Startups

Bionics Institute

Fitzroy, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

bionicsinstitute.funraisin.com.au

The Bionics Institute of Australia is an independent Australian medical research charity founded in 1986 by cochlear-implant pioneer Professor Graeme Clark, originally as the Bionic Ear Institute. The Australian Business Register identifies ABN 56 006 580 883 and legal entity type Australian Public Company; this legal designation does not establish a stock-exchange listing. It has been registered with the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission since 3 December 2012. Based at St Vincent’s Hospital Melbourne in Fitzroy, it combines neuroscience, biomedical engineering, preclinical research and clinical collaboration to develop devices and therapies. Its published programs cover hearing and vision, brain disorders, movement and balance, autoimmune disease and chronic conditions. Research includes vagus nerve stimulation, optogenetic and electrical neuromodulation, personalised transcranial magnetic stimulation, implantable epilepsy monitoring, infant hearing assessment, objective tinnitus measurement, and wearable or extended-reality neurological diagnostics. These programs span research, preclinical development and clinical trials; regulatory approval of a spin-off product does not establish approval of every Institute technology. The current public directory names 60 board members, executives, researchers, capability and support leaders, and clinical collaborators. Current news additionally names XR researcher Hamish MacDougall and epilepsy ambassador Neil Balme. Phil Binns is the current board chair, supported by deputy chair Hannah Crawford; former chair John Stanhope is recorded historically. Committee memberships are qualified by their annual-report or news publication, rather than assumed continuing employment. The Institute commercialises research through spin-off equity and contracts alongside philanthropic support, competitive government grants and charitable research loans. Its 2023–24 report explicitly identifies equity in Epi-Minder, DBS Tech, Neo-Bionica, NIRGenie, Bionic Vision Technologies and PolyActiva. Neo-Bionica ownership is recorded with undisclosed stake, price and date, separate from Breakthrough Victoria’s convertible note and government grants. A specific Helmsley grant of USD 3,189,010 awarded 9 July 2024 supports adaptive vagus nerve stimulation for Crohn’s disease over 36 months; the Institute’s rounded USD 3.2 million/AUD 4.8 million announcement represents the same award. Grant awards, annual fundraising totals and its internal incubator program are not private venture fund closes or cumulative equity rounds.

Founded 1986

Team

Alan DuffyBoard Director

Alan RobertsonIndustry Advisory Committee Member (2024–25 report)

Alex CravenClinical Collaborator

Alex ThompsonEngineering Team Leader

Amy MorleySenior Research Assistant

Andrew CampitelliIndustry Advisory Committee Member (2024–25 report)

Andrew NashIndustry Advisory Committee Member (2024–25 report)

Andrew WiseHead of Hearing Therapeutics Research Program

Anu SabuResearch Fellow · Young Bionics Committee Member (2024–25 report)

Brandon AlterIndustry Advisory Committee Member (2024–25 report)

Caroline ChernovFundraising Committee Member (2024–25 report) · Industry Advisory Committee Member (published news affiliation; current tenure unconfirmed)

Charles BagotBoard Director

Chris WeaverSenior Development Manager

Christopher HartClinical Collaborator

Daniel Williams-WynnResearch Engineer

David HillResearch Engineer

David ProudClinical Collaborator

David SzmulewiczResearch Leader — Movement and Balance Disorders

Demi GaoSenior Research Scientist

Ed PhillipsYoung Bionics Committee Member (2024–25 report)

Ella TrangHistology and In-Vitro Team Leader

Emily JarmanYoung Bionics Committee Member (2024–25 report)

Ethan DuffYoung Bionics Committee Member (2024–25 report)

Evange RomasClinical Collaborator

Graeme ClarkFounder (1986)

Hamish MacDougallNeurological Diagnostics Researcher — Extended Reality

Hannah CrawfordDeputy Chair and Chair of Finance and Risk Committee

Ilan DavidoffYoung Bionics Committee Member (2024–25 report)

Ingrid WilliamsIndustry Advisory Committee Member (2024–25 report)

Isabella GaudryYoung Bionics Committee Member (2024–25 report)

Jaala PulfordIndustry Advisory Committee Member (published news affiliation; current tenure unconfirmed)

Jagdeep SinghIndustry Advisory Committee Member (2024–25 report)

Jamal EsmaelpoorBiomedical Signal Engineer and Data Scientist

James FallonChief Technology Officer

Jed BertalliFundraising Committee Member (2024–25 report) · Young Bionics Committee Member (2024–25 report)

