The Health Translation Launchpad

By the end of the Health Translation Launchpad, you will have the knowledge, skills and confidence to:

>Build the skills to write up your first research for publication

>Prepare a stronger application for your first grant, a fellowship, or a translational research grant

>Develop a research protocol or project plan robust enough to support a Masters in Research application or further development

>Draft a one-page adoption pitch refined for an LHD decision-maker

>Build the skills to write your first conference abstract, presentation or publication

>Apply implementation science frameworks to move your model of care from evidence to adoption

>Navigate the regulatory pathway your innovation needs

>Build a cost case or budget impact analysis

>Pitch your innovation to the actual decision-maker who can say yes

> Identify and approach the right industry partners for your project

Some of our partners have a formal release and protected time process in place; others do not. South Western Sydney Local Health District (SWSLHD), South Eastern Sydney Local Health District (SESLHD) have a protected time process in place, while St Vincent’s Health Network has a protected time process in place for nurses.

Specifically for SWSLHD the only approval you will need will be from your direct line manager to get the protected time.

Australian Catholic University, University of New South Wales, Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute, The Ingham Institute for Applied Medical Research, Children’s Cancer Institute and the Sydney Children’s Hospital Network do not. For applicants who require protected time and a formal release please email [email protected] and we will let you know what is required and connect you with the right person at your institution.

Sessions will be delivered in a hybrid format across SPHERE partner sites throughout the network including Liverpool, Kensington, Randwick, and other partner locations with sites selected to best support accessibility for participants across the cohort. Where possible, we encourage participants to attend in person, as many of the program’s most valuable elements including peer connection, interaction with industry guests, and collaborative co-design activities are best experienced face-to-face.

We use the term broadly and deliberately because the people who translate health research into real-world impact in Australia do not fit neatly into a single job title.

For the SPHERE Health Translation Launchpad, a clinician, a researcher or health innovator is anyone who works at the intersection of health practice and health research. This includes:

• Doctors, surgeons, and medical specialists
• Nurses and midwives
• Allied health professionals: physiotherapists, psychologists, occupational therapists, speech pathologists, dietitians, and others
• Academic researchers who work closely with clinical teams, health services, or communities even if they do not hold direct clinical registration
• Community health workers and practitioners who are generating evidence about what works for the populations they serve
• Public health and population health researchers whose work addresses health system design, disease prevention, and health equity
• Health executives and administrators

If you are asking that question, the answer is probably yes. Apply and let us tell you.

The most common reason researchers don’t apply is they assume the program is for someone further along than they are, or someone who has a more commercial focus. In most cases that assumption is wrong.

What we are looking for is not a finished product or a polished business plan. We are looking for researchers, clinicians and health innovators who have identified something worth taking further, whether that is a clinical observation, a proof of concept, a model of care that has worked in one setting and could benefit more people, or a community health program that needs the right support to be implemented well.

If you are unsure, book a 20-minute conversation with SPHERE’s Business Development & Innovation Manager, Eleonore Cluzel, before you apply.

Yes! And you may move through some sections of Phase 1 faster than others. The program is designed to meet applicants where they are. If you have already filed a patent, incorporated a company, or commenced a pilot implementation, tell us in your application and we will ensure the coaching and deliverables are calibrated to your stage.

Phase I runs for 10 weeks. Each week involves:

• A Friday 1.5 hour online or in-person workshop session around lunchtime
• Approximately two hours of between-session work: completing your weekly deliverable, conducting stakeholder discovery conversations, and updating your CRM and OKR tracker
• A 1:1 coaching session with SPHERE’s Business Development & Innovation Manager scheduled to suit your availability

The SPHERE Health Translation Launchpad is offered to eligible applicants at no cost. It is funded as part of SPHERE’s innovation and commercialisation strategy under our NHMRC Research Translation Centre mandate.

Here’s exactly what to expect:

• Applications open: Monday 22nd June 2026
• Info session: Wednesday 5th August, 12:30–1:15pm (a great opportunity to ask questions on the program and meet the team!)
• Applications close: Friday 4th September 2026
• Discovery calls & review: 7–22 September 2026. We will invite you for a short conversation so we can learn more about you and your project!
• Outcome communicated: Friday 25th September 2026
• Kick-off: Friday 2nd October 2026 (lunchtime in a hybrid format)
• Program ends: Friday 4th December 2026

Contact the SPHERE Business Development & Innovation Manager at [email protected] to schedule a meeting to discuss. We would rather answer your question directly than have you make a decision based on incomplete information.