Innovation Catalyst Awards
Innovation Catalyst program overview
The Innovation Catalyst Program at the Tyree Institute of Health Engineering (IHealthE) is designed to accelerate the journey of promising medical technologies from concept to clinic.
This flagship program provides tailored translational support, connecting MedTech innovators with the multi-disciplinary expertise required to develop solutions that transform healthcare practice and delivery. By advancing cost-effective, patient-centred innovations, the Catalyst Innovation Program plays a vital role in our vision to be a global leader in health technology translation.
Who should apply?
We welcome applications from MedTech innovators with strong clinical involvement, ideally with a clinician as part of the core team. If you have an idea that addresses an important unmet clinical need, the Innovation Catalyst Program can help you move it forward.
Program structure
The Innovation Catalyst Program runs three intakes each year, with up to 25 project applications, or “Sparks,” accepted per intake. Expressions of Interest (EOIs) for the next intake are now open. This intake cycle with will run from December 2025 to March 2026.
The 2025 Innovation Catalyst Program intake has now reached capacity.
All applications received will automatically be considered for our next intake early next year, ensuring every promising idea has the opportunity to progress through the program.
Why apply?
- All applicants who submit an EOI will be provided with an assessment of commercial potential and key barriers to successful translation
- Successful applicants will receive at least one work package delivered by our team of experts without any fees or need for sharing of intellectual property
- Access to our co-working spaces within the Prince of Wales Hospital campus for the duration of the project
- Access to our group of MedTech mentors for the duration of the project
Your guide to the Innovation Catalyst Program
Apply now
EOIs are now open for the upcoming intake. Complete this short EOI form to apply.
Not sure if your project fits? Reach out to our team at IHealthE@unsw.edu.au to discuss your idea before submitting.
Key information
The 2025 Innovation Catalyst Program intake has now reached capacity.
All applications received will automatically be considered for our next intake early next year, ensuring every promising idea has the opportunity to progress through the program.
Find out more about the 2024 program and the successful applicants
Dr James Otton
A pioneering minimally invasive device aims to repair leaking heart valves without open-heart surgery. By replicating the success of traditional surgery, this innovation could extend life-saving treatment to thousands, reducing recovery times and costs while addressing a critical gap in current cardiac care options.
Lorace Zhang
Vysum is an eye health platform that is simplifying glaucoma treatment by restructuring eye drop administration and improving adherence. Featuring a smart delivery device for precise dosing, a user app for managing regimens, and a clinician portal for real-time adherence data, this solution empowers patients and enhances treatment outcomes.
Dr Shannon Thomas and Michael Cartmill
Innovating compression therapy, this solution for limb swelling introduces loose compression stockings lined with soft plastic angioplasty balloons that can be dynamically tightened to provide compression therapy. This innovative design addresses fit, comfort, and ease of use, enhancing symptom relief, simplifying application, and reducing costs to improve outcomes and accessibility for patients with advanced conditions.
Dr Diana Zhang and Anastasia Latin
Preview Health is revolutionising diagnostics with AI-powered mass spectrometry analysis, enabling accurate differential diagnosis and monitoring of complex diseases, starting with neurological disorders. The cutting-edge technology can analyse thousands of high-resolution biomarker signatures, achieving record-breaking accuracy, at the cost of a single biomarker analysis, accelerating cures and empowering clinics, researchers, and pharma to transform disease management.
John Shanks
Clinical Branches is an EMR-agnostic platform that enhances medication management by replacing text-based guidelines with shared electronic decision support. This system supports the better management of antimicrobials, anti-thrombotics, and narcotics, ensuring equitable access to specialist support, improving patient outcomes, and reducing hospital readmissions and stays. The tool is undergoing expansion to use AI applied to platform data to predict optimal drug doses and prioritise high risk patients.
Dr Martina Barzan, Dr Sheanna Maine, Dr Luca Modenese
Avatar Orthopaedics: Next-generation surgical planning software improves lower limb procedures by integrating 3D anatomy and biomechanical analysis of a patient, to create a digital twin that can then be used to plan surgical interventions. This innovative solution will provide greater surgical accuracy, improve outcomes, and enable surgeons and patients to have confidence that their procedure will best optimise their function.
FAQ
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Any individual or team who is trying to find or is developing a solution to a healthcare unmet need should apply. Applicants must be able to demonstrate they have detailed knowledge of the relevant clinical environment and its key stakeholders.
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Our expertise and capabilities are in medical devices and software-based solutions. We currently don’t have capacity to support drugs, biologics, or process improvements.
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A team is not a requirement for applications. Having the right people on the team at the various stages of the healthcare innovation journey is crucial to success. So if you already have them, that’s a bonus.
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Yes, but remember we want you to be committed to the project so your best application will likely be an unmet need you have been thinking about for a while.
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IHealthE will not take equity as part of its support.
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All information provided will be treated commercial in confidence. The review panel will be held to strict conflict of interest disclosure. We don’t expect you to provide confidential information during the application process. Confidentiality agreements can be signed by both parties if requested.
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IHealthE will not assert IP rights as part of the Innovation Catalyst Program, however, joint work with collaborative parties (e.g. UNSW researchers, other clinicians) that could result in co-creation of intellectual property has to be assessed and agreed to by the program participants. Emergent IP will be monitored by the Program Manager of IHealthE with a view to IP protection if and when necessary. We are committed to fair and equitable management of IP. Equitable management of IP will depend on a range of factors including the maturity of the solution being developed, sources of funding, employment relationships and inventive contribution. We aim to provide clear and personalised advice on guidelines and best practices to ensure appropriate pathways for effective protection of IP based on the circumstances.