Students supercharge start-ups with LuminaX partnership

Work starts on $45m health showpiece at Robina

Bond University has broken ground on a $45 million project at Robina to meet booming demand for new physiotherapists, dieticians and occupational therapists.

The five-level building at the University’s Institute of Health & Sport precinct will create an additional 11,500 sq m of education spaces, offices, and associated car parking beside Cbus Super Stadium.

It will connect to the University’s existing High Performance Training Centre and double the current space for allied health programs.

Opening is scheduled for August 2023 and a traditional Smoke and Welcome to Country Ceremony by Kombumerri Elder Uncle John Graham marked the start of work by ADCO Constructions.

The project is self-funded by Bond University and will create around 200 jobs during construction and more than 50 new highly-skilled, ongoing positions. Key features include: • Simulated hospital wards and clinician consulting rooms to accommodate treatments in physiotherapy, nutrition, rehabilitation and occupational therapy. • A world-class 60-metre gait laboratory that incorporates pressure sensors and high-speed cameras to analyse human movement. • Simulated residential settings to support research and education in occupational therapy. • A unique indoor amphitheatre capable of seating 230 people.

Vice Chancellor and President Professor Tim Brailsford said strong growth was forecast in allied health disciplines, driven by demand in the aged care and disability sectors.

“This new facility will provide a significant expansion for our programs in allied health,” Professor Brailsford said.

“Moreover, the new clinical facilities add to our ability to service the growing need of Gold Coast patients seeking assistance in a range of allied health services.”

A Smoke and Welcome to Country Ceremony was held to mark the beginning of construction of the new building.

Mr Hamish Balnaves, Professor Tim Brailsford and the late Dr Neil Balnaves at the opening of the Global Links Room in the Balnaves Foundation Multimedia Learning Centre in September 2013.

TV titan Neil Balnaves served the University and left a lasting legacy

The University has lost one of its greatest champions with the death of philanthropist Dr Neil Balnaves AO following a boating accident in Tahiti. Dr Balnaves, 77, was a Member of the University’s Board of Trustees, a former Member of the Bond University Council, and a generous benefactor.

The former television executive established the Balnaves Foundation which has committed more than $40 million to causes since 2006. One of the earliest projects supported by the Foundation was Bond University’s Balnaves Foundation Multimedia Learning Centre, opened in 2010. At the time, Dr Balnaves said the sizable gift that made the technology-laden centre possible was spurred by his passion for education, the arts, and supporting young Australians.

“To be involved in something so cutting-edge was a real buzz for me. We’d all talked about how it was going to be, but what was really stunning, what knocked my socks off, was when I first walked in there. I said, ‘This is even better than I could have expected’.”

Dr Balnaves worked in the media industry for more than 60 years and previously held the position of Executive Chairman of the Southern Star Group which he founded in 1988. He produced a series of top-rating shows including Big Brother, Bananas in Pyjamas, Water Rats and McLeod’s Daughters, and was the Chairman of Ardent Leisure Group from 2003 until 2016. Bond University awarded Dr Balnaves an Honorary Doctorate in 2008.

The Bond University community offers its condolences to Dr Balnaves’ wife Diane and children Hamish and Victoria. His eldest child Alexandra died in 2019 following a long illness.

Sunny times ahead as 221 cohort celebrates graduation

Students supercharge start-ups with LuminaX partnership

In February, 515 individuals from 49 different countries joined the ranks of Bond University's alumni community. The in-person graduation ceremonies were for students who completed their studies after the January 2022 semester.

Left to right: Mr Bahram Zarei, Ms Dorsar Zarei (Class of 2019), Ms Boshia Zarei, Ms Sepideh Zarei.

Left to right: Ms Bronte Macklin, Ms Maddy Macmillan, Ms Ruby Fogarty(Class of 2020), Ms Ginger Fogarty. Chancellor the Honourable Dr Annabelle Bennett AC SC FAA FAAL.

Left to right: Mr Paddy Cunningham, Ms Holly Slattery (Class of 2020), Mrs Jodie Slattery.

The start-up world’s need for speed means adding academic research to the mix isn’t always a priority for entrepreneurs in fail-fast environments. A new partnership between Bond University and LuminaX aims to change that.

The LuminaX Health Accelerator brings together 10 health entrepreneurs from around Australia for a 14-week industry-led program at the Gold Coast’s Cohort Innovation Space to fast-track commercialisation and market readiness. Academics from the University’s Healthcare Innovations program will be on hand to mentor and guide the founders through the intensive program.

They’ll also be able to connect founders to Bond postgraduate students to undertake bespoke research and give their start-ups a business edge.

“Academic research isn’t always seen as practical for the start-up world – it has traditionally been a slow process, done over years and often by the time the research is complete, the business and the market has moved on,” says Professor Sharon Mickan, who heads up the Healthcare Innovations program. "But there is real value for businesses who are just starting out in collaborating on the design of research that can really help their products and ideas become the best they can be. Our aim is to give entrepreneurs that business edge, but also to give our students the skills to do quality, rigorous research at a pace and in a way that benefits businesses in a fast-moving marketplace.”

Professor Mickan says students will take part in capstone projects working directly with founders to summarise and synthesise the research evidence, providing data and insights that will benefit end users.