September 12, 2024
Meet FaBA’s new Business Development and Commercialisation Director
Dr Kasra Sabermanesh has joined FaBA as Director, Business Development and Commercialisation.
He brings more than a decade’s experience in innovation and commercialisation. Here, Kasra shares why he joined FaBA and what the Accelerator can offer to its Industry Participants.
What attracted you to your current role at FaBA?
Before joining FaBA I worked at Microba Life Sciences, where I developed a deep understanding of the gut microbiome, functional foods and its overall contribution to health. This role at FaBA appealed to me because it allows me to facilitate translating early-stage ideas into innovations in market that make an impact to a sector or community, which is what I enjoy most. FaBA presented an intriguing and unique opportunity to rapidly drive innovation for industry within a university setting.
My PhD is in crop physiology and molecular biology with a focus to sustainably increase food production for the growing population, so I’ve always had an interest in food innovation – my role at FaBA really indulges that interest.
What is your primary role at FaBA?
My primary goal is to deliver on FaBA’s key objectives, which include bringing 10 new ingredients and 20 new products to the Australian market, through industry-university collaborative research partnerships. While these numbers may seem basic, achieving them within FaBA’s relatively short lifespan would be a significant accomplishment.
Why should companies want to work with FaBA?
FaBA is designed to be highly beneficial for companies for three main reasons. Firstly, companies gain access to the infrastructure and expertise of all FaBA partner universities—The University of Queensland, QUT and the University of Southern Queensland. Second, we co-invest in research, contributing up to $2 million per project, which is very advantageous for companies. Lastly, the intellectual property resulting from the projects is owned by the company, making the process low-friction and highly beneficial.
What would you say to a company considering working with FaBA?
Engage with us as early as possible because investment is allocated to compelling proposals on a first-come, first-served basis. Once the investments are committed, they’re gone. Even if you’re just considering a project or aren’t sure where to start, reach out to FaBA. We can support you by matching our expertise to your needs and helping solve problems you may not even be aware of.