• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Gold Coast Health & Knowledge Precinct

Transform with us

  • Home
  • About Us
    • Strategic Plan
    • Partners
      • City of Gold Coast
      • Griffith University
      • Gold Coast Health
      • Economic Development Queensland
      • Gold Coast Private Hospital
      • Cohort
      • Southport Sharks
    • Our people
    • Precinct Office
    • Map
    • Contact Us
  • Do Business
    • Investment Incentives
  • Live & Play
    • Australia’s Gold Coast
    • Residential – Smith Collective
    • Lifestyle – Retail and Recreation
  • Work & Study
  • Projects
    • Projects Overview
    • ADaPT
    • Clinical Entrepreneurship Change Agents Program
    • NeuTex Image-guided Surgery and Robotics Training Centre
  • Research
    • Overview
      • Additive Manufacturing
      • Biotechnologies
    • Research Institutes and Centres
    • Precinct experts
    • Research Equipment & Facilities
    • Clinical Trials
    • Health and medical training and conference hub
  • News
    • Latest News
    • Newsletter
    • Media
    • Video Channel
  • 中文
    • English
    • 中文
You are here: Home / News

News

Filed Under: BUSINESS

COHORT filling fast as city’s newest entrepreneurial hub

The former site of the Commonwealth Games hair salon, corner shop and police station is now transformed as COHORT – the Precinct’s  prime location for start-up businesses, global company landing spaces and all things innovation and collaboration.

Launch Day on May 9 saw Queensland Minister for State Development, Manufacturing, Infrastructure and Planning, Cameron Dick on hand to inspect the bright space for bright minds, accompanied by Member for Gaven Meaghan Scanlon, who did the official duties at the evening launch party.

Space filling fast

COHORT community managers CoSpaces have been busy welcoming new tenants, with CEO Ben Howe anticipating rapid growth.

“Within three weeks of opening the doors, nine businesses had committed to joining COHORT with six more expected to join in the coming weeks, totalling over 80 people,” Mr Howe says.

“65 of these people are in health and technology related businesses and it is estimated that up to 20 new jobs will be created within these businesses and we hope to employ up to 10 people for our own team, when we reach full capacity.”

The Hemisphere Group find their perfect location

Global leaders in providing health, risk and safety management and training for the entertainment industry, the Hemisphere Group have built their business on supporting safe and secure Australian tours by some of the biggest international performers.

They are now branching out to support the marine industry with medical and workplace safety training, with a specialised program to prepare crews of luxury yachts for emergencies at sea, and the Precinct provides their ideal base.

We asked Operations Manager Shannon Ward why they chose COHORT.

Our main medical doctor is based out of both Gold Coast University Hospital and Gold Coast Private Hospital and our pharmacist and some of our other doctors lecture at Griffith University so the location is ideal. Plus we’ve already worked with two other COHORT companies who’ve provided marketing and media services. 

 

How do you see your business expanding?

Our model is to create a hub for marine industry medical emergency scenario training – from ‘man overboard’ emergencies to shark bites and treating broken limbs in confined spaces. We want to support crews of superyachts to ensure they have all the right medical and safety equipment, and we hope to coordinate a register of  vessel manifests in the Asia-Pacific area, so these vessels can be coordinated to respond to emergencies and natural disasters.

Hot on the heels of the launch COHORT staged their first major event, a Healthtech Symposiom bringing together entrepreneurs, industry, clinicians and medical researchers.

Take a virtual tour of the exciting new space.

May 30, 2019 By Kathy Kruger

Filed Under: HEALTH, INVEST Tagged With: Chengdu, China, Institute for Glycomics, Mayor Tom Tate

China’s home of pandas has giant health investment promise

The delegation visits Olymvax Biopharmaceuticals

As the Gold Coast signs a key Sister City agreement with Chengdu, capital of China’s Sichuan province and home to the famous giant pandas, the promise of investment into the Gold Coast Health and Knowledge Precinct (GCHKP) is rapidly taking shape.

With a vaccine licensing agreement already in place between Griffith University’s Institute for Glycomics and Chengdu-based Olymvax Biopharmaceuticals to deliver a world-first vaccine for Streptococcus A infection, the next steps in engaging the sector in China will see expansion of biotech company relationships to position the GCHKP as a key location for Chinese investment in drug, vaccine and diagnostics development and other health technologies.

