Photo: Australian Export Awards

Leica Biosystems, which also won the GOVEA for Health and Biotechnology, designs and manufactures medical devices to simplify cancer diagnosis, cause less stress to patients and improve overall life expectancy.

By giving local exporters a platform to celebrate their achievements, the Andrews Labor Government is promoting Victoria’s high-quality products, skills and expertise.

The win by Lecia Biosystems shows the strength of Victoria’s medtech and pharma sector, with overall exports growing by 95 per cent since 2015. The sector now employs more than 23,000 people and generates $12 billion in revenue.

This year’s GOVEAs attracted entries from 49 exporters across the Victoria including many local businesses from regional Victoria.

All GOVEA winners are automatically entered in the Australian Export Awards held in November where a Victorian company has been crowned the nation’s top exporter for the last five years running.

The Labor Government is helping local companies tap into new export markets and has recently launched regional trade strategies for India, China, Southeast Asia and Latin America.

The Labor Government is also driving two-way trade with its overarching trade statement, export workshops, an inbound and outbound trade mission program and the biggest network of international Trade and Investment Offices of any state or territory in Australia.

Victorian exporters are incredibly important to the economy, generating more than $51.6 billion in 2017-18, an increase of 6.5 per cent from 2016-17.

The full list of GOVEA winners for 2018 can be found at trade.vic.gov.au/govea.