KiwiNet on the hunt for NZ’s best research commercialisation for 2015 Awards
Hamilton, NZ, 22 January 2015 – Entries are open for the 2015 KiwiNet Research Commercialisation Awards. The KiwiNet Awards celebrate the
achievements of individuals, teams and organisations, who are transforming clever science into valuable commercial
ventures in New Zealand. Entries are open until 27 February.
"We want to turn the spotlight onto some great stories about turning scientific discovery into commercial success from
within our universities and crown research institutes," says KiwiNet General Manager, Dr Bram Smith. “These new
innovations will play a vitally important part of New Zealand’s future as they will be central to the formation of new
companies that will grow our economy.”
“By highlighting these stories we can not only acknowledge the great efforts of people involved in research
commercialisation but also expose potential collaborators, customers and investors to a new wave of innovation and a
world of new opportunities,” says Dr Smith.
The Awards are the pinnacle of KiwiNet activities, designed to build knowledge and inspire research commercialisation
success. The Kiwi Innovation Network is a consortium of universities, Crown Research Institutes and a Crown Entity,
established to boost commercial outcomes from publicly funded research.
The Awards are open to entrepreneurial researchers, business and science collaborators and research partnerships who
have commercialised publicly funded research.
The 2015 KiwiNet Research Commercialisation Awards categories are:
• Commercialisation Collaboration Award
• Researcher Entrepreneur Award
• Research & Business Partnership Award
• Commercial Deal Award
• Supreme Award
• People's Choice Award
Dr Smith says, “Through the Awards we’ve uncovered many inspiring examples of researchers who crossed the divide between
the research and business worlds, leveraging their discoveries to build successful commercial ventures. The profile past
winners have received has in some cases helped the organisations and people involved to even greater success.”
KiwiNet’s BNZ Supreme Award in 2014 went to The University of Canterbury and Tait Communications who also won the Minter
Ellison Rudd Watts Research and Business Partnership Award for their Wireless Network Partnership to develop technology
in LTE broadband, narrowband mobile radio, coverage extension, enhanced reliability and situational awareness.
The Commercial Deal Award winner was Kifunensine from Glycosyn, Callaghan Innovation.
TiTeNZ, a collaboration between the University of Waikato, Callaghan Innovation, GNS Science, Auckland University, the
Titanium Industry Development Association (TIDA) and a number of industry partners won the AJ Park Commercialisation
Collaboration Award.
Researcher Entrepreneur for 2014 was Alistair Jerrett, for his work in seafood technologies at Plant & Food Research. Plant & Food Research and Precision Seafood Harvesting won the People’s Choice Award.
2015 KiwiNet winners will be announced at an awards reception, on 17th Junein Auckland, sponsored by BNZ, AJ Park,
Minter Ellison Rudd Watts and Sciencelens photography.
For more on the KiwiNet Research Commercialisation Awards visitwww.kiwinet.org.nz
About KiwiNet
The Kiwi Innovation Network (KiwiNet) comprises universities and crown research institutes and agencies working together
to increase the scale and impact of scientific and technology based innovation in New Zealand. KiwiNet’s role is to
empower those involved in research commercialisation by helping them access the tools, connections, investment and
support they need. By working together, KiwiNet aims to better leverage the combined capability of NZ research
organisations and help each other to achieve greater commercial outcomes for New Zealand. KiwiNet partner organisations
include WaikatoLink, Plant & Food Research, Otago Innovation Ltd, Lincoln University, AUT Enterprises, AgResearch, University of Canterbury,
Callaghan Innovation, Viclink, Landcare Research, Cawthron Institute, ESR and NIWA. Principal support is also provided
by the Ministry of Business, Innovation & Employment (MBIE).