The missing link between good ideas and great products
A new program is helping businesses navigate the path from concept to commercialisation, connecting them with the expertise, facilities and industry networks needed to accelerate growth and bring innovations to market.
The X-ray machine, the 3D printer, the portable defibrillator machine – what do all these groundbreaking inventions have in common? They all started with an idea.
But the complex process of getting from an idea to a real-world product isn’t an easy one.
“We often see a great idea fail at the difficult transition stages,” says Professor Karen Reynolds, Flinders Factory of the Future director as well as director of Flinders’ Medical Device Partnering Program (MDPP). “Through no fault of their own, companies just don’t always have the right expertise or tools to get through these challenging hurdles.”
Fortunately FORGE – the new flagship program at Flinders University’s Factory of the Future, which received grant funding from the Australian Government and the South Australian Government – is here to help make this complex process easier.
Until now, organisations haven’t had a program available to them that guides them through the journey. But that’s about to change thanks to FORGE, which gives businesses a chance to work alongside experts to bring their ideas to life. The FORGE model is designed to help steer organisations through the innovation cycle, from discovery and ideation through to scale-up, bringing together the right expertise and support structures to help turn ideas into market‑ready outcomes.
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The model offers support to organisations at each and any stage of the journey and provides access to specialist support across design, manufacturing and validation, including short-run production, assembly space and quality systems guidance. As ideas progress, Training & Support and Factory provide the skills, facilities and practical support needed to prepare for growth and long-term market success.
“FORGE is able to connect workforce skills, innovation and specialist knowledge in one place, providing a flexible, connected pathway to the right expertise, infrastructure and industry connections when they’re needed most,” Professor Reynolds explains.
FORGE is part of Flinders Factory for the Future, a purpose-built innovation ecosystem that connects workforce capability, cutting-edge technology and world-class expertise to solve real industry problems and accelerate growth.
Phase one of FORGE is the launch of FORGE: Medical Devices, which will focus on the growing medical devices sector, valued at AUD $10.5 billion in 2025 according to the Australian Trade and Investment Commission. This program will meet rising demand for innovative medical devices, supporting the validation of at least 30 new ideas, progressing 17 technologies towards clinical trials, and building the skilled workforce needed to grow Australia’s medtech sector.
One of the most persistent challenges in the medtech sector is the gap between product validation and clinical trials. This is where promising innovations frequently slow down, or stop, due to limited manufacturing capability, quality systems requirements or access to regulated development environments.
FORGE: Medical Devices has been deliberately designed to close this gap, building on Flinders University’s Medical Device Partnering Program (MDPP), founded and directed by Professor Reynolds.
For 18 years, the MDPP has been a national leader in developing medical technologies with global market potential.
“Flinders has a long standing, proven track record of turning innovative ideas into commercially successful solutions,” Flinders University Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research) Professor Raymond Chan says.
“This new program will fuel opportunities for this specialist workforce and take the medical device sector to the next level, ensuring inventions and new ideas are successfully translated, scaled up and commercialised.”
Where MDPP focused on early‑stage ideation and feasibility, the capability of FORGE: Medical Devices goes one step further into manufacturing and supports innovation through to scale.
Through Flinders Factory of the Future, innovators can now produce small quantities of product for validation and trialing, supported by the strict quality systems and controls required to progress toward clinical trials and market readiness. All of this will help “deliver new jobs and export opportunities while creating critical healthcare impacts that meet community needs,” Professor Reynolds says.
And the good news for businesses not in the medical technology sector? The FORGE model is intended to be scalable and replicable across other industries that face similar challenges.
The model will support organisations at each stage of the journey, helping them identify opportunities, test concepts and build confidence in the technical and commercial potential of their ideas.
Find out more about Flinders Research That Matters. Changing 10 million lives, here.
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