annual gross value of $2.21 billion, including $3.6 million in manufacturing R&D, private investment and an annual export value of $534.3 million. Sinnathamby says the commitment by Southern RNA and Aegros to establish facilities in Springfield would put the precinct on the map as a destination for advanced manufacturing in pharmaceuticals and health technologies.

Maha Sinnathamby. Picture Lachie Millard

Southern RNA is producing mRNA materials for new vaccines while Aegros is making lifesaving therapeutic blood products at Springfield. “As well as creating jobs for Queenslanders in construction and then in operations, these projects will boost our nation’s sovereign manufacturing capabilities when supply chains are disrupted, as happened during the Covid pandemic,” says Sinnathamby. Attendees at the event included Translational Research Institute (TRI) industry engagement manager Glenda Colburn, UQ Advanced Cell Therapy Manufacturing Initiative director Simon Cool, Southern RNA chief operating officer Garry Heaney, Therapeutic Innovation Australia director of strategic development Ben Hughes, QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute chief executive Fabienne Mackay, Aegros co-founder and executive chair Hari Naira and ARM hub board member Jackie Taranto.

Olympic effort

Building a global and ambitious competitive Queensland will be the topic of discussion at Business Chamber Queensland’s first Business Matters event for 2024 on Thursday.

The panel will include Aviation Australia chair Elsa D’Alessio, Queensland Airports boss Amelia Evans and Jack Hutchinson, director at Hutchinson Builders. Not surprisingly one of the themes will be infrastructure, procurement and productivity around the 2032 Olympics. Supported by Australian Retirement Trust, the Business Matters event series is an opportunity for business leaders to come together and examine major economic issues. This event will also mark the release of the Chamber’s Beyond2032 Business Outlook, research setting the scene for the state’s business and economic environment in the lead up to and beyond 2032.

Queensland Airports boss Amelia Evans.

Hole in one

Flight Centre’s Corporate Traveller business and the World Golf Competition have joined forces to jet amateur golfers around the globe to compete on the world’s most exclusive courses. Corporate Traveller will play a critical role as the competition’s exclusive travel manager. Played across four continents, 216 courses, 313 rounds, and with more than 13,000 players, the World Golf Competition is billed as the world’s most luxurious amateur golfing contest and a world first. Corporate Traveller’s Australian-based global managing director Tom Walley says that with so much home-grown talent in Australia, travel for athletes and the teams behind them was at a significantly higher volume over the last 12 months.