ANDHealth Chief Executive Officer, Bronwyn Le Grice, has been announced as the inaugural Chair of a new committee to advise the National Health & Medical Research Council (NHMRC) and Australian Medical Research Advisory Board (AMRAB) to drive the commercialisation of groundbreaking medical research.

AMRAB assists the Australian Federal Minister for Health and Aged Care on prioritising spending for the Medical Research Future Fund (MRFF). The NHMRC funds high quality health and medical research to build research capability, support researchers, encourage the translation of research into better health outcomes and promote the highest ethical standards for health and medical research.

The NHMRC-MRFF Industry, Philanthropy and Commercialisation Committee is the first of a range of joint committees established under the Federal Government’s initiative to drive increased alignment between the MRFF and the Medical Research Endowment Account (MREA), overseen by NHMRC. The Committee will provide strategic advice on industry and philanthropic involvement in health and medical research and strategies to foster greater research commercialisation.

It will also advise on opportunities to connect to, build and coordinate financial support and co-investment for health and medical research, including through the participation of Australia’s industry and philanthropic sectors.

The appointment as Committee Chair follows Ms Le Grice’s recent re-appointment to her second term as a member of Council of the NHMRC, having first joined in 2021. Her commercialisation and business expertise has allowed her to make a significant and unique contribution to the NHMRC’s role in improving health outcomes and promoting high-quality research.

“I am profoundly grateful for this appointment by the NHMRC and MRFF and excited by the opportunity it presents to bring together these very important threads of industry, philanthropy and commercialisation in pursuit of better health outcomes for Australians,” Ms Le Grice said.
“It is a privilege to work with such a high calibre committee, whose careers have been dedicated to ensuring that Australia’s world class health and medical technologies impact patients around the globe. Through this group we hope to strengthen the relationship between our super talented health and medical researchers and our entrepreneurs, philanthropists and business leaders to further demonstrate the immense potential of our sector.”

ANDHealth Chair, Gavin Fox-Smith, said the appointment was an endorsement of the important role investment and commercialisation plays in turning research into meaningful health outcomes.

“Bronwyn's appointment to this pivotal new role is a reflection of her strong background in health commercialisation, and a further acknowledgement of the work she has led at ANDHealth in recent years. The Board is extremely proud of Bronwyn's new responsibility, and very confident she will lead the new committee with her usual integrity and expertise,” Mr Fox-Smith said.

The Industry, Philanthropy and Commercialisation Committee was announced in July 2024 as part of broader changes to align funding streams under the national health and medical research strategy. The new advisory structure and committees is designed to better harmonise and promote collaboration by key government funders in Australia’s health and medical research sector and make it easier for researchers to engage with funders.

The membership of the Committee comprises of:

  • Dr Noel Chambers, Chief Executive Officer, National Foundation for Medical Research and Innovation
  • Ms Elizabeth de Somer, Chief Executive Officer, Medicines Australia
  • Professor Matt Dun, Professor of Biomedical Sciences, University of Newcastle
  • Associate Professor Tuguy Esgin, Dean of Indigenous Engagement in the Faculty of Business & Law, Curtin University
  • Associate Professor Jiawen Li, Associate Professor in the School of Electrical and Mechanical Engineering, University of Adelaide
  • Professor Fabienne Mackay, Chief Executive Officer and Director, QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute
  • Dr Dean Moss, Chief Executive Officer, UniQuest
  • Dr Chris Nave, Founding Partner and Managing Director, Brandon Capital/BioCatalyst
  • Dr Jeanette Pritchard, Chief Executive Officer, Passe & Williams Foundation
  • Professor Karen Reynolds, Dean of the Medical Device Research Institute, Flinders University
  • Ms Kylie Sproston, Chief Executive Officer, Bellberry Ltd
  • Mr Mark Sullivan AO, Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director, Medicines Development for Global Health
  • Professor Andrew Wilks, Chief Executive Officer, SYNthesis Research/ Catalyst Tx

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