CHALLENGE ADVANCES HEALTH TECHNOLOGIES AND MEDICAL DEVICES IN THE MEDTECH SECTOR Building Better Futures for Health Reaches 11 Year Milestone
With
George Sidis, Managing Director,
IDE Group
Teneille Murray,
Innovation & Growth Lead
Medical Technology Association of Australia
Nick Northcott, Co-Founder & Executive Chairman
Eudaemon Technologies
SEGMENT
Filmed in Sydney | August 2026
In July IDE Group launched the 2027 Building Better Futures for Health (BBFH) Challenge, a program supporting early-stage MedTech innovators move from concept to commercialisation. Delivered with Medical Technology Association of Australia’s (MTAA) MedTech Compass, the 2027 program marks 10 years of impact.
Now in its 11th year, BBFH supports researchers, clinicians, entrepreneurs and early-stage ventures tackling urgent healthcare needs. Selected teams will pitch to industry experts, gaining feedback to strengthen commercial potential.
BBFH combines IDE Group’s commercial and technical expertise with MTAA’s sector knowledge to help high-potential innovators validate, develop and commercialise health technologies. Since 2018, it has become a key platform for Australian MedTech innovation.
Participants will compete for up to $40,000 in IDE Group services: a $30,000 jury prize and $10,000 People’s Choice Award. Finalists also receive tailored guidance from IDE Group’s engineers, designers and clinicians.
The winning team will join MedTech Compass, MTAA’s program supporting early-stage medical device and digital health ventures with regulation, reimbursement, investment and market access guidance.
Over the years several start-ups have reached maturation to enter or soon to enter the market such as the inaugural Building Better Futures for Health (BBFH) Winner 2016 Eudaemon Technologies.
Applications close 31 August 2026, followed by a Semi-Finalist Showcase on the 12 November 2026 in Sydney and the Grand Final at the MTAA MedTech Conference on 3 March 2027 in Sydney. To apply, please visit the BBFH Challenge website at www.ide.group/bbfh-challenge.
Source: Adapted from joint IDE Group and MTAA media release, July 2026
-
New treatment options under investigation for pelvic organ prolapse
Dr Shayanti Mukherjee, Research Group Head, Translational Tissue Engineering at the with her team at Hudson Institute of Medical Research is developing new ways to prevent and potential cure pelvic organ prolapse (POP). The technology aims to ultimately lead to safer and more effective treatment for women with pelvic organ prolapse (POP) using a woman’s own stem cells to boost the effectiveness of a degradable mesh.
-
Access and productivity outcomes with radiology technology in Western Sydney
In Western Sydney, there is currently significant growth accompanied by a notable need for cardiovascular support due to the prevalence of related diseases. It is estimated that the population in this area will reach 6 million by 2041.
With this population growth, there is also a pressing shortage of healthcare professionals in Australia, particularly in the field of radiology, where there are not enough radiographers, sonographers, MRI technicians, and nuclear medicine technicians.
-
Victorian social prescribing program underway
n Part 2 of the Models of Care on Social Prescribing, Australian Health Journal spoke to 4 people involved in the Connect Local program under the Connecting Communities to Care 4 year program. The free program for over 65’s promotes wellbeing through social connection and is underway in the Glen Eira community in Melbourne.
– Deidre McGill, Executive General Manager, At Home Support, Bolton Clarke
– Ann Van Leerdam, Connect Local Community Connector, Bolton Clarke
– Dr Rajna Ogrin, Senior Research Fellow, Bolton Clarke Research Institute, Bolton Clarke - Dr Daniel Fineberg, Deputy Director General Medicine, Alfred Hospital, Victoria
