Business View Oceania | April/May 2022

17 18 BUSINESS VIEW OCEANIA VOLUME 4, ISSUE 4 BUSINESS VIEW OCEANIA VOLUME 4, ISSUE 4 Translational Research Institute Supporting Australia’s MedTech start-ups The Translational Research Institute is where biomedical and clinical research and the MedTech industry meet. Based next to Brisbane’s Princess Alexandra Hospital, TRI is home to leading researchers and clinicians, as well as several SMEs. TRI offers clinical trial facilities, state‑of‑the‑art core facilities, and a supportive ecosystem where its MedTech start-ups can grow. For more information: tri.edu.au +61 7 3443 7000 info@tri.edu.au SAV I LLS AUSTRAL I A their role in supporting this new image for old age; the company anticipates massive growth in the sector over the next few years. Lawson Katiza is Director of Project Management and Strategic Property Consultancy in Savills Australia’s Brisbane office. He begins, “I work within the project management division, which is the area that provides life sciences and knowledge economy advice throughout the country. I also lead the knowledge economy stream nationally. In the Australian landscape, we’re certainly considered one of the frontrunners in terms of life sciences, not just because we collaborate across the global office platform, but because of the practice-based approach we take. Australia is still immature in terms of the development, management, and research that goes on in our innovation precincts. Most of these precincts tend to be government owned, as opposed to commercially run, so aren’t meeting the expectations of more commercial markets, research bodies, or pharmaceuticals. To support and inform our approach, we borrow a lot from our international colleagues, who have run some of the largest innovation hubs and science parks in the world. We develop a beginning strategy that is applied from front-end business processes right through to the delivery stage. I’d say we are unique in that regard, and it’s an approach that really suits the Australian market.” Considered one of the ‘Big Four’ in the global real estate space, Savills has made a habit of pooling its consultancy and agency resources to encourage the sharing of knowledge and inspire a collaborative approach to innovation. Mr. Katzia shares, “Our motto is getting property and people to connect. Our core advisory elements allow us to connect with clients through strategic and targeted advice, which then flows through to our other streams such as integrated property solutions and agency consultancy. We provide the thought pieces, the emerging trends, and their translation into practical use. Having multiple divisions working together on various project streams and bringing relevant knowledge and expertise from other sectors, is what makes us so good at what we do.” By way of example, Mr. Katiza highlights the agri-science precinct project for Charles Sturt University’s Wagga Wagga campus. Known as AgriPark, the research and business park facilitates cross-disciplinary collaboration, from farming systems and weed management through to market analysis and biosecurity, in support of Australia’s agricultural sector. “AgriPark was an ambitious project that wasn’t something we had ever done before. To initiate its success, we worked in partnership with our London office to bring in skills and expertise that had supported similar facilities overseas and combined them with local knowledge to adapt to the Australian context. It’s a very collaborative, global setup with fantastic potential to support our national life sciences sector.”