The establishment of the Medical Device Partnering Program was catalysed in 2008 through a Premier’s Science and Research Fund grant, a South Australian government initiative supporting the development of projects driving collaborative endeavours between research organisations and industry.

Led by Flinders University, the bid was a collaborative effort with 14 local partners and aimed to enhance South Australia’s medical device industry by connecting the fragmented capabilities along the product and business development pipeline.

On completion of the initial three years of funding, MDPP had demonstrated clear benefits for the State in its ability to initiate partnerships and drive the acceleration of new medical device products.

In 2012, MDPP Founder & Director Professor Karen Reynolds was recognised as the South Australian Scientist of the Year and since 2013, the Program has operated under the Medical Technologies Program supported by the South Australian Government.

With the support of MTPConnect's Researcher Exchange and Development within Industry (REDI) initiative in 2019, MDPP has been able to continue delivering its program nationally.

MDPP won the award for Excellence in Science and Industry Collaboration at the 2020 SA Science Excellence and Innovation Awards.

Our vision is for Australia to lead the world in medtech innovation and drive solutions to advance healthcare globally.