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Kia ora commercialisation leaders,

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Welcome back to the The Low Down! It’s hard to believe it’s March already, and there’s plenty going on in the commercialisation space.

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We’ve kicked off a new series so you can learn about the scope of knowledge and expertise on the KiwiNet Investment Committee. Also, be sure to mark upcoming events in your calendar!

A friendly reminder that Q1 2023 reporting will be due on Fluxx on the 17th of April.

We are thrilled to launch this series in the Low Down, introducing the diverse pool of talent and expertise of the people that sit on KiwiNet’s Investment Committee.

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We are kicking off this series with Rebecca Warr, IP & Commercialisation Manager at the University of Canterbury, and Peter Cook, General Manager - Business Development at Plant and Food Research.

Rebecca Warr | University of Canterbury

Rebecca completed a PhD in inorganic chemistry at the Australian National University, generating primarily academic impact. Following this, she worked on a much more applied postdoctoral research project at the University of Nottingham that was driven by an industry need.

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It was during her postdoc project that she realised the academic pathway wasn’t for her, so when she returned to NZ, she secured a role in early-stage start up, Izon Science. Looking back on this time, she says she enjoyed the “exhausting, challenging but very rewarding” elements of taking Kiwi innovation to the world.

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Her experience gives her an understanding on drivers from both perspectives. This allows her to help researchers embarking on their commercialisation journey to connect the two worlds. Exciting projects Rebecca has been involved in include Maggie-Lee Huckabee’s MedTech spin out – SwalTech, 3D printed chromatography spin-out, Precision Chroma, and zinc recycling spin-out, Zincovery.

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She says seeing the diverse range of ground-breaking research is what she enjoys about her role on the IC. “It’s exciting seeing the vast array of innovative technologies being developed in NZ research institutes and the collegial environment of helping move these projects one step closer to commercialisation and benefit to NZ.”

Peter Cook | Plant and Food Research

Peter got a taste for research commercialisation through his interactions with the University of Queensland’s tech transfer office, UniQuest, whilst undertaking his PhD.

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In a former life, Peter was a scientist, so he can relate to why scientists get out of bed in the morning – to make a positive impact through research. Now, as a commercialisation professional, he knows how a viable business model can help accelerate that pathway to impact, and works with scientists to realise this mission.

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A special career milestone for Peter was doing a postdoc at the University of Oxford. He then did a stint in Australia’s research policy space working with the leading medical research institutes across the country.

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He also enjoyed being part of the World Mosquito Program at Monash University scaling and testing a novel biocontrol technology across the globe. He reflects on his arrival in NZ, saying “it was great to see a flourishing research ecosystem working on interesting and innovative technologies.”

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In 2020, Peter joined the board of deep tech start-up of Scentian Bio, which has recently been awarded a US $1.7m grant by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

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Peter is passionate about new technologies that help make our food and fibre industries more sustainable. And more importantly, innovations that make beer taste better!

Applications now open for the FFA Challenge!

Do you have an idea, research or product that could make a positive impact on the food and fibre sector?

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The Food, Fibre and Agritech (FFA) Challenge 2023 is an eight-week pre-accelerator that aims to equip individuals and teams with a venture idea, research, or a non-commercialised product to develop viable solutions for the sector.