AusHealth Ventures at a glance
AusHealth Ventures – formerly AusHealth Research – is a team of scientists, business managers and IP experts based in Underdale, South Australia. It supports medical research and develops health tech innovations, making Australia healthier and wealthier.
Valuable new discoveries are further ‘translated’ toward patient impact. This is achieved thanks to the Venture teams’ expertise and its connections within various sectors, including the health sector, industry, AI and finance. Ventures operates out of its new collaborative hub in Underdale, a bricks and mortar centre called The Accelerator.
Ventures is one of three partners in a funding group called The Wellspring Consortium (‘Wellspring’). The other partners are the SA Department of State Development and the venture capital company Artesian. This new funding pipeline enables researchers and start-ups to pitch for public and private venture capital.
AusHealth Ventures is a growing family of Not For Profits (NFPs). It offers a commercial refuge for small, struggling charities working within medical research; as part of AusHealth Ventures, these charities are relieved of administrative costs which makes it easier for them to continue their good work.
The newest member of the extended NFP family is CureCell, which supports researchers working in cell and biological therapies.
AusHealth Ventures has invested more than $50 million in medical research since 1985. These funds are generated by AusHealth, a charity which makes money by providing services to hospitals and workplaces.
It gratefully accepts donations and bequests.

Our research projects
AusHealth Ventures is responsible for awarding and overseeing the funding of medical research projects across Australia.
- In 2024 AusHealth Ventures has more than a dozen projects underway. Most are medical research projects dedicated to finding cures for diseases that affect us all, though it also funds projects looking to develop medical devices, improve clinical procedures and improve the running of hospitals.
- Funding for individual projects ranges from $50,000 to a million dollars; funding can be for a single year, though some projects have been funded for a decade.
- Typically, projects follow three stages:
Stage 1. Concept: We receive funding applications (including requests to extend existing project funding); these go to a technical panel for review before going to the AusHealth board for approval.
Stage 2. Pre-clinical development: Funding is provided to undertake pre-clinical and/or in-vivo testing, prototyping and optimisation of the project, assessing the safety risks and pushing towards marketability.
Stage 3. Clinical proof of concept: We collaborate with clinicians, medical researchers and hospital staff to plan, execute and position the technology for testing in human clinical trials and/or commercial-scale manufacturing of the project.
- Because AusHealth is self-financing, AusHealth Ventures is rendered unusually agile – it can move quickly to fund a worthwhile project.
- AusHealth Venutres is the exclusive commercialisation agent for the Central Adelaide Local Health Network (CALHN), which includes the Royal Adelaide Hospital, The Queen Elizabeth Hospital and SA Pathology. However, in 2023 AusHealth Ventures began broadening the scope of its work, partnering with universities and medical research institutes in Australia and overseas.
- New products and technologies emerging from our funded research projects are typically (though not exclusively) fed into AusHealth’s new collaborative hub, The Accelerator.
Interested in getting funding for your research project?
We welcome enquiries from people who are researching in the medical space.
Contact: Dr. Tina Lavranos, by email: ventures@aushealth.com.au
The Accelerator
The Accelerator is a collaborative hub where innovators – including ambitious students, daring entrepreneurs and fledgling startups – translate medical research into investment-ready companies.
- The Accelerator is a bricks and mortar space in Underdale, Adelaide.
- Resident innovators benefit from peer-to-peer support as well as access to an in-house commercialisation team.
- Residents’ enterprises are dedicated to the commercialisation of novel pharmaceuticals, therapies, diagnostics and AI-powered digital healthcare.
- During their time with The Accelerator, innovators grow into fully formed entities, usually leaving as startups equipped with the likes of IP assets, company structures, product validations and brand identities.
- The Accelerator’s in-house commercialisation team shares knowledge on entrepreneurship, intellectual property, corporate governance and branding/communication.
- The Accelerator is part of the AusHealth charity and is fully funded.
- The Accelerator opened for business in July 2024.
Want to accelerate an idea?
We welcome enquiries from innovators, explorers, chancers and dreamers. . We’re interested in people who are working in the medical space, people doing medical research and people who are harbouring crazy ideas to develop the next big thing in Australian health tech.
Contact: Dr. Tina Lavranos, by email: ventures@aushealth.com.au
The Wellspring Consortium
The Wellspring Consortium (‘Wellspring’) is a new funding partnership seeking to support researchers, innovators and start-ups in medical research.
- Wellspring comprises three organisations: AusHealth Research; the South Australian Department of State Development (SADSD); and the Artesian investment management firm.
- This consortium of bright minds (and deep pockets) operates out of The Accelerator, AusHealth’s research hub in Underdale, Adelaide.
- The new funding pipeline has both government and private venture capital to invest in projects which promise outcomes in health tech.
- The Wellspring committee meets regularly to discuss and decide on projects that will receive funding.
- Funding is available to anyone, whether or not they’re connected with AusHealth.
- Submissions are invited by third parties working in the health space. Wellspring funding is available to support medical research projects, software/technological development projects and entrepreneurial ideas.
Want to pitch an idea to Wellspring?
Submissions outlining projects must be no longer than 500 words. Successful applicants will be invited to pitch their project in more detail, either face-to-face or via Zoom.
Contact: Dr. Justin Coombs, Head of AusHealth Ventures, by email: ventures@aushealth.com.au
AusHealth’s growing family of not-for-profits
AusHealth enjoys the architecture of charitable status and the luxury of profitability. This means we’re able to offer a home to small medical research charities to allow them to continue their good work.
- There are multitudes of small charities doing valuable work in medical research. Unfortunately, many of them suffer from their size – squeezed by the twin pressures of costly administration and a dwindling pot of charitable donations. Before long, they’re shedding staff and winding up their operation.
- AusHealth Ventures is open to taking these small charities into the NFP space.
- The charity benefits from administrative cost-savings afforded by becoming part of AusHealth.
- AusHealth benefits by bringing brilliant minds into the family, expanding its research capability and growing capacity to support medical research.
- The wider community benefits because these charities can continue their good works.
- CureCell was the first small charity to merge with AusHealth. The organisation is now funded to grant the new AusHealth CureCell Award, which gives monies to PhD students working in cell and biological therapy.
Are you a small medical research charity needing assistance?
Get in touch.
Contact: Dr. Justin Coombs, Head of AusHealth Ventures, by email: ventures@aushealth.com.au
Yes, we accept donations and bequests!
AusHealth is a registered charity and gratefully accepts donations from individuals and companies.
- The AusHealth Hospital Research Fund LTD is registered with the Australian Charities and Not-for-Profits Commission (ACNC) under ABN 85 657 333 858.
- You can help us continue our important work with a donation.
If you would like to arrange a bequest, please contact us.
Contact: Dr. Justin Coombs, Head of AusHealth Ventures, by email: ventures@aushealth.com.au