Collaborative Platform Fills Gap For Innovation Ecosystem
KiwiNet has launched a secure online platform to drive local and national innovation.
Wellington NZ, 19 July 2021
Te Tūapapa Auaha (Auaha) is a powerful customisable platform which works primarily by facilitating ‘challenges’ – a call for ideas or proposals - which are progressed from idea through selection to funding and delivery. Auaha is also designed to help organisations curate and progress ideas and proposals, and to promote, collect, manage, and track investment. It can facilitate competitive funding processes for industry sectors and government.
Alexandra Stuthridge, KiwiNet Commercialisation Manager and Chair of the KCA NZ network says Auaha fills a gap in the innovation ecosystem.
“Over the last 10 years, we have seen a desire by organisations to collaborate beyond traditional boundaries, and a strong cultural shift toward more open innovation. There has been clear demand for an open platform which facilitates a collective approach to drive greater innovation. It more effectively connects people, ideas, knowledge, and resources.”
The versatile platform can be used as a standalone system or can be plugged into existing web platforms enabling a seamless participant experience.
During its pilot phase, Auaha attracted more than 600 registered users, supported four regional innovation challenges as part of the ChristchurchNZ Supernode initiative and facilitated over $200K-worth of investment. A further five challenges are currently running and scheduled to run through the platform.
KiwiNet members AgResearch and Plant & Food Research deploy this platform to manage their internal ideation processes, plus contestable and devolved funding programmes.
Auaha is now available to any individual or organisation within the wider New Zealand innovation ecosystem.