Commercialisation Awards take research to market
10 October 2022
Faculty of Science Professor Cather Simpson was named Commercialisation Icon at the recent Kiwinet Research Commercialisation Awards (6 October 2022), that honour the country’s best in research commercialisation.
Professor Simpson is a physicist, chemist and serial entrepreneur who founded the Photon Factory, a University research centre that works to advance the use of light for energy, health and technology. She is also a partner in deep-tech investment company Pacific Channel and has spun out two companies based on Photon Factory research.
The first of Professor Simpson’s companies, Engender, developed an affordable and effective technology, based on high-tech microfluidic and photonic chips, to separate X- and Y-chromosome-bearing bull sperm cells to improve efficiency in large animal reproduction. Initially backed by the University of Auckland Inventors’ Fund, it was acquired by multi-genetics company CRV International in December 2021.
Her second company, Orbis Technologies, established in 2016 and also backed by the Inventors’ Fund, has developed a ‘lab on a disk’ testing platform that uses its microfluidic platform technology to miniaturise and automate accurate lab testing. Originally designed to time artificial insemination for cows, Orbis pivoted to develop an immunity level test for Covid-19.
Alimetry, a University spin-out backed by UniServices, the University’s research application and commercialisation company received the Breakthrough Project Award for Gastric Alimetry, its flagship product.
Faculty of Science research fellow Dr Alex Risos was a finalist in the Breakthrough Innovator category with RisosEnterprises, working on the Waicorder technology, a Star Trek inspired handheld device to scan for E.coli in drinking in seconds.
The KiwiNet Research Commercialisation Awards winners were announced at a gala on 6 October