A biotech company in Western Australia's South-West will expand to produce high purity collagen products to penetrate the lucrative medical collagen market, putting WA at the forefront of the industry.
The McGowan Government is supporting Holista Colltech's expansion through a $501,250 grant from the Collie Futures Industry Development Fund.
Holista Colltech is a research-driven biotech company that has developed and patented a unique technique to produce high quality collagen from sheep skins, which it currently exports for use in cosmetics manufacturing in Asia and the European Union.
This project sees Holista Colltech expand its production to higher-quality medical-grade collagen.
The medical grade collagen will be used for wound healing aids in burn patients, reconstruction of bone, cosmetic surgery, and a wide variety of dental and surgical purposes.
The ASX-listed company has operated in Collie for 12 years and also has operations in Malaysia and North America. The Collie plant is Holista's only Australian collagen production facility.
The Collie Futures Industry Development Fund grant will go towards an expansion of the company's Collie production facility, by integrating new technology and upgrading plant equipment, and enable a four-fold increase in production to four tonnes of collagen per month.
As stated by Regional Development Minister Alannah MacTiernan:
"This is a fantastic opportunity to support a locally based biotech operation to expand its range of value-add products from the local agricultural industry.
"Our Government is proud to support local business to produce innovative and premium products that compete on a global stage.
"Holista has a strong track record operating in Collie for 12 years, with this expansion to enable six new full-time jobs to be created locally within the first three years.
"The project could potentially place Collie at the forefront of global collagen production for medical applications."
As stated by Collie-Preston MLA Jodie Hanns:
"The McGowan Government is delivering on its commitment to support economic diversification and local jobs in Collie.
"Projects like this help our local economy to grow, creating long-term jobs for local people and putting Collie on the map as a place to invest."
