Zespri and Comvita vie for award

Two major Bay of Plenty companies and their research partners are among the finalists in the third annual KiwiNet Research Commercialisation Awards.

Zespri and Comvita are both vying for the Minter Ellison Rudd Watts Research & Business Partnership Award, the winner of which will be announced in June.

Dr Ralf Schlothauer is part of Comvita New Zealand Limited's Innovation team which is a finalist in the KiwiNet Research Commercialisation Awards.

Comvita is a finalist for its work with the Institute for Innovation in Biotechnology at the University of Auckland, and Zespri with Plant & Food for their joint response to the 2010 outbreak of the vine disease Psa.

'The 2015 Awards have uncovered more inspiring success stories of talented researchers pushing business to the frontiers of high-tech innovation,” says KiwiNet General Manager Dr Bram Smith.

The clever science innovations that have crossed the divide between the research and business worlds include multi-story buildings from renewable resources, big data software and a sustainable alternative to polystyrene.

Also included is flavour in hops, CT colour cameras that look inside the human body for better diagnosis, an expert forensics DNA software system and marine toxins enabling better global seafood safety.

'These unsung heroes of the research community are quietly making an enormous contribution to business innovation across a diverse range of sectors,” says Bram.

'Their work is delivering a new wave of products, services and processes that help to underpin strong economic growth in New Zealand built on cutting edge innovation.”

All finalists will deliver a presentation in the final stage of judging on June 17 in Auckland. Winners will be announced at a reception that evening.

SunGold kiwifruit is a Psa-V tolerant cultivar developed by Plant & Food and Zespri.

The 2015 KiwiNet Research Commercialisation Awards Finalists are:

Researcher Entrepreneur Award:

  • Dr Ron Beatson, Plant & Food Research: New Zealand's Hops Man – developing specialty hops
  • Prof Andy Buchanan, University of Canterbury: Multi-story buildings from renewable resources
  • Prof Phil Butler, University of Canterbury: Creating a colour CT imaging industry for NZ
  • Dr Stephen J. Sowerby, University of Otago: Facilitating academic culture change with an applied science exemplar

Minter Ellison Rudd Watts Research & Business Partnership Award:

  • The Biopolymer Network (BPN) and Barnes Plastics: ZealaFoam - a sustainable alternative to polystyrene
  • Institute for Innovation in Biotechnology at the University of Auckland and Comvita New Zealand Ltd - accelerating innovation by promoting research projects and producing commercially relevant outcomes
  • Plant & Food Research and Zespri - A science and industry response to PSA outbreak

PwC Commercial Deal Award:

  • Cawthron Institute: Cawthron Marine Toxins - Enabling Better Global Seafood Safety
  • Plant & Food Research: Revolutionising plant variety commercialisation - An evolution from transactional plant sales based royalties to participation in commercial success
  • ESR: STRmix - An expert software system which allows analysts to resolve more DNA mixtures
  • University of Waikato: 11 Ants Analytics - Big data software creating international interest

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