Genomics projects with a demonstrable commercial focus are invited to apply for up to $2 million in funding from The Advanced Genomics Collaboration (TAGC).  

TAGC is a partnership between global leader in genomics, Illumina, and the University of Melbourne, established with significant assistance from Invest Victoria and the Victorian Government’s Department of Education and Training. The partnership has created a genomics hub inside our world-leading Melbourne Biomedical Precinct and is building a biomedical and economic powerhouse for Australia.  

Expressions of interest will open in mid-2022 for applications for funding of up to two years for commercially viable genomics projects. To be eligible applicants must be based at The University of Melbourne and MACH partner organisations, and include at least one University of Melbourne employee in the project team. MACH Partners will be required to contribute 1:1 matched funding.

The intended outcomes of the projects funded by this opportunity are to: 

• develop a commercial genomic based application, tool, diagnostic or service;  

• create new job and student opportunities; and,

• ultimately be spun out into companies and/or result in products that are licensed/acquired by industry (not necessarily during the two year funding period). 

Shortlisted applicants will be invited to submit a full application, with the highest ranked applications to be funded from mid-2023. 

TAGC is working to accelerate the translation and commercialisation of biomedical research into a cluster of high-growth, high-tech start-ups within the Melbourne Biomedical Precinct.  

Projects will utilise Illumina reagents and sequencers and have access TAGC’s core enabling platforms:

• The Clinical Genomics Platform: delivering rapid, affordable sequencing of whole genomes on a scale that provides timely insight for collaborating researchers and clinicians.

• The Bioinformatics Platform: a cloud-based system that enables the creation, storage and interrogation of national and global-scale genomic datasets.

• The Health Economics Platform: enabling rapid translation of genomics into health services through treatment modelling to highlight improved clinical results and economic benefits.

TAGC enables multi-disciplinary collaborations to use the power of genomics to create world-leading, commercially successful biomedical projects and businesses that make healthcare more effective, efficient, and affordable for everyone.  

We invite interested parties to sign up to our email list or get in touch via admin@TAGCAustralia.com to receive updates or flag your interest in applying with a short project title and description.  

This opportunity fits within the University’s research innovation and commercialisation ecosystem, which includes the new University of Melbourne Genesis Pre-Seed Fund and Tin Alley Ventures Fund announced last week. Together, these funds will provide the full research commercialisation pathway and support our community of world-leading researchers through the process of translating their early-stage research and new technologies into start-up companies. You can find our media release for this announcement on the University of Melbourne website.