Australian Catholic University has signed a co-investment agreement which sees it to become the seventh university to join Breakthrough Victoria’s University Innovation Platform.
ACU and BV will invest up to $7 million each in matched funding over five years to commercialise research coming out of ACU.
This joint investment will focus on initiatives that drive economic growth, create jobs, and foster cutting-edge research and development in Victoria, particularly in areas that align with the state’s future needs.
ACU Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research and Enterprise), Professor Abid Khan said the co-investment partnership would help researchers create innovative solutions to the biggest challenges facing society.
“This partnership will ensure that ACU’s pioneering research in healthcare, sports science, aged care and education will help transform lives and create real-world impact,” he said.
The Breakthrough Victoria and ACU team at the Deed Signing event, March 2025
“As a mission-led university, ACU’s human-centred problem-solving and innovation is what sets us apart from other universities.
“This partnership will create a pipeline of exciting research that is translated into products and services that improve lives and benefit society.”
ACU’s commitment to impactful research and innovation aligns with BV’s broader collaborative effort across the higher education sector.
“ACU becomes the seventh university to sign up to our University Innovation Platform, joining La Trobe University, Swinburne University of Technology, the University of Melbourne, Monash University, RMIT University, and Deakin University,” Breakthrough Victoria CEO Rod Bristow said.
These institutions are committed to working alongside Breakthrough Victoria and other partners to ensure that Victoria remains a competitive player in the global innovation landscape.
“By supporting ACU researchers at the earliest stages, we are ensuring that innovation, ideas and entrepreneurs bring breakthrough technologies to market that will help transform people’s lives.
Breakthrough Victoria recently announced the major milestone of over $1.06 billion in co-investment. By investing with signatory BVUIP universities in early-stage companies, BV helping position these ventures for long-term success and increasing their readiness for private sector investment as they scale.
These investments not only help retain promising companies in Victoria—creating jobs and, in some cases, entire industries—but also strengthen the state’s innovation ecosystem by attracting additional investment.
The BVUIP has already invested in four early-stage start-ups through Melbourne University’s Genesis Pre-Seed fund, a key part of Breakthrough Victoria’s strategy, these companies are set to make significant strides in health, sustainability, and technology. These investments include:
- Psychae Therapeutics: With a vision to revolutionise mental health treatments, Psychae is pioneering groundbreaking research into the therapeutic potential of psychedelics.
- Remagine Labs: Developing smart wearable drug delivery system designed to transport epilepsy drugs through the skin.
- Cell Bauhaus: Building software to enable computer aided design of living systems to bring synthetic biology products to market faster.
- The Leaf Protein Co.: Unlocking Earth's most abundant source of proteins: green leaves to develop more biodiverse functional plant proteins.
These investments, along with several upcoming announcements from other university partners, are examples of the BV University Innovation Platform working in tandem with Victorian universities to invest in innovation, ideas and entrepreneurs to bring breakthrough technologies to market that will help transform people’s lives.
