2023 Awards categories and criteria
Breakthrough Innovator Award
The Breakthrough Innovator Award is awarded to a researcher who is embracing opportunities to commercialise their research.
This award recognises an upcoming entrepreneurial researcher who is making outstanding contributions to research commercialisation in New Zealand through technology licencing, start-up creation or commercial partnerships leading to the creation of new products and/or services from publicly-funded research.
Eligibility:
- Entry is open to New Zealand based researchers of any age, in the earlier stages of their research commercialisation journey e.g. typically up to 10 years after completing their PhD or entering the science arena professionally. The researcher must have collaborated effectively (with their tech transfer / commercialisation office and / or industry) to commercialise research in the five years prior to June 2022.
- The researcher’s work does not have to have received PreSeed Accelerator funding.
Breakthrough Project Award
The Breakthrough Project Award is awarded to a project that has recently achieved spin-out, license deal, or major capital raise, and demonstrates best practice commercialisation of publicly funded research.
This award celebrates excellence in core research commercialisation practices and processes (e.g. creative approaches to licencing, or the creation of robust start ups or spin outs) that are accelerating research to market and ensuring it is well positioned to deliver great impact for New Zealand.
Eligibility:
- Entry for this award is open to research organisations working with a third party (e.g. the private sector or the public sector in the case of health, education, social or environmental issues) to commercialise research produced by New Zealand’s publicly funded research organisations in the five years prior to June 2023.
- This project must have achieved its launch to success (i.e. exit from the research organisation via spin-out or license deal) within the last three years.
- The research upon which the partnership centers does not have to have received PreSeed Accelerator funding.
Researcher Entrepreneur Award
The Research Entrepreneur Award is awarded to a researcher who consistently delivers real world impact from their research.
This award recognises an experienced entrepreneurial researcher who has made outstanding contributions to research commercialisation impact in New Zealand through technology licencing, start-up creation or commercial partnerships leading to the creation of new products and/or services from publicly-funded research.
Eligibility:
- Entry is open to mid-to-later career New Zealand based scientists and researchers who work to commercialise research produced by public research organisations. The researcher’s work does not have to have received PreSeed Accelerator funding.
Commercialisation Professional Award
The Commercialisation Professional Award is awarded to a person who is having a significant impact on the commercialisation of publicly funded research.
This award recognises a commercialisation professional working within a New Zealand research organisation who has delivered outstanding outcomes through the commercialisation of publicly funded research.
Eligibility:
- Entry is open to experienced research commercialisation professionals across the board (whether Commercialisation Managers, IP Professionals, Business Development Managers, Contracts Managers, Portfolio Managers, Partnerships Managers, Project Engineers, Programme Managers etc), working within a New Zealand research organisation to commercialise research produced by New Zealand’s public research organisations.
- The research upon which the entry is based does not have to have received PreSeed Accelerator funding.
Commercialisation Impact Award
The Commercialisation Impact Award is awarded to a project that has been commercialised and is delivering real world impact.
This award celebrates excellence in research commercialisation delivering outstanding innovation performance and generating significant economic impact for New Zealand whether through financial, environmental, social or cultural outcomes, job creation, or direct or indirect impact on export earnings.
Eligibility:
- Entry for this award is open to research organisations working with the private sector to commercialise publicly NZ’s funded research in the five years prior to June 2023. The research upon which the partnership centers does not have to have received PreSeed Accelerator funding.
Commercialisation Icon Award
KiwiNet’s highest honour, bestowed by the KiwiNet team and past category winners, to recognise a quintessential champion of New Zealand’s research commercialisation community.
This individual has a high level of aspiration for research commercialisation as a catalyst to deliver prosperity for all. This is demonstrated by their unwavering commitment to substantially advancing the cause and activity of commercialisation of publicly funded research within New Zealand. Their body of work has made an outstanding impact on the research commercialisation ecosystem.
* No entries required. Candidates identifed and winner chosen by KiwiNet and previous winners.