Hamilton, New Zealand - 7 August 2025
This year’s 2025 KiwiNet Research Commercialisation Awards celebrate 18 exceptional finalists leading the charge in turning bold ideas into real-world breakthroughs. These pioneers are translating cutting-edge research from universities, Crown Research Institutes, and research organisations into powerful technologies, thriving businesses, and tangible economic benefits for Aotearoa and beyond.
The KiwiNet Awards shine a spotlight on New Zealand’s deep tech talent - research entrepreneurs, innovators, and commercialisation professionals. This year’s diverse finalists include innovations such as a portable stroke detection device, a biological forecasting platform for marine farmers, sustainable haircare tablets, a university course guidance platform, space technology, skin cancer diagnostics technology, and plant and food breakthroughs ranging from hops to potatoes. Other highlights include marine biofuel, clean-tech innovations, animal vaccination technologies, a breakthrough drug for depression and anxiety, decarbonised metal refining, wearable health tech, and CAR-T therapy breakthroughs for cancer treatment.
KiwiNet CEO Dr James Hutchinson says, “These finalists represent the cutting edge of innovation, turning world-class science into high-value, high-growth ventures with real impact for New Zealand. From pioneering medical treatments to clean tech, sustainable food production and space innovation, they show how science can tackle real-world challenges — growing our economy, boosting productivity, and doing good in our communities. The KiwiNet Awards highlight the powerful returns delivered by research commercialisation, with every $1 invested in PreSeed Accelerator Funding generating $13 in economic value for Aotearoa.”
The 2025 KiwiNet Research Commercialisation Awards finalists are:
Momentum Student Entrepreneur Award
Breakthrough Innovator Award
BNZ Researcher Entrepreneur Award
KCA Commercialisation Professional Award
PwC Breakthrough Project Award
AJ Park Commercialisation Impact Award
KiwiNet Awards judge Greg Sitters says, “This year’s finalists stood out for their diversity, sharper commercial focus, and growing awareness of how their science can tackle global challenges while delivering tangible benefits for New Zealand. It’s exciting to see this shift, as it reflects the increasing maturity and diversity of our research commercialisation ecosystem, which will continue to offer vital expertise to support researchers to deliver outputs through the Awards process and beyond. Collaboration remains the ecosystem’s greatest strength - but to fully unlock the economic and societal potential of research innovation and contribute meaningfully to New Zealand’s growth agenda, further investment is essential.”
The 2025 KiwiNet Awards judging panel comprises Greg Sitters - Managing Partner at Matū Group; Melissa Yiannoutsos - Innovation Fund Manager, Booster NZ; Nadine Williams - CE & Founder, Instinct Lab NZ; David Beard - Partner at Movac; Adiraj Gupta - Entrepreneur & Founder, Sendd.
Nic Blakeley, Deputy Secretary Labour, Science, and Enterprise at the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment, says, “The KiwiNet Awards finalists are a powerful reminder of how research commercialisation drives real-world impact. Their success highlights the critical role of science-industry partnerships in growing our economy.”
The Kiwi Innovation Network (KiwiNet ) is a consortium of universities, Crown Research Institutes, an Independent Research Organisation and a Crown Entity established to boost commercial outcomes from publicly funded research by helping to transform scientific discoveries into new products and services.
The 2025 KiwiNet Awards are supported by MBIE, PwC NZ, Sprout Agritech, BNZ, KCA, Campus Plus and AJ Park, as well as Return On Science, Momentum, and the sponsors of the Momentum Student Entrepreneur award, Icehouse Ventures, Angel Association and Emerge.
This year, the KiwiNet Awards will be held alongside the inaugural Auckland Startup Week, which will shine a spotlight on the people, ideas and companies building New Zealand’s global reputation for innovation. KiwiNet Awards winners for 2025 will be announced at an evening reception on 22 October.
For further information please contact:
Sandra Lukey
Shine Group (PR for KiwiNet)
Phone: +64 21 2262 858
Email: sandra@shinegroup.co.nz