Gene Technology Access Centre

What Gene Technology Access Centre does

The Gene Technology Access Centre (GTAC) is a Victorian, Australia-based educational organisation founded in 2004 and headquartered at 77 Story Street, Parkville on the grounds of University High School, near the Melbourne CBD. GTAC operates as Victoria's specialist Life Sciences learning centre, delivering curriculum-aligned programs to Year 5 through VCE students and professional learning to teachers, with ~60 employees. Core offerings include on-site school group programs at GTAC's laboratories (capped at 60 students/day), outreach visits, virtual programs via polycom video conferencing, and a self-serve online learning management system with registered-teacher and student dashboards. Supporting products include an animation gallery of biological processes, teaching resources aligned with VCE Biology Units 1-4, the SIRE (Science Immersion Research Experience) work-experience program for Year 10 students, STEM kits such as 'Robots for a Better World' and 'Robo Pollinator', and student competitions including the Biomimicry blog and 'What Changed Your Mind?' COVID-19 vaccination awareness challenges.

GTAC's core technology comprises research-grade laboratory equipment (PCR machines, gel electrophoresis, electron and SEM scanning microscopes) and an in-house scientific animation studio whose productions (Clostridium tetani, Bordetella pertussis, Dynamic Cell, chemical signalling, life cycles) have won awards at the Doctors Without Borders Film Festival, BioImages, and the Raw Science Film Festival. The centre is embedded in Victoria's biomedical research ecosystem via partnerships with the Doherty Institute, Murdoch Children's Research Institute (MCRI), Walter and Eliza Hall Institute (WEHI), CSL, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, reNEWMelbourne (Novo Nordisk Foundation), and the University of Melbourne School of Botany, which supply practicing scientists and research content into GTAC programs.

GTAC's revenue model is primarily government grant-based: the Victorian Department of Education and Training (DET) fully subsidises program costs (and provides travel rebates) for rural government schools and metropolitan disadvantaged government schools, aligning with DET's equity-of-access policy. Other government and independent schools are invoiced on a per-student, per-booking basis with a 7-day payment window; teacher registration is free. Leadership is provided by Director Jacinta Duncan. The organisation is independently operated, holds ABN 88 625 201 971, and serves a network of over 400 Victorian schools spanning all regions of the state.

Name

Gene Technology Access Centre

Legal name

Gene Technology Access Centre

Website

https://gtac.edu.au

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

GTAC is Victoria's specialist Life Sciences education centre, delivering curriculum-aligned on-site, outreach, and virtual programs plus online learning resources to Year 5 through VCE students and teachers across a network of 400+ Victorian schools, funded primarily by the Victorian Department of Education and Training.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Life Sciences Education Services

NAICS

Educational Support Services (61171)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Public Virtual & Blended Learning Programs (District-Run) (EDAJAAAI)

Keywords

• Life sciences education
• School STEM programs
• Science teacher professional learning
• Student science competitions
• Biology curriculum support

Headquarters

HQ city

Parkville

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Government Funding: GTAC receives funding from the Victorian Department of Education and Training (DET). Rural government school students are fully subsidised for program costs by DET and are eligible for assistance with travel costs. Metropolitan disadvantaged schools also qualify for fully subsidised program costs.
2. Program Fees (Non-subsidised Schools): Schools not classified as rural government or metropolitan disadvantaged incur a small cost per student for on-site programs, outreach visits, and virtual programs. These fees are invoiced 10 business days prior to booking dates.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

GTAC delivers life-sciences education programs to Victorian schools through on-site visits to its Parkville laboratories, outreach visits to rural and disadvantaged schools, and virtual programs via video conferencing. It supplements these hands-on programs with online learning courses, teaching resources, professional learning for VCE Biology teachers, the SIRE work-experience program, and a library of proprietary scientific animations. Schools register teachers and book programs through the GTAC website, with rural and metropolitan disadvantaged government schools receiving fully subsidised access via the Victorian Department of Education and Training.

Product overview

Gene Technology Access Centre (GTAC) offers a unified educational platform for life sciences learning, serving Victorian students and educators through a portfolio of interconnected programs and resources. The core offerings include school group programs (onsite at GTAC in Parkville, outreach, and virtual delivery), online learning modules, teaching resources, and professional learning for teachers. GTAC provides specialized programs like the Science Immersion Research Experience (SIRE) work experience initiative, student competitions (Biomimicry blog and What Changed Your Mind?), and a Scientific Animation Gallery. STEM kits and outreach programs extend GTAC's reach to rural and disadvantaged schools, while the Student Dashboard provides registered learners access to materials. These offerings work together to deliver GTAC's mission of providing innovative life sciences education through engagement with practicing scientists, contemporary knowledge, and technology.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• SIRE (Science Immersion Research Experience): Work experience program for secondary school students offering opportunities to work within the GTAC team using research grade equipment and conducting cutting edge science experiments.

