Innovation and Industry

At SPHERE’s Innovation and Industry Platform, we’re focused on solving the most pressing health needs in our community through collaboration and technological innovation.

The Innovation and Industry Platform is breaking down the barriers that stand in the way of developing crucial health technologies.

Medical technology programs and products fail when they don’t meet the needs of the people they’re designed to serve: patients, clinicians, and health services.

Often, these new technologies are driven by research curiosity rather than real-world needs, with consumers and clinicians only getting involved late in the process. As a result, these technologies aren’t always relevant or useful, leaving health services to rely on tools that don’t fully address the needs of patients and communities.

The Innovation and Industry Platform is transforming the landscape of healthcare innovation by tackling this problem head-on. By fostering collaboration between stakeholders, the Platform is accelerating the implementation of technology which address real unmet healthcare needs.

Our Vision

Our vision is to connect consumers, health services, clinicians, and end-users with researchers and engineers. Through this collaboration, we aim to accelerate the development of tech-driven solutions that tackle real healthcare challenges and seamlessly integrate these innovations into everyday practice.

Our Focus

Our Platform focuses on the following areas:

Identify barriers to technology translation

We work closely with stakeholders to identify and address the barriers hindering technology translation, including analysing disconnects between technology developers and healthcare end-users. Our team is dedicated to finding practical solutions to these challenges, ensuring that our innovations align with the actual needs of patients, clinicians, and health services. By tackling these barriers head-on, we aim to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of healthcare technology translation, facilitating smoother pathways from innovation to implementation.
Leverage digital connections

We utilise advanced technology to streamline the process of connecting stakeholders with the information, people, and resources they need. Our digital solutions are designed to simplify and expedite these connections, ensuring that the right resources are available at the right time.
Optimising wider collaboration

We facilitate cross-sectoral collaboration by bringing together diverse expertise from academia, industry, and clinical practice. This collaborative environment drives the co-design and development of innovative health solutions tailored to real-world needs.

Our approach also involves the active participation of end-users, including patients and healthcare providers, in the co-design process. This ensures that the technologies developed are practical, user-friendly, and directly address the needs of those who will use them.
Building sustainable partnerships

We are committed to establishing sustainable partnerships that support cross-sectoral co-design and the development of health solutions. These partnerships are crucial for maintaining the momentum of our innovation ecosystem and achieving long-term impact in healthcare.

Our Projects

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Virtual Cardiac Rehabilitation: Development and initial user testing

This project was geared towards the development of a comprehensive, individually tailored cardiac rehabilitation program that can be delivered to hospital outpatients in their home.

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Clinical trial of a new Internet-of-Medical-Things device for home-based treatment of anorectal disorders

This clinical trial aims to revolutionise the treatment of chronic constipation and faecal incontinence through an Internet-of-Medical-Things (IoMT) device designed for home-based anorectal biofeedback therapy.

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Our Team

Our team comprises a mix of academic researchers, clinical professionals, consumer advocates, and industry experts. This diverse expertise ensures a comprehensive approach to innovation and a commitment to advancing healthcare solutions.

For more information about our work, contact Dr Sophie Gates.

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Collaborators

Our growing team includes members from three of our partner universities, South Western Sydney Local Health District, the South West Institute for Robotics and Automation, Liverpool, St. George, Prince of Wales, and The Children’s Hospitals, NSW Health Pathology, Beyond Science, the Lions Club and other Industry and Philanthropic partners. We have a diverse team with backgrounds in biomedical, mechanical and manufacturing engineering, brain injury, rehabilitation, behaviour and disorders, psychiatry, emergency, surgical and clinical services, software development and tech. We have a commitment to developing our early career workforce with gender equity in technology enabled collaborations in health.