WAGES Workshop Lifts Lid on Commercialisation Grant Development for WA Innovators

We’ve just delivered the first WAGES Commercialisation Grant Development Workshop in partnership with WALSIH, to a full-house of 17 teams!

Bringing together researchers, innovators and start-ups who are ready to move their ideas beyond discovery and into real‑world impact.

Rather than concentrating on traditional grant mechanics, this workshop was all about:

• sharpening value propositions
• aligning with end‑user and industry needs
• understanding what funders look for when impact and commercial potential matters
• pressure testing ideas early, before they go anywhere near an application

The room was full of practical insights and open discussion, creating a valuable space to unpack commercialisation and grant writing challenges together.

MTPConnect’s Dr Tracey Wilkinson at WA Life Sciences Innovation Hub (WALSIH) was our expert facilitator, generously sharing her extensive experience across grant development, commercialisation and the health innovation ecosystem.

The workshop featured outstanding presenters and panel members who shared deep expertise, lived experience and candid advice:

• Dr Elise Needham – MTPConnect
• Alex Barty – ANDHealth
• Dr Helga Mikkelsen – Brandon Capital
• Prof Joost Lesterhuis – The Kids Research Institute Australia

A special shout-out to Curtin University, Daphne Lakhiani, Danelle Cross for working with us to host this workshop.

This session represents an important step for WA Grant Excellence Service (WAGES), extending its grant development capability to support researchers and start‑ups preparing competitive applications for commercialisation‑focused funding.

This WAGES workshop is proudly supported by the Future Health Research and Innovation Fund through MTPConnect.

Interested in future WAGES workshops? Join our mailing list to stay across upcoming workshops.