Get investment to develop and commercialise your biomedical discoveries

The BTF fund is an equity co-investment venture capital program.

The BTF Program policy objectives are to:

• invest in promising biomedical discoveries and assist in their commercialisation
• encourage the development of companies commercialising biomedical discoveries by addressing capital and management constraints

The program supports biomedical discoveries that commercialise health and medical research outcomes.  This will improve the health and wellbeing of Australians through targeted investment in prevention, diagnosis and treatment.

The discoveries can be therapeutic, medical or pharmaceutical. They can be a product, process, service (including digital health services), technology or procedure.

The funding is available through 3 licensed private sector venture capital fund managers.

The BTF fund managers screen investment proposals and make venture capital investments. They also provide Australian biomedical companies with the expertise and access to networks to be a success.

Each BTF fund manager will build a portfolio of investments. They'll invest in companies that develop and commercialise innovative science to improve the health and wellbeing of Australians.

The government announced this fund in the National Innovation and Science Agenda.

A total of $501.25 million is available through the Biomedical Translation Fund. A total of $250 million is from Commonwealth capital and $251.25 million is from private sector capital. 

AusIndustry is delivering the BTF on behalf of the Australian Government Department of Health.

What are the eligibility criteria for the BTF?

This program doesn't automatically provide capital to all companies that satisfy the eligible investment criteria. Instead, we have licensed 3 fund managers to make investment decisions.

At the time of the first investment, you must either be:

• already working on a biomedical discovery
• planning to work on a biomedical discovery through a BTF investment

And, you should either:

• have a majority of your employees and assets inside Australia
• plan to use the whole of the initial investment within Australia

You must also:

• have an average annual revenue over the previous two years of below $25 million per year
• have an Australian business number (ABN)
• be incorporated under the Corporations Act 2001
• be providing all the goods or services you produce to persons who are not Associates

For full details on eligible investee companies, refer to section 8.6 in the BTF Program Guidelines.

How do you apply?

There are 3 licensed private sector fund managers who are responsible for investment decision making.

If you believe your company is eligible and you are seeking an equity investment, you should contact one of the BTF fund managers directly.

Before contacting the fund manager, you should know who they are and what investments they have previously made.