bioquisitive enterprise portfolio

7/25/2019 BioQuisitive Enterprise Portfolio

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Andrew Gray

Director

BioQuisitive Ltd

ABN: 57 608 618 275

ACN:608 618 275

[email protected]

0400925256
mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]


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1 | B i o Q u i s i t i v e L t d

Contents

Contents

Contents ..................................................................................................................................... 1

Executive Summary ................................................................................................................... 2

Science engagement: A challenge worth tackling ..................................................................... 3

BioQuisitive: Bringing science to the broader community ........................................................ 4

Vision ..................................................................................................................................... 4

Opportunities.............................................................................................................................. 4

Building from the foundations of a global movement ........................................................... 4

BioQuisitive Today .................................................................................................................... 5

Reduction of cost barriers to science ................................................................................. 5

Current Activities and Achievements .................................................................................... 5

Establishment of a safe, compliant workspace .................................................................. 5

The community and customers .............................................................................................. 6

Community growth ............................................................................................................ 7

Outreach activities ............................................................................................................. 8

Partnering ........................................................................................................................... 8

BioQuisitive as an organisation ................................................................................................. 8

Operation................................................................................................................................ 9

Committee members .............................................................................................................. 9

BioQuisitive of tomorrow .......................................................................................................... 9

The future vision .................................................................................................................... 9

Growth challenges and needs................................................................................................. 9

Physical space .................................................................................................................... 9

The creation and delivery of workshops and projects ....................................................... 9

Growth Milestones ........................................................................................................... 10

Appendices ........................................................................................................................... 11Advisory Board ................................................................................................................ 11

Partnerships ...................................................................................................................... 12

Financial Projections ........................................................................................................ 14

Reflections ........................................................................................................................... 14


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Executive Summary

BioQuisitive Pty Ltd isAustralias first open innovation laboratory and learning spacefor the life sciences. We are a non-profit company supporting a community ofinterested citizens, students, researchers and entrepreneurs in the pursuit of

innovative, hands-on inquiry. This is achieved by providing access to experimentationand learning in a supportive, safe and open environment. By reducing the barriers toentry into the life sciences we are laying the foundations for affordable translation ofideas into products, services, and discovery for Victorians. To date, we havesurpassed many milestones and challenges through the dedication and support of ourcommunity and by leveraging what our environment can offer to our stakeholders.


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Science engagement: A challenge worth tackling

Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) are critically important for the growth and

development of modern societies. Engineering, IT, and the sciences all contribute to our innovation

system through discoveries that lead to new products and services. With advancements in gene

technologies, the life sciences is on the cusp of explosive growth, with developments inpersonalised/precision medicine identified as some of the most disruptive technologies that will shape

the future. Gene technologies are just one set of technological disruptions our societies will

encounter, along with other new technologies, such as 3D printing. Furthermore, local innovative

products and services in these sectors stand to deliver impact on a global scale.

Unfortunately, this excitement is not felt by all. There is a general disconnect between most

Australians and the sciences. A symptom of this can be seen in classroom participation rates in the

sciences by students. A detailed report by the Australian Council of Learned Academies outlined STEM

participation in Australia, and paints a concerning picture about young peoples engagement with

science over the last 40 years (Figure 1).

Figure 1: Year 12 science participation as a percentage of the year 12 cohort in Australian. Source: Ainley, J,

Kos, J & Nicholas, M (2008), Participation in science, mathematics and technology in Australian education ,

Research Monograph no. 63, ACER, Melbourne.

When science students were asked about their thoughts on the importance of science in everyday life

in a 2014 survey conducted by the Chief Scientist of Australia, only 19% of students who chose to

study science agreed that science was important in everyday lifei.

It is well-recognised that Victoria, and in particular, Melbourne, is a bubbling life sciences hub that is

internationally renowned. Significant investment by successive Victorian Governments has

established Melbourne as the premier Australian city for biotechnology, with 40% of the national

government medical research funding being committed to Victoria. Victoria's life science sector is

among the world's largest and most innovative, with a concentration of world-class institutes and

companies and a combined market capitalisation of over AU $35 billionii.

The lack of engagement of future generations of Australians in STEM is an issue that needs to be

addressed, in order to drive sustainable social and economic growth for the nation. BioQuisitive

aims to change this.


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Traditionally, engagement in the sciences has meant participating in post-secondary education in a

formal science course, where the process of science is taught to a particular curriculum. Exploratory

science is then taught in post-graduate degrees, typically focused around a scientific research

question. This work is usually performed within a tertiary education institution, where significant

infrastructure support is provided to support the research activities. For a career scientist (i.e.,

postdoctoral and beyond), there is an ever-increasing pressure to secure competitive grant fundingto support their careers, their support staff, and students. Despite these pressures, Victoria has

remained a flagship location for life science activity, where a thriving community of highly educated

and talented individuals create significant economic activity.