GCHKP Project Director Di Dixon joined Gold Coast Mayor Tom Tate in a 40-strong Gold Coast group, the largest ever Australian delegation to Chengdu, to celebrate the Sister City agreement, host strategic partnership meetings and make key presentations to significant investors.

Mayor Tate joined Mayor of Chengdu, Mr Luo Qiang and other government and industry VIPs from both cities at a ceremony to formally affirm the sister city relationship.

“Becoming sister cities has been a work in progress over the past five years and I’m so pleased to have secured this agreement for the Gold Coast with one of China’s economic powerhouse cities,” says Mayor Tate.

“The signing recognises the momentum that has built up over the past few years and we’re pleased to see an increasing focus on health technology and medical research as the relationship now matures,” says Ms Dixon.

Formal Sister City signing

Why Chengdu?

Home to a metropolitan population of 10 million in a catchment of 16 million, Chengdu is at the centre of China’s fastest growing region as the Chinese government fosters development of its western cities and global influence through its signature ‘Belt and Road’ (BRI) policy initiative.

The Southern starting point of the historic Silk Road overland to Europe, Chengdu is being reimagined as a modern hub for Chinese trade and investment linking through the Eurasian ‘belt’ to European markets, and a burgeoning global centre of health technology.

The Sichuan capital offers global reach without the competition and costs of China’s eastern seaboard centres, where the cost of business is 20-40% higher.

  • 63 higher education institutes and 50 scientific research institutes
  • Leads China in blood products, vaccines, stem cells and genomics
  • Strong in clinical trials with 8 clinical trial bases
  • 2 key biotech precincts

(Source Austrade)

Long term relationships

Gold Coast Mayor Tom Tate has visited Chengdu six times, while GCHKP Project Director Di Dixon has now joined four Mayoral delegations to the city and has actively worked alongside Institute for Glycomics General Manager Dr Chris Davis to mature a growing relationship with Olymvax, cemented in a 2016 licensing deal to co-develop a potential blockbuster vaccine for the Strep A bacteria.

“Since the co-development deal a joint lab has been established and pre-clinical evaluation has commenced en route to a Phase 1 clinical trial, while we’ve been working towards a longer-term vision for expanding the partnership into a physical presence in the Precinct,” says Ms Dixon.

Mayor Tate with Olymvax Chairman Shaowen Fan

With education, civic and cultural links forging initial foundations of the emerging relationship between the Gold Coast and Chengdu, health was firmly a focus for the Sister City signing mission, with visits to the Sichuan Academy of Medical Services, Sichuan Provincial People’s Hospital and the Chengdu International Medical City, as well as presentations to health focused investors.

The GCHKP hosted representatives from Olymvax, Chinese research and infrastructure investors and  major Chinese biotechnology company Sinobioway for the celebration dinner, following signings of MOU’s with Sinobioway by the GCHKP and Griffith University in January, as the new partnership builds towards significant investment.

The Sister City celebration dinner

The delegation also visited Chengdu Medical city, an impressive 65kmsq land area focussed on the development of medicine, medical device manufacturing, medical research and services. The impressive approach to investment and facility development, alongside significant industry partners provides an opportunity for a future sister park collaboration.

Chengdu International Medical City

Austrade Health Focus

“We can use the Sister City agreement to drive commercial opportunities in key areas of health and education – the timing is perfect for the new relationship to drive these opportunities.”

Tim White, Austrade Trade and Investment Commisioner, Chengdu

The China (Chengdu)–Australia Health Industry Fund is an initiative of Chengdu Municipal Government and Chengdu-based health industry representatives, with support from Austrade and the Australian Consulate-General in Chengdu. The objective is to provide new channels for project funding, IP incubation and research commercialisation partnerships in health and life sciences.

Chengdu media interview Mayor Tate, Di Dixon and Study Gold Coast CEO Alfred Slogrove
A weekend visit to see the pandas completed a busy itinerary

May 23, 2019 By Kathy Kruger

Filed Under: BUSINESS, INVEST

New incentives make investment even more attractive

Incentives for jobs, capital investment, leasing and R&D

The GCHKP Project Office can coordinate a program of attractive incentives for qualified companies, with a new program endorsed by the City of Gold Coast boosting the assistance available, including to eligible companies seeking tenancies in the Precinct.

