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C3 - Annual Report 2025
20 June, 2026
The inaugural Commercial Crystallisation Cohort (C3) programme brought together research teams from across the Institute to lay the groundwork for developing commercial applications of their discoveries.
Jami Shepherd and Natalie Plank at C3
Throughout this year, five teams have experienced regular advisory meetings with experienced specialists from aligned technology, investment and market areas. Quarterly workshops provided best practice approaches to intellectual property development, market validation, team development, business models and capital strategy. Through peer review and regular guidance and report back sessions, the cohort have made excellent progress towards becoming investor ready. The final workshop will present the projects to investors for further guidance and feedback ahead of potential capital raises in 2026.
The projects supported on the inaugural C3 programme
- A green chemistry process for solvent- and additive-free polymerisation of acrylates. Led by Associate Professor Erin Leitao.
- Carbon nanotube based artificial neural network devices - novel semiconductor chips for edge computing. Led by Associate Professor Natalie Plank and Marissa Dierkes.
- Singlet fission enhanced perovskite solar cells - a printable material layer for next generation solar panels for more efficient electricity capture. Led by Associate Professor Nathaniel Davis.
- Multidimensional reservoir computing - hardware system for fast and efficient training of machine learning models. Led by Dr Jami Shepherd and Professor Simon Brown.
- Scalable cryogenic memory technology for superconducting and quantum computing. Led by Professor Ben Ruck and Dr Simon Granville.
The C3 programme helped me understand the key considerations and decision-making required when commercialising university technology. We were paired with an advisor who provided valuable mentorship and was a regular sounding board as we navigated the start-up process, technology transfer, and early investor relationships. The programme's timing was ideal for our project, as we progressed from filing a provisional patent to securing our first investment while participating. I also found that my professional network expanded significantly through the contacts made during the programme, which I expect will be one of the most valuable long-term outcomes.
Jami Shepherd C3 participant
The C3 programme brings an important complementary perspective to the researchers' technical excellence; mentors and support to help the teams see their innovation in a commercial light, and understand the needs and challenges of the journey of bringing technology to market.
Michael Lakeman Principal, Rock Stack C3 advisor
We are delighted that McDiarmid has established the Seed Fund and the C3 programme. These stand out amongst other project and skills development programmes through the focus on what is most relevant for materials science, to support their developing projects towards commercialisation outcomes. My participation in one of the C3 workshops was very rewarding.
Ela Romanowska Senior Commercialisation Manager, Wellington UniVentures
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