BioQuisitive: Bringing science to the broader communityDespite the strong life science activity in Victoria, science remains accessible to few, as it siloed

within tertiary institutions, and is limited to individuals that possess the qualifications recognised by

such institutions.

VisionBioQuisitives current vision is to democratize the safe access to science for all interested Victorians,in order to set the foundations for unhindered and open innovation, collaboration and education

within the life sciences, and other related fields.

Opportunities

Building from the foundations of a global movementThe democratisation of science is not a new concept. Around the world, similar spaces are

facilitating a variety of innovative projects run by community members. Similar to the computer

revolution, BioQuisitive is part of a social movement known as the "Do It Yourself Biology" (DIYbio)

movement. Examples of this and their activities are outlined below. DIYbio focuses on making life

science accessible to those who would not normally have an avenue to explore their interests through

experimentation. This includes citizens, students, researchers, entrepreneurs and larger

organizations. The value these DIYbio spaces provide is not just in the form of infrastructure and

knowledge, but also the community that forms around these spaces. Cross-pollination of ideas

develops as people explore their interests with fellow community members.

http://www.indiebio.co/

Biotech accelerators like Indie Bio are investing in new ideas every year from these spaces, and ones

like them. Allocations of funds up to US $250,000 are paid to each successful applicant, and are

supported with mentoring, lab space, business development advice and other support in exchange for

10% equity in the idea. The ecosystem in the US is sophisticated, where innovation enjoys strong

support, ideas are fostered, and sophisticated investors are there to support the development of these

ideas into products and services.

http://foundry.bio/

Members from the BioFoundry (Sydney) have been successful in receiving funding through Indie Bio

in order to further develop an idea to produce infant formula from yeast. They received mentorship,

training in business and marketing, and were given $250,000 in funding. BioFoundry is currently

setting up a physical laboratory space as well.
http://www.indiebio.co/http://www.indiebio.co/http://foundry.bio/http://foundry.bio/http://foundry.bio/http://www.indiebio.co/


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https://counterculturelabs.org/

A group of formally and informally trained citizen scientists have started a project to create vegan

cheese made from milk expressed by yeast. They are also creating a general version of insulin in order

to make it more affordable.

Surprisingly, there are no spaces that we are aware of in Victoria that facilitates citizen science.

BioQuisitive sees opportunities to

1. Create a safe environment to allow Victorians to learn, experiment, and develop their ideas in

the life sciences

2. Create a physical and social space for like-minded people who are passionate about science

to meet and collaborate

3. Reach out to and educate Victorians to spark their interest in science in a safe, hands-on and

practical manner

4. Reduce the barriers to entry for participation in science (in particular, costs barriers), for

interested individuals from all walks of life5. Develop a passionate community focused on science

6. Develop collaborations with other DIYBio movements globally

BioQuisitive Today

Reduction of cost barriers to scienceBioQuisitive is reducing the cost barriers to science by providing the necessary resources for interested

people to learn via doing and collaboration. This is achieved through an affordable membership,

currently $35 a month.

Current Activities and AchievementsThe activities that BioQuisitive currently undertakes to achieve its goals are very broad, and is a

blend between general community development, scientific education, and stakeholder partnering.

Establishment of a safe, compliant workspaceWith only $5,000 sourced from memberships, fundraisers, merchandise and donations since

BioQuisitives inception, we have been able to refurbish a space to meet the requirements for a

Physical Containment Level 1 (PC1) facility and have acquired over $40,000 of unused equipment from

sponsors.

Donated equipment includes centrifuges, PCR machines, pipettes, glassware, gelelectrophoresis units, microscopes, and water stills. Additional donated equipment is received

every month as these other ecosystem stakeholders hear about BioQuisitive. This equipment

facilitates projects in microbiology, molecular biology, synthetic biology, genetics and

biochemistry, to name a few.

Our facility has been built to ensure that all regulatory requirements have been met as set by

the Office of the Gene Technology Regulator (OGTR). Closely following AS/NZS Standards in

the construction and operation of this space, we have aimed to not only meet but exceed

various safety considerations in the physical layout of our laboratory. Currently it caters to 21

paying members.