Jennifer DickerBoard Director

Jenny ZhouElectrode Fabrication Lead

Jeremy UngarFundraising Committee Member (2024–25 report)

Jim HaymanFundraising Committee Member (2024–25 report)

Jo CrowstonHead of Development

John BrysonBoard Director

John StanhopeFormer Chair (2016–2025; historical)

Kaitlin BeattieYoung Bionics Committee Member (2024–25 report)

Karen CampitelliChief Operating Officer

Karen HapgoodBoard Director

Kate HoyHead of Cognitive Therapeutics Research Program

Kunal RastogiFundraising Committee Member (2024–25 report)

Kylie O’NeillFacilities Operations Manager

Louise KavanaghHead of Human Resources

Lyndal BorrellQuality and Research Governance Manager

Mark CookClinical Collaborator

Mary ArdrenPost-doctoral Research Fellow

Maureen O’KeefeBoard Director

Mehrnaz ShoushtarianProject Leader — Tinnitus Imaging

Michael KohnIndustry Advisory Committee Member (2024–25 report)

Michael StilwellFundraising Committee Chair (2024–25 report)

Michelle BravoResearcher and Engineer

Mike YoungerBoard Director

Nara LiuPost-doctoral Research Fellow

Ned GillYoung Bionics Committee Member (2024–25 report)

Neil BalmeAmbassador — Epilepsy Research

Oscar MurphySenior Clinical Research Fellow

Pamela BatrouneyFundraising Committee Member (2024–25 report)

Paul FitzgeraldClinical Collaborator

Paul LefebvreBoard Director

Penina PongerClinical Collaborator

Peta GrigsbyAnimal Research Team Leader

Peter De CruzClinical Collaborator

Peter SeligmanSenior Scientific Mentor

Phil BinnsChair of the Board

Rachael RichardsonHead of Optogenetics Research Program

Rick GoldbergIndustry Advisory Committee Member (published news affiliation; current tenure unconfirmed)

Robert BriggsClinical Collaborator

Robert KlupacsChief Executive Officer · Industry Advisory Committee Chair (published news affiliation; current tenure unconfirmed)

Sally HerringClinical Research Support Team Leader

Sandra KentishBoard Director

Sarah OsbornSenior Clinical Research Specialist

Sean MooreBoard Director · Industry Advisory Committee Member (2024–25 report) · Fundraising Committee Member (2024–25 report)

Shereen OonClinical Collaborator

Sheridan LaingHead of Research Operations

Simon RichardsonHead of Information Technology

Sophie PayneHead of Vagus Nerve Stimulation Centre of Excellence

Stephanie TanIndustry Advisory Committee Member (published news affiliation; current tenure unconfirmed)

Stephen O’LearyClinical Collaborator

Tim LuscombeYoung Bionics Committee Member (2024–25 report)

Tomoko HyakumuraResearch Fellow

Veena D’SouzaHead of Finance

Werner van der MerweBoard Director

Will AndersonYoung Bionics Committee Member (2024–25 report)

