Industry Interface activities - Annual Report 2020

29 March, 2021

We continue to develop long term relationships with companies aimed at supporting any research needs they identify over time, while enabling researchers to plan long term science portfolios that are relevant to these companies. These ‘Interface’ partners get to tap into our regular offerings (Industry Advisory Panels, internships, Commercial Skill Building, job postings and ongoing science outreach) and to advise us of future focused aspirations.

Our annual Industry Interface event, held within Techweek, was an online event but still managed to draw a highly engaged crowd. Entitled Advanced materials – Science careers that improve our world, the event featured a range of featured speakers alongside Zoom break-out room discussions:

• Jono Ring, CEO Zincovery, winner of the Callaghan C-Prize
• Veronica Harwood-Stevenson, CEO Humble Bee, developing advanced materials using biomimicry (from the nesting material of a solitary bee emerges a new chemical resistant, biodegradable fabric)
• Prof Jadranka Travas-Sejdic, Director of the Polymer Electronics Research Centre at The University of Auckland and a Principal Investigator at the MacDiarmid Institute
• Te Horipo Karaitiana, Ngati Kahungunu, Kurakura Kai Tahu, Kati Mamoe, Waitaha, Hawea. CEO Te Awanui Huka Pak

Our commercialisation and industry engagement activities continue to develop our next generation of startup, commercial and R&D leaders so that our graduates emerge into the market, ready to improve Aotearoa New Zealand’s R&D productivity. We continue to fund industry internships and are confident of the strong contribution our scientists are making (and will make) to local industry (see Into the Future).