These achievements have been made on a tight budget, due to the passion of the community andBioquisitives ability to seek out opportunities. The laboratory space is currently undergoing OGTR
https://counterculturelabs.org/https://counterculturelabs.org/https://counterculturelabs.org/


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certification, and demonstrates BioQuisitives commitment to Quality Practice. Due to the potential

this environment has to offer, we have been successful in leveraging BioQuisitive to fill in needed skill

areas like accounting, business strategy, and more. It is our intention to continue leveraging

BioQuisitive and what it has to offer to fill in other areas of expertise. Such as laboratory manager

skills; by offering tertiary education centres like TAFE a real world facility to send their students, we

are both filling a demand for better education and training for Victorians while growing our value atBioQuisitive.

The community and customers

Engagement by these groups comes from direct involvement with the space and its members. This

open access model is a prime example of how to promote innovation, collaboration, and engagement

in any field. At BioQuisitive, people explore their natural sense of curiosity in order to learn, discoverand innovate, and they do it together.


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Community growth

Figure 2 Members from the greater community attending our DIYbio Melbourne Meetup

Though physical and financial support is an important pillar in BioQuisitives development of t he

community, the fostering of the appropriate community mindset is critical for long-term sustainable

growth and success. The collective skills held within the community for other members to learn from

are increasing with every new member signing up. This melting pot of knowledge is set to become aneffective support mechanism helping ideas transition from imagination to fruition.

Fostering the appropriate scientific narrativesDeveloping a set of narratives that allows community members to link science to a personal interest

is critically important in the creation of science projects (and in turn, community activity). BioQuisitive

achieves this through a number of activities driven by community interest, such as renewable energy

(using microbial fuel cells), synthetic biology through simple transformation of bacterial and yeast

cells) and microbiology (by running laboratory demonstrations for DIY home brewers).

For members which have broader entrepreneurial aspirations, we have seen some members develop

small side-businesses by performing simple diagnostic analyses of various compounds, foods, andother organic matter.

Networking and collaborationNetworking is extremely important, as this drives collaboration. BioQuisitive is a community

laboratory, so networking happens very informally, as people discuss their passions at various events,

and by virtue of being in close proximity to other community members in the physical space. This

support and collegiate environment empowers members to embark on their own line of investigation

in various fields, or in collaboration with other community members.


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Outreach activitiesBioQuisitive undertakes a number of outreach activities with key sections of the broader life science

ecosystem, as well as the local community. Such activities include

Forging connections to other local community groups who share common values, spreading

the word that science is both cool and for everyone, a nd we are all capable of innovation.

Such partnerships include the Friends of Merri Creek, Women in Science Australia, and

Brunswick Make-Create.

Engaging ecosystem stakeholders including investors, accelerators, incubators, companies

and government. We are very active on social media, and increasingly in the mainstream

media.

Running hackathons, which have proven to be a great way of not only teaching design

principles, but giving members an opportunity to use their knowledge and experience in a

variety of ways to solve a real world problem and network. Discussions with the Moreland City

Council have identified a desire by council members to host these events locally due to the

large number of scientists working and living in the area North of the Parkville biotech hub.

PartneringPartnering with other ecosystem stakeholders is essential to BioQuisitives growth(see Appendices

for more information). Partnerships with other local and offshore entities enhance the potential for

projects to be commercialized, with organisations such as Indie Bio and BioFoundry. Examples of

partnering success are summarised below:

Previous partnerships with Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in the US led to

student members at BioQuisitive working on local projects for MIT in Melbourne.

Our partnership with Women in Science Australia is aimed at providing girls a place outside of

the classroom in which to engage in the sciences while surrounded by positive role models.

Meetings and strong channels of communication forged with Local, State, and Federal

government, have opened the gateway for this first iteration of BioQuisitive to commence in

Brunswick and has given BioQuisitive network contacts at various levels of the science

ecosystem here in Victoria.

BioQuisitive as an organisation

BioQuisitive was founded in 2015 as a non-profit company limited by guarantee registered with

Consumer Affairs Victoria and the Australian Securities & Investments Commission. Its current space

is a humble 9 square meters in Brunswick. We have 21 paying members with numbers increasingmonthly. The ecosystem BioQuisitive has helped create and is a part of is estimated to be roughly 900

local members in the greater Melbourne area.

The achievements so far have been funded through

Financial support from the members of BioQuisitive.

Community fundraising activities.

Donations both financially and in kind.

Membership fees.


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OperationBioQuisitive operates like a gym. Its members pay a monthly membership fee of $35 and gain access

to the necessary skills and infrastructure and training to innovate in the life sciences. All of this is done

under supervision during the scheduled open hours at the lab.

