GENETAL, page-27

Stock....ead this morning.
The MD of one of Australia’s global biotech funds says Australia’s unsophisticated approach to capitalising on research will leave it unable to capitalise on an upturn in biotech markets.
Returning from one of his regular trips to the US, Charles Williams, the managing director of specialist life sciences fund, HB Biotechnology, remains convinced that the Australian biotech ecosystem is less sophisticated than the US and Europe – and is likely to remain this way.
He also thinks a biotech boom appears to be on the horizon, but Australia may not be fully geared up to capitalise on this potential growth.
While Australia does not lack talent and is home to some of the most productive biomedical research facilities in the world, one significant hurdle is the comparatively limited funding and lack of depth in quality management available for biotech startups and research initiatives in Australia.
This means that our best biotech companies are usually being sold to Big Pharma of the world at a very early stage of their development.
Williams believes that despite having one of the world’s top five biotechnology research centres on Australian lands, the country still fails to compete with the US and Europe when it comes to commercialisation.
He advised investors, however, that biotech offers a more desirable investment opportunity with better returns as we approach choppy waters with recession potentially being around the corner.
“Investment in biotech in Australia still needs to improve per global comparison,” he said.
“But there is great benefit in looking at biotech as a significant investment sector rather than simply as an area of research.”