Products and services

• School Group Programs Hands-on life sciences programs for Year 5 to VCE students delivered through three modes — on-site at GTAC's Parkville laboratories, outreach visits to rural and disadvantaged schools, and virtual sessions via polycom video conferencing. Schools book programs and students engage with practising scientists using research-grade equipment on topics including cells, genetics, biotechnology, pathogens and immunology, evolution, ecosystems, and chemical signalling.
• Online Learning Modules Freely available online courses on life sciences topics accessible for use in class or at home, accessible via the GTAC website by registered teachers and students. Modules cover life sciences curriculum areas and integrate with the centre's scientific animations and learning resources.
• Teaching Resources Life sciences teaching resources and tools for Victorian teachers, including secondary and primary resources, with sample student responses and curriculum-aligned materials accessible via the teacher portal.
• Professional Learning for Teachers Full-day professional development programs for teachers, particularly VCE Biology teachers, including sessions on Unit 3 Biology curriculum delivery and contemporary life sciences content.
• Science Immersion Research Experience (SIRE) A 5-day work experience program for Year 10 secondary students offering opportunities to work within the GTAC team using research-grade equipment and conducting cutting-edge science experiments, with tours at partner research institutes including the Doherty Institute, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, Walter and Eliza Hall Institute, CSL, and Melbourne University School of Botany.
• Scientific Animations Library of proprietary 3D scientific animations illustrating biological processes such as cell dynamics, chemical signalling, pathogens (tetanus, whooping cough), insulin, antidiuretic hormone, and life cycles, created by GTAC's scientific animators in collaboration with biomedical animator Dr. Maja Divjak. Animations feature in GTAC programs, online courses, teaching resources, and the GTAC YouTube channel and have won multiple international awards.
• STEM Kits and Outreach Programs Hands-on science learning kits delivered through outreach visits to rural and metropolitan schools, including 'Robots for a Better World' for coding and robotics and 'Robo Pollinator' for studying pollination, with GTAC visiting schools free of charge (rural government and metropolitan disadvantaged schools) or on a fee basis (other schools).

Quantifiable outcome

• 76% of birds recognised and avoided Ornilux bird-safe glass in testing
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Doherty Institute (Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGTAC collaborates with scientists from the Doherty Institute for student mentorship and competition judging. Scientists from the institute serve as guest judges for GTAC competitions like the 'What changed your mind?' competition, providing expertise and engagement with students.
• reNEWMelbourne (Novo Nordisk Foundation)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGTAC collaborates with reNEWMelbourne to bring stem cell science programs to students. The collaboration brings researchers from Murdoch Children's Research Institute and offers free programs for students in Years 9-11 to explore stem cell science and cancer research at GTAC.
• Murdoch Children's Research InstitutecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearchers from the Murdoch Children's Research Institute participate in GTAC programs, particularly in stem cell and cancer research programs delivered in collaboration with reNEWMelbourne.
• Melbourne University School of BotanyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerGTAC SIRE program students visit the Melbourne University School of Botany for herbarium tours and access to advanced microscopes including SEM scanning microscopes for molecular-level imaging.
• Peter MacCallum Cancer CentreminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerGTAC SIRE program includes tours of the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre where students learn about hippo gene research, cell mutations, tumour research, and zebra fish experimentation for liver cancer research.
• CSLminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerGTAC SIRE program includes tours of CSL facilities as part of the work experience program, exposing students to world-class science research environments.
• Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical ResearchminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerGTAC SIRE program includes tours of the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research as part of the science immersion experience for secondary school students.
• Dr. Maja Divjak (Biomedical Animator)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDr. Maja Divjak creates stunning 3D scientific animations for GTAC, including the Bordetella pertussis and Whooping Cough, Dynamic Cell, insulin, and antidiuretic hormone animations. Her animations feature in GTAC programs and YouTube channel.
• Genepool Productions (Sonya Pemberton)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerGTAC acknowledges Sonya Pemberton, Creative Director of Genepool Productions, for use of whooping cough footage from the documentary 'Jabbed- love, fear and vaccines' in their Bordetella pertussis animation.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• PhET Interactive Simulations (University of Colorado Boulder): Free, research-based interactive science and mathematics simulations used widely in K-12 classrooms. Complementary/competing digital resource to GTAC's online learning modules, with similar mission of making contemporary science accessible to school students.
• Labster: Virtual lab simulation platform for life sciences and STEM education widely adopted in secondary and tertiary settings. Competes with GTAC's lab-based offerings as a scalable digital alternative for schools that cannot access research-grade equipment.
• BioBus: New York-based mobile science education program that brings research-grade microscopes and lab experiences to underserved schools. Comparable to GTAC's outreach and equity focus, with a similar mission of democratising access to research-grade life sciences experiences.

Direct peers

• Questacon — National Science and Technology Centre: Australia's national science centre delivering interactive STEM education programs and exhibits to schools and the public. Most direct domestic peer to GTAC, sharing the mission of supplementing classroom science with hands-on engagement and contemporary research exposure.
• Science Centre Singapore: Singapore's flagship science education centre with school programs, exhibits, and digital resources emphasising life sciences and STEM. Comparable to GTAC in mission, audience (school groups), and content focus, with a similar mix of on-site and outreach delivery.
• Centre of the Cell (Queen Mary University of London): UK-based life sciences education centre focused on biomedicine and cell biology for school students, with hands-on lab programs and digital resources. Highly comparable to GTAC's life sciences focus, university/institute partnership model, and K-12 audience.
• Science Gallery (Trinity College Dublin / Global Network): Global network of science engagement venues targeting younger audiences with contemporary science exhibitions and school programs. Comparable to GTAC in marrying frontier research with youth audiences, with similar university anchoring and life sciences content.
• Scienceworks (Museums Victoria): Victorian science-focused museum offering school programs, exhibitions, and STEM learning experiences. Closest geographic peer to GTAC with overlapping audiences (Victorian schools) and a similar mix of on-site, outreach, and digital STEM education.

Broad incumbents

• California Science Center: Large US science centre with school programs, exhibits, and educator resources covering life sciences. Comparable to GTAC's general mission of supplementing K-12 STEM learning with hands-on engagement, though at much larger scale.

Regional players

• Scitech (Perth): Western Australian science centre providing school and public STEM programming comparable to GTAC's model. Operates in a parallel state-funded structure with similar outreach to regional and disadvantaged schools, but serves a different geography.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@gtac
• Facebookfacebook.com/GTACedu
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/gtacedu
• Instagraminstagram.com/gtacedu

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Gene Technology Access Centre