Committee membersBioQuisitive is a community organization whose activities are directed by the members. The board

supports the decisions of the members regarding direction of BioQuisitive and remains transparent

with the membership base with the challenges faced and potential decisions made at BioQuisitive

through meetings and through online and offline communication. BioQuisitive meets fortnightly to

discuss opportunities and brainstorm solutions to challenges with its members. The board is

comprised of the following members:

Director: Andrew Gray

Director: Toni Bode

Secretary: Annabel M

Treasurer: Jarrod Grainger Brown

BioQuisitive of tomorrow

The future visionIn the future, BioQuisitive will have expanded its entrepreneurial support scheme able to offer low

cost alternatives to other places like university laboratories and research organizations. It will hold

workshops for entrepreneurs engaged in the life sciences covering other aspects of entrepreneurship

beyond the laboratory bench, and encompass broad areas of technology. While both expanding the

movement across Victoria and Australia, BioQuisitive will apply for a registered training organization

to deliver essentials in innovation in the life sciences. Subjects will include laboratory techniques,

design, business, and innovation.

Growth challenges and needsIn order to realize the true vision of BioQuisitive it will need to achieve the following milestones.

Physical spaceWhile our first pilot project is nearing completion, our spaces limitations are being felt. Our current

facility is 2.75 meters by 3.75 meters, and with 21 paying members, the space fills quickly. Currently

there is insufficient room for all of the equipment and consumables that are arriving at our current

facility.

We have been forging relationships with other local makerspaces who also have a focus on enhancing

innovation. It is our intention to move BioQuisitive into one of these local makerspaces in order to

expand our floor space, while increasing the value we can deliver to our members.

The creation and delivery of workshops and projectsThrough the provision of workshops to members of BioQuisitive and the community at large,

BioQuisitive will seek to equip its members with the necessary tools to design and implement

innovative projects and experiments. In addition, these will aid members in networking and exploring

new interests and trends in life sciences. Our workshops will address skill shortages in basic science

theory in areas like Molecular Biology, Microbiology, Genetics, and Electronics. By partnering these

fields of science with human centred design, BioQuisitive will impart both the knowledge and

experience as well as the framework for its members to innovate in the life sciences.


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Growth Milestones

.


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Appendices

Advisory Board

Dr Andre Tan

Andre is a medical technology innovator, biomedical engineer and scientist. Between 2005 and

2014, he worked on developing a non-invasive, pain-free electrical stimulation treatment for chronic

constipation at the Murdoch Childrens Research Institute. His inventive input was recognised as

commercially valuable before he graduated from a double degree in Science and Engineering at

Monash University in 2009, and in 2012, the investment opportunity went on to secure significant

seed funding to launch a medical device start-upGI Therapies. Since completing his PhD through

the University of Melbourne in 2014, he has led a prototyping project of a proof-of-concept

diagnostic system, and driven pre-seed commercialisation activities of therapeutic technologies

across various areas of medicine.

Andre is passionate about applying fostering a sophisticated STEM innovation culture, and believes

that open-access, DIY science initiatives leads to improved public perception of science, and better

recognition of the value it creates for society. He brings to BioQuisitive capability in strategy

formation, mentorship experience, and his extensive network within the Australian biotechnology

and medical device communities.

Andre is currently the Lead for Innovation & Strategy at Portal Surgical, a Gold Coast-based medical

device company. Previously, he was a founding member of the Australian Science Innovation Forum,

a Research Mentor at the Swinburne Design Factory (Healthcare team), and held various volunteerroles with AusBiotech.

Dr Elane Zelcer

Elane is an experienced business leader with a successful track record guiding and growing start-up

and early stage biotech companies in Australia. She has deep experience working at the commercial-

academic interface for development and commercialisation of drugs, medtech and wearable

devices.

She works with and assists small and multinational companies, and has relationships with investors,

biotech and medtech companies and research organizations in Australia, US and Israel. This includescreating outcomes-focused collaborations between companies and universities through strategy

development to support the industry partnering, business development and capital raising.

Elane's experience includes executive, board and advisory roles for ASX-listed biotech companies,

companies in the private sector, universities, cooperative Research Centres and on Victorian and

Australian government committees. She is a Case Manager with the Australian Governments

Commercialisation Australia Program which assists companies and researchers with access to

funding and experienced mentors and advisors.

Elane has a PhD in physiology & pharmacology from Monash University, and post-doctoral

experience in Canada and the US. She is a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.


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PartnershipsWithout our partnerships, it would be difficult to achieve all that we have. BioQuisitive aims to partner

with similar entities that promote the same values in order to achieve a more dynamic and inclusive

culture in science for all Australians.