In February 2019, the Council of the City of Gold Coast endorsed a range of modifications to the GCHKP Investment Attraction Program, adding to the financial and in-kind support available to companies seeking to invest.

For the first time companies seeking tenancies are eligible to receive a rebate on overall lease costs (first two years).

Increases in financial incentives have been approved relating to capital investment within greenfield development (1.5% within the first two years), and job creation ($1,000 incentive per FTE between $50k-$80k and $7,000 incentive per FTE for a salary over $80k).

Incentives are also available to support R&D projects, workforce assistance and specifically to attract a companies’ Australian head office to the GCHKP.

The GCHKP Project Office now manages the Investment Attraction Program from start to finish, providing a more streamlined experience for companies.

The Project Office can also assist with information and access to assistance by the Australian and Queensland Governments, including the Federal R&D Tax Incentive and potential opportunities through the Advance Queensland Industry Attraction fund.

Companies locating to Queensland can also benefit from Australia’s lowest rate of payroll tax.

Download our Investment Attraction Guide for further information.

Investment-Attraction-2019-web

May 2, 2019 By Kathy Kruger

  • « Go to Previous Page
  • Page 1
  • Interim pages omitted …
  • Page 27
  • Page 28
  • Page 29
  • Page 30
  • Page 31
  • Interim pages omitted …
  • Page 33
  • Go to Next Page »

Primary Sidebar

Recent Posts

  • From Research to Reality: GCHKP Talent Leads the LuminaX 2025 Cohort
  • A New Era of Health and Tech Innovation: HATRIC to Transform the Gold Coast
  • Clinician Entrepreneurship Program wraps as a big success
  • 2025 International Women’s Day
  • International Women’s Day event 2025
  • Associate Prof Lara Herrero leading the fight against mosquito-borne diseases and advancing medical research
  • INVEST-FEST accelerates founder funding
  • Student innovation incubator set to launch in 2025
  • World-first clinical trial for treating spinal cord injury
  • Australian-designed Total Artificial Heart amongst The Australian’s Top 100

Archives

  • April 2025
  • March 2025
  • February 2025
  • November 2024
  • October 2024
  • September 2024
  • July 2024
  • May 2024
  • April 2024
  • January 2024
  • December 2023
  • October 2023
  • September 2023
  • August 2023
  • June 2023
  • May 2023
  • April 2023
  • March 2023
  • February 2023
  • October 2022
  • August 2022
  • July 2022
  • May 2022
  • March 2022
  • February 2022
  • November 2021
  • October 2021
  • August 2021
  • July 2021
  • May 2021
  • April 2021
  • March 2021
  • February 2021
  • January 2021
  • December 2020
  • November 2020
  • October 2020
  • September 2020
  • August 2020
  • July 2020
  • June 2020
  • May 2020
  • March 2020
  • February 2020
  • December 2019
  • October 2019
  • September 2019
  • August 2019
  • July 2019
  • June 2019
  • May 2019
  • April 2019
  • March 2019
  • January 2019
  • December 2018
  • October 2018
  • August 2018

Subscribe to our newsletter and we’ll update you on all that’s new in our Precinct.

Latest News

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

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

Read More >

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

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

Read More >

Clinician Entrepreneurship Program wraps as a big success image

Clinician Entrepreneurship Program wraps as a big success

Read More >

2025 International Women's Day image

2025 International Women's Day

Read More >

International Women's Day event 2025 image

International Women's Day event 2025

Read More >

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

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

Read More >

Before Footer

Search

Asia-Pacific’s emerging health and innovation hub, the 200-hectare Gold Coast Health & Knowledge Precinct (GCHKP) is a unique global business location for high-tech industry development, research collaboration and jobs of the future.

  • Home
  • About Us
  • Precinct Map
  • News
  • Do Business
  • Work & Study
  • Partners
  • Projects
  • Research
  • Contact Us
  • Privacy Policy
  • Sitemap
  • Subscribe
  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn
  • YouTube

© 2025 Gold Coast Health and Knowledge Precinct. All rights reserved.

Designed and Developed by Stead Lane