- $7.7 million awarded to BioOra Pty Ltd through the Crisafulli Government’s $180.6 million Sovereign Industry Development Fund (SIDF).
- Investment supports advanced cell therapy manufacturing at ENTRI, creating 72 highly skilled jobs and strengthening Queensland’s biomedical capability.
- Fund to accelerate Queensland’s sovereign industry growth in Defence, Biomedical and Biofuels after a decade of decline under Labor.
The Crisafulli Government is backing Queensland’s biomedical industry, luring New Zealand-based BioOra Pty Ltd to Brisbane through the flagship $180.6 million Sovereign Industry Development Fund.
BioOra will receive $7.7 million to establish and fit-out its automated clinical and commercial-scale CAR T-cell manufacturing suite at ENTRI, based at the Boggo Road Innovation Junction (BRIJ) in Woolloongabba.
The project will onshore production of advanced next-generation cell therapies, reducing reliance on overseas manufacturing, improving patient access to cutting-edge treatments and strengthening Queensland’s position in a rapidly growing global sector.
This investment will create 72 high-value and highly skilled jobs, advancing BioOra’s partnership with the Translational Research Institute (TRI) with the facility set to be operational by 2028.
CAR T-cell therapies are a form of personalised cancer treatment that use a patient’s own immune cells to recognise and destroy cancer cells.
The $180.6 million Sovereign Industry Development Fund forms part of the Crisafulli Government’s plan to reverse a decade of economic drift under Labor and rebuild Queensland’s sovereign manufacturing capabilities.
Unlike the Labor’s haphazard approach to industry development, which saw Queensland fall behind other jurisdictions, the Crisafulli Government is backing strategic investments that strengthen the state’s competitive advantages and deliver long-term economic growth.
The Sovereign Industry Development Fund is focused on supporting high-value industries that will drive Queensland’s future prosperity, including biomedical manufacturing, defence and biofuels, helping secure sovereign capability, attract private investment and create highly skilled jobs.
Deputy Premier and Minister for State Development, Infrastructure and Planning Jarrod Bleijie said the Crisafulli Government was restoring ambition to Queensland’s economic development after a decade of decline under Labor.
“We inherited an economy that had suffered through a decade of thought bubbles and glossy brochures, with no real action, too many opportunities lost and too little focus on building Queensland’s sovereign capability,” Deputy Premier Bleijie said.
“While Labor talked about the industries of the future, the Crisafulli Government is taking action to support them and this investment in BioOra will help establish Queensland as a leader in advanced biomedical manufacturing, supporting the development of life-saving therapies while creating highly skilled jobs and attracting further private sector investment.
“For too long Queensland watched other jurisdictions secure investment and grow their advanced manufacturing sectors while Labor failed to provide the vision and leadership needed to compete.
“The Crisafulli Government is changing that by backing innovative Queensland businesses with the potential to strengthen our sovereign capability, commercialise world-class research and create the high-value jobs of the future.
“This investment will ensure that Queensland is not simply consuming innovation developed elsewhere, but becoming a place where breakthrough technologies are researched, manufactured and delivered to the world.”
BioOra CEO John Robson said the investment would support the company’s expansion into Queensland and accelerate delivery of advanced therapies.
“The support from SIDF accelerated our expansion plans into Australia by 18 months and will result in a significantly quicker delivery of sovereign capability of CAR-T cell manufacturing within the state,” Mr Robson said.
“The partnership that we are developing with TRI, and the potential of the infrastructure at ENTRI, will be pivotal in the successful transfer of our manufacturing expertise in cell and gene therapies to Australia, and in the resultant public availability of Australian made therapies.”
This project is the fourth biomedical initiative supported under SIDF, together strengthening Queensland’s end‑to‑end capability across research, clinical trials, advanced manufacturing and commercialisation.