Partnering with North West FM has led to the rise of a local radio program aimed at spreading

awareness towards the social movement BioQuisitive is a part of to local community members.

Follow the message Tuesday nights 9-10pm at 98.9 FM.

The conception of DIYbio in Australia occurred with the founding of Australias first D IYbio space

in Sydney. Our partnership with BioFoundry has been essential to overcoming many of the

challenges weve had today. The unending support and mentorship BioFoundry has provided

BioQuisitive accounts for much of the success were experiencing today.

Our Partnership with Deloittes centre for the edge has led to opportunities for both BioQuisitive

and BioFoundry. Our first presentation to Deloitte led to financial support for BioQuisitive as well

as an ongoing venue hire option for BioFoundry to present to its community in Sydney.

Our partnership with MIT Media Lab, based out of Massachusetts Institute of Technology in the

US, has led to ongoing projects for members to gain real world experience in practical and

relevant scientific techniques.


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Our partnership with DELWP has led to some amazing contacts within the Victorian state

government. Currently we are working with DELWP and the Arthur Rhylah institute to help them

better engage with an audience on their hard work in sustainability.

To ensure a sustainable future for BioQuisitive, support at a local level from the Government has

been essential. BioQuisitive has met with the Moreland City Council and Mayor of Moreland onnumerous occasions and now has their support. Meetings have opened up the opportunity for

local venue hire of Siteworks for the DIYbio community in Melbourne.

Our close ties with the Federal Governments Office of the Gene Technology Regulator ensures

we uphold our commitment to transparency with both the Government and larger society.


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Financial Projections

ReflectionsPersonally Ive had to overcome a lot of challenges to help push BioQuisitive to where we are

today. Initially, I was only able to rely on my own drive to ensure progress was made. While

members meant well, they were not delivering on their tasks, so I learnt to manage myexpectations.

This mindset came about after I had opted to be secretary as I didnt care too much about my

position so long as I could help. We had some very experienced professionals who were happy

to take the titles of President and Vice president of the organization. Im a very good follower

as my Navy career required this of me. It wasnt until the end of my career I had to begin

leading. Unfortunately following would not be enough. There were conflicting visions that had

not been identified early on among the first 5 Co-Founders.

After months of meetings and no resolution, I decided to step up from being secretary and

voiced my displeasure with the President. I had kept my displeasure a secret from all themembers up until this point. The President was caught by surprised but ultimately agreed, that


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he wasnt the person for the job despite his earlier beliefs. I thanked the Vice President for his

work and participation but ultimately had to ask for his resignation. Finally, I requested that

the organization be entrusted to me since I had been the only person to drive any real progress

or show any commitment to making BioQuisitive a reality. I had gone into damage control

mode, which was largely due to a lack of communication, choosing to bottle things up rather

than discuss what I was feeling with the rest of the Co-founders.

Since then, March 2015, things have changed, and Ive had to change the mindset that Ive

been using to achieve the milestones BioQuisitve had met pre 2016. Members were starting to

join who wanted to be a part of the decision making and building process and early on, I was

untrusting. I thought if they had the drive and initiative they could just step up and take matters

into their own hands, like I had, to help without the need of my direct input.

However, what was really happening was I was failing to see that as a leader, I was being asked

to lead. Leadership can come in many forms, and at first, I was trying to set the example by

doing, and I still do. However, this mindset on its own was not helpful for the new situation I

had found myself in. Members wanted to be a part of the process and failing to extend a handto them meant that I would soon find myself alone, in a lab not for a community but for Andrew

Gray.

Since this realization, I still rely heavily on the time and energy I put into BioQuisitive Daily.

On average, I spend anywhere between 18-30 hours a week on BioQuisitive. But to build the

community and facilitate the formation of strong relationships within BioQuisitives

membership base, I need to spend less time doing things on my own and more doing things

with others.

Today our meetings are open to all members so they may listen in and voice concerns or

suggestions. Opposing views are not silenced but welcomed, and Ive learned that even as a

leader admitting error is a sign of character. Decisions in the end come down to a vote for most

of the direction we take as an organization.

We are still transitioning at BioQuisitive from a construction phase to an operations phase.

Challenges face us every day, and there is an ever increasing to do list for all of us. Thankfully,

I dont have to face these challenges or complete this list on my own.

ihttp://www.chiefscientist.gov.au/wp-content/uploads/OCS_Health_of_Australian_Science_LOWRES1.pdfiihttp://www.invest.vic.gov.au/opportunities/medical-technology-and-pharmaceuticals/victorias-strengths-in-

health

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