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Filed Under: BUSINESS, HEALTH, INVEST, TECHNOLOGY

From Research to Reality: GCHKP Talent Leads the LuminaX 2025 Cohort

The Gold Coast Health and Knowledge Precinct (GCHKP) continues to shine as a national hub for health innovation, with local talent strongly represented in the newly announced 2025 LuminaX HealthTech Accelerator cohort.

Out of the 11 startups selected this year, four ventures have direct ties to the Precinct—highlighting the strength of the translational research, clinical innovation, and entrepreneurial spirit emerging from Griffith University and Gold Coast Health.

Three Griffith research ventures are among the standout participants:

BioProSep – led by Dr Stefanie Buchholz, develops and manufactures bioseparation materials that enable the efficient recovery of biologics during industrial manufacture.
SAL-Check – founded by Professor Chamindie Punyadeera, is a saliva-based diagnostic test for early detection and monitoring of liver disease, offering accessible and patient-friendly screening.
SpeakClear – created by Dr Ashley Llambias, is an offline, AI-powered real-time captioning device that makes conversations accessible to everyone.

Also joining the cohort is Zendu, a new healthtech startup founded by Dr Jeremy Fernando, a junior doctor at Gold Coast Health. Zendu was born from Jeremy’s participation in the Precinct’s Clinician Entrepreneurship Change Agents Program (CECAP) and has since evolved into a scalable digital solution offering clinician-quality rehabilitation without the need for referrals or in-person consults.

Now in its fifth year, the LuminaX Accelerator is delivered by Cohort Innovation Space and supported by Major Partners Economic Development Queensland, the City of Gold Coast, and QIC, alongside Industry Partners Griffith University, Gold Coast Health, IntelliHQ, and the Gold Coast Health and Knowledge Precinct.

The diversity of this year’s cohort reflects the evolving healthtech landscape, spanning AI, medical devices, biotech and digital health solutions. As Australia’s health innovation sector grows, the GCHKP continues to play a central role in accelerating ideas from research to reality—right here on the Gold Coast.

Discover how LuminaX is powering health innovation.

Filed Under: Uncategorised

A New Era of Health and Tech Innovation: HATRIC to Transform the Gold Coast

A major milestone for the Gold Coast Health and Knowledge Precinct.

The Gold Coast Health and Knowledge Precinct (GCHKP) is set to supercharge its innovation capacity with the launch of the Health and Advanced Technology Research and Innovation Centre (HATRIC)—a transformative project that will shape the future of health and advanced technology in the region.

HATRIC is being delivered with the support of a $25 million investment from the South East Queensland Innovation Economy Fund, alongside $10 million from the City of Gold Coast, and co-investment from Economic Development Queensland (EDQ). The project is proudly funded by the Australian Government, Queensland Government and Council of Mayors (SEQ) as part of the SEQ City Deal—a landmark $1.8 billion partnership supporting jobs, connectivity and liveability across South East Queensland.

Located within the GCHKP, HATRIC will bring together Griffith University’s Advanced Design and Prototyping Technologies Institute (ADaPT), an expanded Clinical Trials Unit, and new biomedical research and commercialisation spaces—creating a world-class hub for collaboration, capability-building and real-world impact.

This significant investment reflects a shared commitment to boosting local innovation, with the Centre designed to support researchers, startups, scale-ups and industry leaders in developing and translating breakthrough technologies. HATRIC will also offer rich experiential learning opportunities for students, supporting the next generation of health and technology innovators.

The project is a standout example of what can be achieved through cross-sector collaboration, with all three levels of government working together to back a shared vision for Queensland’s innovation future.

“This project is a great example of what happens when universities, industry and government work together to create future-focused infrastructure,” said Senator Jenny McAllister, Minister for Cities.

From spinal repair and artificial ligaments to quantum sensing and recycling medical waste, HATRIC will play a critical role in turning ideas into solutions, and research into results—with impact that spans health, science, industry and the economy.

This investment strengthens the Gold Coast Health & Knowledge Precinct’s position as one of Australia’s leading hubs for health and technology innovation.

Read the official media release from Minister McAllister here.
Explore the SEQ City Deal here.

Filed Under: BUSINESS, HEALTH, TECHNOLOGY Tagged With: CECAP, Clinician entrepreneurship, Entrepreneurship

Clinician Entrepreneurship Program wraps as a big success

The Clinician Entrepreneurship Change Agents Program (CECAP) has wrapped with a strong story of success!

From high demand leading to extra cohorts for the clinician workshop series, to novel ideas implemented and expanded across Queensland Health, CECAP has demonstrated the appetite for innovation amongst diverse clinical professionals and the power of entrepreneurial education to inspire them with confidence to be change agents in our healthcare system and aspiring healthtech entrepreneurs.

Developed within the Gold Coast Health and Knowledge Precinct, and led by Griffith University in partnership with Gold Coast Health, CECAP was supported by the Queensland Government through an Advance Queensland Regional Futures Grant. Initially planned to offer three workshop programs, demand saw five programs delivered, including the final one which was taken to Townsville.

Outcomes included Senior Occupational Therapist Hannah Kennedy from Gold Coast Health securing a $330,000 grant from the Queensland Technology Futures Fund to take her Virtual Reality (VR) for Pain Management program across six health and hospital services throughout Queensland. Hannah has recently been announced as Gold Coast Health’s Emerging Researcher of the year.

Dr Jeremy Fernando, a junior doctor at Gold Coast Health, pivoted from his original CECAP idea to establish a new health tech startup, Zendu, which provides purely digital, clinician-quality physical rehabilitation at a fraction of the current cost, without requiring referrals or clinician availability. He’s now been accepted into the Precinct’s signature LuminaX Healthtech Accelerator for 2025.

BIG thanks goes to Professor Naomi Birdthistle of Griffith University for her leadership of such a successful initiative.

Check out our wrap video and gallery below.