The government authority's approval is the first known sign-off on a wave of new technology aimed at assisting health services fight against the coronavirus pandemic.

The state government has also backed the innovation and has placed the first order for the Ballarat-designed ventilators, known as the GeVentor.

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The company, which is based on Learmonth Road and normally specialises processing and mining solutions, made a highly inventive move in a very different direction earlier this year.

During the initial lockdown phase of COVID-19 across the country, the news that one of the founders of the company, Sandy Gray, had put together a prototype ventilator with support from Ballarat anaesthetist Doug Paxton, was a rare local good news story.

The news of the work he had done which spread much further afield than Ballarat, with interest from media across the country.

It was perhaps the most striking example of how businesses in the local area were adapting to the crisis.

At that time, the prospect of the hospitals being swamped by patients was urgent and alarming. However, the process for approval slowed down slightly in the following weeks, largely due to the initial success the country had at pushing new cases down.

Victoria also has an adequate supply of ventilators to tackle the COVID-19 crisis for now - even with the recent surge across the state.

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Gekko project manager Scott Baker told The Courier that the support from suppliers had been "pretty overwhelming".

"People have poured their heart and souls into this and I have seen some people absolutely drained, their tanks completely emptied on this job, working ridiculous days just trying to get it done," he said.

"To see this go through and go into manufacturing, it would be a fantastic feeling."

Gekko founder and managing director Elizabeth Lewis-Gray said the most likely markets for export would be in countries such as Indonesia, the Philippines and India. She said the company was talking to trade representatives to try and get up the business.

"We just want to go and make sure it's used somewhere," she said.

"I hate to think of all those people around the world who don't have access to a ventilator when we've got something we can help them with. We're very optimistic about going into manufacture."

The GeVentor features low gas and power consumption and can be operated using batteries and an oxygen bottle, making it ideal for more remote and regional health centres.

The unit is transportable, unlike traditional intensive care ventilators which are not designed for mobility and the unit is also far more affordable than existing ventilators on the market.

Gekko Medical's GeVentor has attracted interest from humanitarian organisations that aim to supply ventilators to developing countries. The affordability and rugged construction of the GeVentor will be significant advantages in these settings, according to a media release.

Mr Gray said in a statement he hoped the approval would signal the beginning of a "burgeoning medical technology hub in Ballarat".

"We are proud to have developed a ventilator that can help save the lives of COVID-19 patients around the world, particularly in developing countries that don't have the equipment they need to cope with the pandemic," he said.

"This is a Ballarat success story brought about through the collaboration between local manufacturers and medical experts, with the support of the Ballarat community. It is wonderful that a product developed and now manufactured in regional Victoria will help people around the world."

State Minister for Innovation, Medical Research and the Digital Economy Jaala Pulford said in a statement it was "terrific to see a Ballarat company leading the country in designing and producing ventilators".

"It means continued jobs not just for Gekko but for companies all along the supply chain," she said.

Health Purchasing Victoria has placed an order for 170 ventilators with Gekko Systems after the company's machine was provided with a production exemption from the TGA.

The project received early support from the Buninyong and District Community Bank, which committed $60,000.

The bank's community investment director Steve Falconer said in a statement they did not hesitate when the call came to back "Team Ballarat".

"The GeVentor project demonstrates Community Bank purpose in action, for the benefit of many communities," he said.

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"Our funding is helping to build capacity, strength and resilience in Australia's health care network, bringing the possibility of improving lives in remote communities around the world."

Several other Ballarat organisations also played an important role, including Ballarat Health Services and tech incubator Runway Ballarat.

The Committee for Ballarat's chief executive Michael Poulton, who was in the shed days after Mr Gray began work to see the project for himself, said in a statement the community support, particularly from the Buninyong and District Community Bank, was "critical to (the project's) ultimate success and to achieving additional Victorian government funding.

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