News

International Women’s Day event 2025

Celebrating Women Driving Change in Health, Education & Innovation

The Gold Coast Health & Knowledge Precinct is proud to host our third annual International Women’s Day event, bringing together inspiring leaders, innovators, and changemakers.

Join us as we celebrate the incredible contributions of women across healthcare, research, education and innovation, and explore how collaboration within the Precinct is shaping a more inclusive and innovative future.

📅 Wednesday, 2 April 2025
⏰ 4:00 PM – 6:00 PM
📍 Aviary Rooftop Bar, Southport Sharks
🎟 Register now

Meet our incredible lineup of speakers

🌟 Associate Professor Dr Lara Herrero – 2023 Prime Minister’s Prize for New Innovators award-winner, research leader in mosquito-borne diseases and medical doctor.

🌟 Ali Stokes & Associate Professor Dr Laura Diamond – Transforming biomechanics and musculoskeletal health through cutting-edge software and hardware innovations, improving patient care and healthcare accessibility.

🌟Vanessa Rebgetz – Principal of Queensland Academy for Health Sciences (QAHS), exploring pathways for future healthcare leaders in conversation with Cordelia Mead-Small and Maria Ciubuc-Batcu, both QAHS graduates, Griffith University alumni, and now an intern and medical registrar at GCUH.

🌟Cr Brooke Patterson – Closing the discussion with reflections on key insights, takeaways and the collective impact of women driving change across the Precinct.

This is a celebration of the collective achievements of women across the Precinct, so whether you’re a leader, mentor, colleague, student, or ally, this is a chance to support and be part of an important conversation about the role of women in the Precinct.

Filed Under: HEALTH, Research Tagged With: biomedical research, Griffith University, research and development

Associate Prof Lara Herrero leading the fight against mosquito-borne diseases and advancing medical research

Dr Lara Herrero is a medical doctor, Associate Professor, and Research Leader at Griffith University’s Institute for Biomedicine and Glycomics, dedicated to developing treatments for mosquito-borne viruses that impact thousands of Australians each year. She is at the forefront of research into Ross River virus (RRV) and chikungunya virus, which cause long-term joint pain and suffering.

Her passion for this field is deeply personal. Having experienced Ross River virus herself, Dr Herrero understands first-hand the need for better treatments. Her research has already translated from the lab to real-world impact, leading to a patented treatment strategy for viral arthritis, which has successfully completed phase II clinical trials.

In recognition of her ground breaking contributions, Dr Herrero was awarded the Prize for New Innovators in the 2023 Prime Minister’s Prizes for Science, acknowledging her pioneering work in viral disease research and commitment to improving global health outcomes.

Beyond her research, Dr Herrero is passionate about mentoring the next generation of scientists, working with medical students, PhD researchers, and postdoctoral scientists to foster innovation and encourage more women to pursue careers in STEM. When asked what message she has for women pursuing careers in STEM, Dr Herrero shared:

“STEM provides more than a career of endless opportunity—it empowers us to break barriers, build bridges, innovate boldly, and question fearlessly. STEM allows us to shape the future and drive real change in the world.”

She is also one of Griffith University’s leading contributors to The Conversation, with 23 articles and over 5.4 million reads, making complex medical research accessible to the public.

Her work not only strengthens Griffith University’s reputation in medical research but also contributes to the Gold Coast Health and Knowledge Precinct’s role as a hub for world-class research, industry collaboration and healthcare innovation.

Dr Herrero’s journey is a testament to the power of research in improving lives, driving medical breakthroughs and creating real change in global health.

Learn more about Dr Lara Herrero

Filed Under: Uncategorised Tagged With: Cohort, INVESTFEST, Investment, startups, venture capital

INVEST-FEST accelerates founder funding

If the buzz is a marker of deals getting seeded, then the inaugural INVEST-FEST has proven a huge success in matching local founders with some of the best operators in the Australian venture capital landscape.

In a sign of the maturity of the Gold Coast’s tech sector, 75 investor-ready founders had the chance to pitch to 25+ leading VC’s, with the Precinct the perfect location to bring money and minds together to scale new innovation.

175+ conversations later, and we can’t wait to hear the outcomes.

The team from Cohort Innovation Space conceived the event, securing support from our Precinct, City of Gold Coast and the Queensland Government through Lumina.

Thanks to Elli Hanson from Side Stage Ventures for blending her experience as both a founder and VC into an inspiring keynote with a message that it’s about more than the money – from small cheques, big things can grow, when investors lean in to help founders succeed.

From investor Sachin Samarawickrama of Sydney-based Folklore Ventures – “great to see the thriving startup ecosystem on the Gold Coast, I’m excited to see the next generation of incredible businesses that emerge out of the Goldie.”

Invest Gold Coast’s Bianca Park summed up the value proposition – lifestyle helps founders ‘find their flow’ and community helps them succeed – “The TECH industry on the Gold Coast is swiftly becoming a global hotspot for scaling innovative ideas,” Bianca says. “We defy burnout because we’re prioritising our welbeing by going for a surf, starting the day with sunrise yoga or having investor chats on Founder Fridays. I’m most proud of the community spirit that’s building here on the GC and the number of entities chipping in to help this rocket take off!”

Jason Fielding, Head of Voice Capital at Main Sequence Ventures with a focus on capital for social impact agrees: “YES – the Gold Coast is building something special.”