Dear Mr Miles
I enjoyed meeting you and our conversation recently during your visit to Brisbane. As per our discussion I will
not go into the more obvious and already well debated aspects of the CRC review. Rather to give examples of
the impacts and translation that the Wound Management Innovation (WMI) CRC is achieving and how we have
got our CRC to this point. I hope that this will be a useful exercise in assisting you in your consideration of
what CRC’s can deliver.
For the record I believe that the CRC movement is viable and relevant to Australia’s future, but does need a
healthy separation from academia and more flexibility in making merit based project decisions. This is of
course best managed and executed by a Governing Board and Executive that are commercially driven.
WMI CRC is making impact in 4 key areas of operation, resulting in outputs that are either directly influencing
clinical treatments, addressing gaps in the healthcare system or healthcare policy as well as the more
traditional commercialisation pathways of licensing, start-up companies and industry sponsorship.
Research – We have refocused our research project approach to be competitive, merit based and in
approximately 70 % of our projects Industry has made some real contribution or the output is directly aimed at
a next generation product outcome.
Development – We have modified our IP regime so that for a small number of selected projects we can
capture and invest in the development of IP from our research outputs. Through this process we will build
value and engage industry with a commercialisation package that is meaningful and de-risks the technology.
This process can also be applied to Australian SME’s who can engage the CRC in a way that was not previously
possible in order to mature their technology in exchange for a reasonable commercial return.
Clinical Evaluation and Education – We have a number of programs of National importance including, online
training modules, Tele-health for rural / remote and aboriginal communities, we are forming the Australian
National Wound Registry and a network of expert wound clinics. We believe that these programs will be
pivotal in advancing Australia as a world leader in quantifying and reducing the burden of wounds on the
taxpayer and providing strategies to influence policy and reimbursement. Saving the Australian taxpayer
avoidable healthcare costs, improving patient outcomes and ultimately creating Australian jobs through
becoming the thought leader in this topic are critical elements.
Education of Higher Degree by Research Students – We are currently a leader amongst CRC’s in terms of the
number of HDR students we have financially supported, educated and are currently educating. We believe
that this connected group of young professionals will go on to achieve the Wound management outcomes that
are beyond the lifetime of this CRC. Our students come from a vast array of disciplines but we emphasise a
clinical focus in everything that we do, as these are the people that we need to deliver on all of the above.
There are numerous examples in each of the above operational areas that are greatly enhanced or uniquely
created through the grouping and collaboration of the WMI CRC participants, including;


27 of 30 research projects involve at least 1 other program or participant.
Our development targets have a clear pathway to market through the combination of technology
developers, patients, clinicians and industry end-users all contributing.
1


The Australian National Wound Registry will become the world leader in data collection through the
WMI CRC participants reach out to Australian patients. This would not be possible without the
collaboration of a wide range of stakeholders including Industry, AWMA, research clinics, residential
aged care facilities, hospitals, community health care facilities and researchers.
Our HDR students have a unique opportunity to understand the wounds landscape from bench to
bedside through the span of our participant organisations.
I would be happy to discuss any aspect of this further with you if required. Also please note as requested a
letter of support from our most significant Industry sponsor Smith & Nephew. We have numerous other
letters of support from SME participants, GP practices, community care organisations and other potential
industry participants should you wish to see them I would be happy to forward those as well.
Regards
Dr Ian Griffiths
2