What happens when employees are empowered to think like scientists? For Australian Natural Therapeutics Group (ANTG), it’s resulted in national recognition – winning the Cannabiz Award for Innovation for its BRIGHT Program, a groundbreaking platform where staff transform ideas into research that directly benefits patients and healthcare providers across Australia.
We know what you’re thinking – what exactly is the BRIGHT Program, and what does it mean for Armidale? Justin Sinclair, Chief Scientific Officer for ANTG has the answer.
“The BRIGHT Program means scientists and non-scientists alike can collaborate on real-world research. For Armidale, it means being at the centre of medical innovation, linking jobs, research, and education opportunities with UNE and beyond, and that’s something the whole region can be proud of.”
That sounds like a big deal, because it is.
“This is the first time a cannabis company has created a program of this scale in Australia – where employees are empowered to directly contribute to scientific literature.”
Designed primarily for participation by in-house ANTG staff, outside academic contributions are also encouraged. The BRIGHT Initiative extends beyond ANTG’s walls, creating a two-way collaborative interface between ANTG and universities such as the University of New England (UNE), as well as other higher education or vocational providers. Why? Because education and progress are at BRIGHT’s very core.
“The initiative’s main educational focus is to harness the full potential of ANTG’s workforce as operations scale to meet increasing medicinal cannabis demand. ANTG employees are not just workers – they’re pioneers in a field combining healthcare, technology, and agriculture.
“By investing in training and education, ANTG strengthens its capacity to innovate and lead in an industry with significant therapeutic potential for millions of Australians. It’s an opportunity for ANTG staff to ideate and collaborate with colleagues on scientific projects that push forward both company and industry knowledge about medicinal cannabis,” adds Justin.
UNE invited into the fold
UNE students from disciplines such as Science, Pharmacy, Horticulture, and Plant Sciences are invited to develop novel research projects, but often need access to licensed facilities or specialist expertise, which ANTG can provide.
“For example, UNE Pharmacy Honours students recently completed a vape research project onsite at ANTG’s Armidale facility, leveraging ANTG’s licensing and industry knowledge,” says Justin.
“This project is a testament to how collaborative these partnerships can be. Such opportunities are not limited to honours students and can include Masters by Research or PhD candidates.”
ANTG has already demonstrated its commitment to knowledge advancement by sponsoring staff members to undertake a PhD and is now actively advertising its capacity to host UNE students across applicable scientific disciplines.
Science at the heart of innovation
Science – from the Latin scientia, meaning ‘knowledge’ – is a systematic methodology that develops and organises knowledge and information based on observation, experimentation and reasoning. This scientific method not only drives innovation and progress, but is in a constant state of evolution, regularly replacing old views and previously established facts with new knowledge that comes to light and supersedes it.
“While science is deeply rooted in the academic environments of universities and colleges – where professors and their research students contribute most of humanity’s new knowledge – industry also plays a vital role,” says Justin.
“ANTG is committed to providing a continuous learning environment for our employees, ensuring that knowledge development and collaboration are accessible. Importantly, one does not need to hold a doctorate or degree to participate in scientific research… they can work alongside experienced mentors to realise BRIGHT ideas and turn them into tangible and meaningful projects.”
Why vaping research matters
The BRIGHT Program’s first project focused on a contentious topic: vaping. Most Australians are familiar with tobacco vapes, also known as e-cigarettes, often linked to nicotine use and public health concerns, but medicinal cannabis vapes are different – they provide therapeutic relief without the harmful by-products of combustion. Despite this distinction, negative headlines about vaping have infiltrated the medical space, leaving patients and prescribers caught in the crossfire. ANTG’s response? Conduct a study to gather hard data and help healthcare practitioners make informed choices.
Led by ANTG’s Director of R&D, Aaron Widdowson, alongside ANTG colleagues and a PhD student from NICM Health Research Institute at Western Sydney University, the study analysed the performance of medicinal cannabis vape cartridges.
The findings were groundbreaking…
- A five-second inhalation caused little to no degradation of active cannabis compounds (cannabinoids and terpenes).
- Vape cartridges were more efficient, more precise, and more stable than vaporised flower.
- ANTG’s ACTIVE Pulse™ technology removed variability between users, delivering consistent, reliable doses.
These results are now under peer review for publication in a high impact factor journal and will be freely available worldwide. The outcome? Accurate dosage guidelines for health professionals and safer, more consistent dosing for patients.
Knowledge builds capability
ANTG’s approach goes beyond traditional training. We want to achieve this by expanding in-house training opportunities and programs that encourage staff to actively participate in innovation. Our priorities are staff retention, knowledge building and advancing high-level training. Despite these priorities, there are significant challenges in effectively integrating and expanding in-house training opportunities tailored to the specific needs of a rapidly growing sector.
“You can always do more if you know more. If we had every single member of the team engaged in some level of training, the results will only be good.” – Nathan Wells, Armidale Site Manager
Words – supplied by ANTG | Photography Jim A. Barker
