Canterbury Scientific reigns Supreme at Champion Awards

Canterbury Scientific reigns Supreme at Champion Canterbury Awards

Press release, 1 October 2012, Canterbury Scientific, Christchurch, New Zealand: Canterbury Scientific has won the Global Operator Award and the Supreme Award in the small enterprise class at the 2012 Champion Canterbury Awards. An audience of over 1100 regional business leaders attended the awards ceremony at Christchurch’s CBS Arena on Thursday 27 September.

Champion Canterbury is the pre-eminent business awards programme in the region, celebrating enterprise, resiliency and success in the region. The Global Operator category recognises innovative importers and exporters who contribute to Canterbury’s international reputation and the Supreme Award winner is selected from among the eight category winners.

“We were honoured and humbled when the Global Operator Award was announced, then to win the Supreme Award as well is truly incredible,” said Dr Neil Pattinson, CEO. “There are some outstanding business success stories in Christchurch and coming out on top was most unexpected. I was delighted to share the news with Dr Maurice Owen who was in Melbourne and Professor Robin Carrell in Cambridge, England, upon whose scientific research our primary product is based – they are ecstatic and very proud.

“These awards have put a spotlight on the whole bioscience sector in Canterbury, there’s a very strong research community here and we are on our way to building a centre of excellence. This distinction will further add to our reputation as a producer of high quality products that make a real difference in people’s lives, and also as a great place to build a career in science.”

“Canterbury Scientific was a stand-out entry this year. The judges were impressed with and inspired by their innovative, ethical product and solid business strategy,” said Peter Townsend, Chief Executive of the Canterbury Employers’ Chamber of Commerce, organiser of the awards programme. “It’s fantastic to see such an international success story that started right here in Christchurch and remains committed to the region.”

Canterbury Scientific’s submission was based largely on their innovative and ethical blood test control product, HbA1c, which has seen significant growth and is relied on by thousands of diabetes patients around the world to manage the disease. The product is distributed through relationships with global healthcare giants like Roche, Siemens and Beckman Coulter, and the company estimates it has captured 40% of US market share and 10% of European market share.

The company also makes significant ongoing investment in research and development of new diagnostic products. They cultivate strong partnerships with local and international scientific research communities, including the Canterbury District Health Board, Canterbury Health Laboratories, and the Universities of Canterbury, Otago, Cambridge and Shanghai to develop tests for problems such as pre-eclampsia, pancreatitis and cardiovascular disease. Their joint research project with the University of Canterbury’s Biomolecular Interaction Centre into tests for the secondary complications of diabetes was recently awarded almost $1 million from the Ministry of Business, Innovation & Employment as part of the 2012 High-Value Manufacturing and Services Research Fund.

The Champion Canterbury Awards, now in their tenth year, received over 350 nominations which were independently judged by 36 business and community leaders.

About Canterbury Scientific

Canterbury Scientific Ltd is a privately owned New Zealand medical device company founded out of the Canterbury District Health Board in 1985 by directors Prof Robin Carrell, Bryce Hawkins and Dr Maurice Owen. The company specialises in the development, production and export of quality HbA1c controls for haematology and clinical biochemistry tests which are prized for being highly reliable and ethical with enhanced stability and shelf life.

In February 2011, Canterbury Scientific opened a new $1.2m facility in Christchurch which has been specially furbished with modern sophisticated systems, including temperature and humidity control, to provide an advanced and sustainable environment comparable to world class manufacturing practices. The company was named as one of the Technology Investment Network’s Top 10 Hot Emerging Companies of 2011 and is a finalist in the Health and Science category of the 2012 New Zealand Innovators Awards. For more information visit www.canterburyscientific.com.

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