See Cohort 1 Announcement Media Release – here
Following the Round 1 application process, Biointelect Venturer is funding six Australian infectious disease technologies with an investment of $10.48 million.
Supported by the Australian Government through the Medical Research Future Fund (MRFF), the Cohort 1 companies will be part of the Biointelect Venturer incubation program for up to two years, receiving non-dilutive funding alongside tailored commercialisation support, expert mentoring and access to national and international networks to help progress their technologies towards commercial and investment readiness.
“This inaugural cohort reflects exactly what Biointelect Venturer was established to do: accelerate high-quality Australian infectious disease innovations that address significant local and global health priorities and deliver investment-ready ventures.
“These companies can deliver substantial value through their discoveries but often face difficult early investment conditions and critical gaps between research and commercial readiness. By combining catalytic funding with hands-on commercialisation support, we can help promising technologies close those gaps.”
– Danielle Shand, General Manager, Biointelect Venturer
Meet Cohort 1
- ENA Respiratory Pty Ltd (Victoria) – $2.98 million: developing Nasal Defence Enhancer (INNA-051), a nasal spray treatment designed to boost the human airways’ natural antiviral defences and provide an additional layer of protection against respiratory illness alongside vaccination.
- SAMMVax Pty Ltd (Queensland) – $2.0 million: developing TriVax, a trivalent vaccine designed to provide broad protection against Strep A, a bacterial infection that can lead to serious complications including sepsis, rheumatic fever and rheumatic heart disease.
- Saccharide Therapeutics Pty Ltd (Victoria) – $1.5 million: developing ST101, a malaria vaccine targeting a specific structure consistent across all species and life cycle stages, with the potential for broader protection against different malaria parasites and at different stages of infection.
- Ebivanta Therapeutics Pty Ltd (Queensland) – $1.5 million: developing an mRNA vaccine against Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), with the potential to help prevent EBV infection and reduce the long-term risk of serious diseases associated with the virus.
- Proboxis Biotechnology Pty Ltd (Queensland) – $1.5 million: developing a vaccine production platform for mosquito-borne viruses, beginning with Japanese encephalitis, with the potential to support the development of vaccines against other mosquito-borne viruses.
- AdaptiVax Pty Ltd (Victoria) – $1.0 million: developing an adaptable virus-like particle (VLP) vaccine platform technology designed to enable the rapid development of vaccines against multiple respiratory viruses, initially targeting RSV, human metapneumovirus and parainfluenza virus.
Round 2 Opening Soon
Expressions of Interest for Round 2 of Biointelect Venturer open on 21 September 2026.
Further details to be announced soon. Register your interest via the Biointelect Venturer website here.
