€8.5m funded, Austria-based clean-tech start-up maintains deep roots within the University’s research community

For Dr Natalia Bullon, lead researcher at Vertus Energy based in New Zealand, the commercial research facilities are just one aspect of what makes working out of NIP so advantageous.

Opportunities to build valuable relationships with researchers and access to a deep pool of talented engineering students are what keep Vertus anchored to the University. For Bullon and Vertus, collaboration is an essential aspect of their innovation strategy.

“As an environmental scientist, my view is focused on understanding the variety of factors that contribute to a successful operation of our technology. This understanding provides a solid ground for our engineers to create solutions in a realistic scope.

“Bringing different disciplines together promotes creativity; it is like fresh air into Vertus. It is always exciting to bring in different people and say ‘Okay, let’s work together’. I like that.”

Associate Professor of Chemical and Materials Engineering, Meng Wai Woo, sees collaboration between the University and Vertus as a valuable relationship for both parties.

Having already engaged one student in a full-time masters project on optimising material effectiveness in anaerobic digestion, Vertus plans to fund at least one more of Woo’s masters students in 2025.

Woo noted that NIP’s ecosystem is vital to maintaining long-term relationships between academia and industry.

“Having the colocation programme provides an incentive for companies to continue to engage. It is not just about providing a space for the company, it is providing a platform to build relationships.”

Noting his weekly coffee meetings with Bullon, it is clear that both parties see their collaboration as an ongoing relationship.

“These types of projects, once they are running, continue to grow and provide new opportunities. This is an ongoing, enduring relationship. It is not a one-off; we are in it for the long haul."

Regarding what the future holds for Vertus here in Aotearoa, Bullon has big plans. Noting that New Zealand’s energy industry is currently under-developed and over-centralised, she and the Vertus team dream of a future where small, resilient communities are empowered through bio-energy hubs, where different technologies can convert various types of waste and by-products into valuable raw materials and energy sources.

This will finally contribute to a circular economy, sustainable resource management and regenerative communities.