2024 Awards categories and criteria
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Sprout Agritech 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 2024.
- The researcher’s work does not have to have received PreSeed Accelerator funding.
PwC Breakthrough Project Award
The Breakthrough Project Award is awarded to a project that has recently launched to success (via spin-out, licensing, capital raise etc.) 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 2024.
- The research upon which the partnership centers does not have to have received PreSeed Accelerator funding.
BNZ 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.
KCA Commercialisation Rising Star Award
The Commercialisation Rising Star Award is awarded to a developing commercialisation professional who is making valuable contributions to the creation of excellent commercialisation outcomes.
This award recognises an entrepreneurial early-mid career commercialisation professional working within a New Zealand research organisation who is actively supporting research innovations to generate significant real-world impact.
Eligibility:
- Entry is open to research commercialisation professionals across the board, who are in the early-mid stages of their career (less than ~6 years’ experience).
- Applicants can be working across any area of commercialisation, from commercialisation advisors/specialists to IP professionals, business development, programme managers, portfolios and partnerships, project engineers 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.
AJ Park 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 impact for New Zealand whether environmental, social, 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 8 years prior to June 2024. 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.
Momentum Student Entrepreneur Award
This award recognises a highly motivated university student who looks beyond the science and sees the prize - how their idea can change the world. The student is making outstanding contributions to business innovation or has created innovative businesses in New Zealand. This could be through technology licencing, start-up creation or by providing expertise to support business innovation.
Entries for this Award are managed and judged by Momentum & Return on Science. More details about entering this category will be released by Momentum at a later date.