Fellowship guidelines
We recommend reading the full guidelines and requirements for prospective participants and partner organisations:
- Program guidelines for prospective participants (PDF file)
- Program guidelines for prospective partners (PDF file).
Who can apply?
To apply for the program, you must be associated with the Bridge Program or BridgeTech Program as one of the following:
- Program alumni
- Current program participant
- Connected to the programs or partner organisations in another capacity (provide justification in your application).
Applicant professions can vary widely across the medical technology and pharmaceutical (MTP) industries, ranging from researchers and entrepreneurs to business development experts, clinicians, and tech transfer professionals.
However, in line with our aim to provide industry opportunities and support to early-mid career researchers, entrepreneurs and other MTP professionals:
- Preference will be given to program alumni and current participants
- Employees of large pharmaceutical companies and enterprises are not eligible to apply.
Placement criteria
We consider eligible industry partners to be established companies in the MTP sector that have the resources and infrastructure to take on short-term fellowships and can provide you with the guidance and support needed in your commercialisation and career pathway.
Your fellowship placement:
- Must be secured with an industry partner prior to submitting your application. If successful, you’ll need to show evidence that the industry partner is able and willing
to host you. - Must be undertaken within industry (e.g. pharma, medtech, industry-sponsored incubators, prototype designers and manufacturers).
- Can be based within a start-up company right through to a multi-national, global entity.
- Cannot be based within a company you own or operate.
- Cannot be based within a university, research institute, government body, industry association or membership organisation, or training body.
- Must be completed by 31 December 2023.
- Can be on a part time or full-time basis, for a minimum of three to six weeks. Your placement can be extended if an agreement is made between you and your placement organisation, however there will be no further funding available.
What will I receive?
$10,000 to support you while you undertake the placement and carry out the agreed project activities.
What you can spend the funding on
Funds are to directly support you as an individual. For example, the funding could pay for living costs if you won’t be receiving your normal salary during the fellowship period.
Other examples include:
- travel expenses
- accommodation
- insurance
- education materials and training costs
- office or desk space.
What you can’t spend the funding on
The funding cannot be:
- allocated to the industry host partner
- spent on contractors or consultants
- spent on product development costs (e.g. raw materials, consumables, hardware, software etc.). While prototyping and product development are eligible activities, the funds can only fund the placement on-site and the time you spend with the partner on these activities, not the product development costs.
What can I do during the placement?
Ultimately the activities that you undertake during the fellowship are agreed upon between you and the placement organisation. However, when writing your application, you could consider:
- in-house project work
- industry training and mentorship
- regulatory training
- IP protection strategies
- business and commercialisation planning
- prototyping
- market research and development
- development of start-up or product development strategies.