Yingjie HuResearch and Development Engineer

Investments

$—Unknown date

Neo-Bionica

Bionics Institute

team@apexlogos.aiyesterday
John Stanhope Incubator Fund: named charitable incubator support established through a donation after former chair John Stanhope retired in 2025. Amount and exact donation day undisclosed. This is a named internal philanthropic research fund, not an outside-LP venture vehicle or an assumed rename of every BIF activity. Source: https://www.bionicsinstitute.org/latest-news-newsletter/seeding-innovation-through-the-john-stanhope-incubator-fund/ Reviewed 2026-10-07.
team@apexlogos.aiyesterday
Bionics Incubator Fund (BIF): internal philanthropic early-stage research program introduced in 2019. The Institute reports 24 supported feasibility projects over seven years; ten later attracted over AUD14M in government/philanthropic funding. That subsequent project funding is not a BIF fund close, fund size or new company-equity financing. Amount and exact establishment day undisclosed. Source: https://www.bionicsinstitute.org/latest-news-newsletter/seeding-innovation-through-the-john-stanhope-incubator-fund/ Reviewed 2026-10-07.
team@apexlogos.aiyesterday
Historical philanthropic project grant: The Ian Potter Foundation contributed AUD 100,000 to the Institute’s proposed medical-device prototype manufacturing facility. The 2022–23 annual report explains that this early project later developed into Neo-Bionica. Exact grant day is undisclosed. This funding belongs to the Institute’s predecessor project, not an additional Neo-Bionica equity investment. Source: https://www.bionicsinstitute.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/20231123_AnnualReport_2022-23.pdf Reviewed 2026-10-07.
team@apexlogos.aiyesterday
NHMRC VNS grant announcement: The Institute reports almost AUD 2.2M combined for a Development Grant led by James Fallon and an Ideas Grant led by Sophie Payne after the 2025 funding competition. Individual award amounts and exact award day are undisclosed. The aggregate is not recorded as two separate AUD 2.2M awards. Source: https://www.bionicsinstitute.org/latest-news-newsletter/vagus-nerve-stimulation-research-boosted-with-nhmrc-funding/ Reviewed 2026-10-07.
team@apexlogos.aiyesterday
Medical Research Future Fund grant: The Institute reports more than AUD 3.1M over five years for David Szmulewicz’s cerebellar ataxia research, including diagnostic tools and algorithms developed with the engineering team. The figure is a lower bound rather than an exact award amount; exact amount and award day are left undisclosed. Source: https://www.bionicsinstitute.org/latest-news-newsletter/mrff-grant-a-catalyst-for-cerebellar-ataxia-research-at-the-bionics-institute/ Reviewed 2026-10-07.
team@apexlogos.aiyesterday
NHMRC research grant: The 2023–24 annual report documents AUD 1,000,000 for James Fallon, Sophie Payne and Tomoko Hyakumura to develop continuous peripheral nerve activity recording. Exact award day is undisclosed. This project is distinct from the later VNS development and epilepsy research announcement. Source: https://www.bionicsinstitute.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/20241217_AnnualReport_23-24_Web.pdf Reviewed 2026-10-07.
team@apexlogos.aiyesterday
Charitable research loan: The 2023–24 annual report documents the Institute’s first Private Ancillary Fund loan of AUD 400,000. The lender and exact loan date are undisclosed. This is an actual research loan, separate from the general tax ruling that enabled such loans; no unnamed venture investor is created. Source: https://www.bionicsinstitute.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/20241217_AnnualReport_23-24_Web.pdf Reviewed 2026-10-07.
team@apexlogos.aiyesterday
Victorian Medical Research Acceleration Fund grant: AUD 500,000 for further EarGenie infant-hearing clinical trials, announced by the Victorian health minister in May 2023 according to the 2022–23 annual report. Exact day is undisclosed. The recipient is the Institute’s research project, not an assumed equity investment in a later spin-off company. Source: https://www.bionicsinstitute.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/20231123_AnnualReport_2022-23.pdf Reviewed 2026-10-07.
team@apexlogos.aiyesterday
Victorian Medical Research Acceleration Fund grant: AUD 500,000 to Sophie Payne, James Fallon and their team for a rheumatoid-arthritis vagus nerve stimulation trial planned for late 2024. Exact award day is undisclosed. This project is distinct from the 2023 EarGenie infant-hearing grant. Source: https://www.bionicsinstitute.org/latest-news-newsletter/vagus-nerve-device-vic-gov-funding-24/ Reviewed 2026-10-07.
team@apexlogos.aiyesterday
US Department of Defense research grant: The Institute reports AUD 1,670,000 for Andrew Wise and his team to develop nanotechnology-based hearing therapeutics towards clinical trials. The source expressly reports Australian dollars; no exchange-rate conversion is inferred. Exact award day is undisclosed. Source: https://www.bionicsinstitute.org/latest-news-newsletter/multi-million-dollar-grants/ Reviewed 2026-10-07.
team@apexlogos.aiyesterday
NHMRC Ideas Grant: AUD 1,150,000 for Rachael Richardson and her team to undertake preclinical research on hybrid optogenetic and electrical deep brain stimulation for Parkinson’s disease. Exact award day is undisclosed. This is a research grant, not a venture-equity round. Source: https://www.bionicsinstitute.org/latest-news-newsletter/multi-million-dollar-grants/ Reviewed 2026-10-07.
team@apexlogos.aiyesterday
Philanthropic research grant: The Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust awarded USD 3,189,010 on 9 July 2024 for 36 months of work on patient-specific adaptive electrical treatment for Crohn’s disease. The Institute’s annual report confirms July 2024, resolving the grantmaker’s US-format date 07.09.2024. Rounded figures of USD 3.2M or AUD 4.8M refer to this same award. The commitment does not establish that all cash was paid on the award date. Source: https://helmsleytrust.org/grants/the-bionics-institute-of-australia-20197567/ Reviewed 2026-10-07.