Below are some examples of projects that have been successfully commercialised by Universities and CRIs and have the potential to generate significant economic returns for New Zealand.
Prof Sir Paul Callaghan
Magritek is a business which grew out of a decade of world-class research at both Victoria and Massey universities.
With venture capital from both universities, Magritek was incorporated through Viclink in 2004 to manufacture products based on Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) technology
NMR uses radio waves to investigate the make-up of materials and is a technology which has revolutionised science and medicine, most notably in the use of MRI scanning. Magritek manufactures and exports specialised, low-cost NMR products such as a small-scale machine used in universities to teach the technology behind MRI.
The science may be complex but the applications of Magritek products help explain what the technology is capable of. Magritek devices have been used for environmental research in Antarctica, non-invasive humidity measurements and understanding the dynamics of polymers and food on a molecular level.
http://www.magritek.com
ZyGEM™ Corporation Limited is a rapidly growing biotechnology company with innovative enzyme-based products and technologies developed from our exclusive collection of microorganisms from extreme environments.
Our ZyGEM brand, which includes our prepGEM™, forensicGEM™,
livestockGEM™ and RNAGEM™ family of products, enables nucleic acid extraction from diverse sample types for simple, accurate and rapid human and animal DNA testing. Our products provide significant advantages in ease-of-use and workflow over existing methods. This allows us to better serve life sciences customers in basic research, forensics, livestock and agriculture.
The keys to ZyGEM’s success include our staff, our collection of unique thermophilic enzymes and our commitment to creatively enhancing our customers’ productivity.
http://www.zygem.com
Eco-n™ is a product that reduces the environmental impacts of dairy farming and
increases farm productivity and sustainability.
The technology was developed by Lincoln University in partnership with and Ravensdown
Fertiliser Co-operative Ltd. A NZ patent for the technology was granted and sealed
on the 26th June 2011.
Eco-n was released onto the market in 2004 and sales have exceeded $5m p.a. since
2006. Farmers using the product typically achieve an extra $600/ha in profit from
milk production, while also substantially reducing nitrate leaching losses and mitigating
greenhouse gas emissions from their pastures.
The invention originated in a research programme funded by the Foundation for Research,
Science and Technology and conducted at Lincoln University. It was discovered that
treating soil with a nitrification inhibitor in anew innovative way can reduce nitrate
leaching losses from pastoral agriculture by up to 60 percent, reduce nitrous oxide
emissions by up to 70 percent, and increase pasture production by up to 20 percent.
Eco-n™ is a ‘win-win’ technology for both the farmer and the environment.
Ravensdown has invested heavily in the science of eco-n™, as well as its commercialisation.
The CEO of Ravensdown describes Eco-n as one of the major agri-technology developments
of recent times.
Read more about Eco-n
HTS-110 is the world’s leading company in the development of magnetic solutions utilising high temperature superconducting (HTS) wire.
HTS-110 was formed in 2004 to capitalise on the world-leading, twenty-five year research programme into HTS materials carried out by Industrial Research Ltd (IRL). Its major shareholders include Scott Technology, IRL and American Superconductor Corporation (AMSC).
HTS-110 has a range of products to suit demanding magnetic applications, with successful installations at leading scientific and industrial sites worldwide.
In March an exciting development took place. Dunedin-based, publicly listed company Scott Technology bought a majority stake in HTS-110. To find out more click here ...
Systems from HTS-110 offer:
http://www.hts110.co.nz/
Fifteen strand cable in a test rig, cable is capable of carrying 3000A.
Large high temperature superconducting Roebel cable winding machine. The machine winds fifteen Roebel strands to produce a cable capable of carrying up to 3000 amperes
General Cable Superconductors specialises in the production of 2nd generation HTS Roebel cable, blending cutting edge research with an extensive background in cable manufacture.
General Cable Superconductors was formed by Industrial Research Ltd and General Cable New Zealand as a Joint Venture company to develop and commercially manufacture High Temperature Superconductor (HTS) cabling in New Zealand.
The HTS cabling technology was the product of nineteen years of research at IRL into high temperature superconductors, much of it funded by Government through the Foundation for Research, Science and Technology and the Marsden Fund administered by the Royal Society of New Zealand. IRL developed a process where HTS wire can be effectively and cost-efficiently formed into a cable with the potential to carry high electrical currents with lower losses of energy
The cable will be useful in very high current rated devices such as large generators, transformers and motors and also in devices operating with AC current such as some magnets and induction heaters. A major customer for the cable is IRL’s spin-off company, HTS-110, which was formed in 2004 to transfer years of HTS research and development at IRL into a range of products.
http://www.gcsuperconductors.com
ArcActive Limited was spun out by Research & Innovation, at the University of Canterbury, to commercialise diverse applications of a unique carbon nanotube-laden substrate developed using a continuous, novel and inexpensive method of depositing carbon nanotubes on conducting substrates. The continuous production of carbon nanotubes and the ability to deposit them on various substrates has been a major bottleneck in advancing nanotube applications and bringing them to market, but with the advent of the novel approach developed by ArcActive, the manufacturing and technical hurdles have been circumvented. The implication of this is that carbon nanotube based devices that were previously seen as being not commercially viable are now able to be made.
ArcActive patented technologies have applications in a wide range of fields, including: