AusBiotech & Proto Axiom launch national investor-focused life sciences partnership in Australia

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AusBiotech and Sydney‑based life sciences company creator Proto Axiom have signed a Memorandum of  Understanding (MOU) to strengthen national coordination across investor-focused programs connecting  researchers, investors, and industry within Australia’s life sciences ecosystem. 

The new agreement creates a coordinated calendar of investor focused events, starting with Challenger  Pitch for Health in March and a new joint program in August and September 2026.  

Under the agreement, AusBiotech and Proto Axiom will collaborate across a coordinated annual calendar  that includes three cornerstone programs: 

• Challenger Pitch for Health (March): Proto Axiom’s national pitch competition, run with the St  Vincent’s Curran Foundation, awarding $500,000 in non‑dilutive grants to leading  researcher‑founders. 
• Early Stage Innovation Forum (ESIF) sessions (May & October): Aligned programming delivered  alongside the AusMedtech and the AusBiotech International Conference, providing early-stage  innovators with exposure to industry, investors and commercialisation pathways. 
• New Joint Program (August): A co-designed initiative focused on specific research areas of interest,  with an initial emphasis on translational innovation in Women’s Health. 

The partnership is designed to create a more connected researcher and founder journey, providing clearer  pathways from early pitching and validation through to national industry platforms, and later stage  investment. Proto Axiom will act as a ‘Pipeline Partner’ for AusBiotech’s Early Stage Innovation Forum  aligned activity, while AusBiotech will serve as an ‘Industry Partner’ for the Challenger Pitch for Health. 

This collaboration complements AusBiotech’s broader program of investment-related partnerships,  including the recent launch of its Investor Readiness Panel (IRP). The new expert framework is designed to  strengthen founder preparedness, align companies with appropriate capital, and improve the quality of  investor engagement across the ecosystem. 

AusBiotech CEO, Rebekah Cassidy said: “AusBiotech is committed to building a thriving, globally  competitive life sciences sector in Australia. This new partnership with Proto Axiom sits within a broader  set of investment-focused collaborations we are building nationally. It is designed to create clearer  pathways from research excellence to commercial scale and to help Australian companies be better  prepared to engage with capital at each stage of their growth.”  

Anthony Liveris, CEO of Proto Axiom said the partnership reflects a shared ambition to strengthen  Australia’s sovereign biotech capability. 

The partnership will be supported through AusBiotech’s investment function, led by Kerri Lee Sinclair, Head  of Investment, to ensure alignment with AusBiotech’s national investor engagement priorities and capital readiness initiatives.