research and innovation centre queenstown

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We are creating some awesome events for you. kindly bear with us., new zealand to establish new research and innovation hub.

• Justin Ponti
• May 31, 2021

Queenstown in New Zealand is set to build a multi-million-dollar research and innovation hub, with the government lending up to half the funds to get the project off the ground.

The facility, to be called Research & Innovation Queenstown, will be established at Remarkables Park in Frankton near Queenstown Airport. It will house a cluster of research and innovation entities and commercial and hi-tech activities.

The executive director of the park which will help develop the hub, said it would provide a platform to attract new, high-value workforce and visitors, as well as retaining and upskilling Queenstown residents. The hub is intended to help diversify the region’s tourism-reliant economy. Also, the company’s executive chairman said they welcomed the government’s willingness to work with the private sector on the project, which would help Queenstown develop a more resilient economy.

Finance Minister Grant Robertson said that the government would lend up to half of the total cost for the first stage of the project. The money, from the government’s shovel ready infrastructure fund, would go towards the costs of architecture and planning, engineering, and construction.

The Minister said that the project would help leverage Queenstown’s international reputation, and address some of the issues raised last year by the New Zealand Productivity Commission. Research & Innovation Queenstown Ltd, a subsidiary of Remarkables Park, will match the funding to pay for the development, nearby roading and services.

Earthworks for the building have already begun. The building will have about 6000 square metres of research and innovation offices and facilities, and space for other commercial activities. As part of the hub project, a Research & Innovation advisory board will be formed.

As reported by OpenGov Asia, similarly, a Kiwi-developed digital, business and learning tech hub has also been launched in New Zealand to bridge the digital divide and help combat poverty in the country. The tech hub was developed by a team that provides the locals in the area with training, employment, and business leadership. The team said that they had to step up and develop the tech hub to increase digital connectivity to mitigate high poverty in the area.

At the opening, Regional Economic Development Minister Stuart Nash said the hub was vitally important, especially with the digital advances during the COVID-19 lockdowns. He added that it is not about the future, it is about the present, and if we do not get this right in our communities, they will fall behind.

The Te Kona tech hub offers meeting rooms for hire, 10 hot desks, video conferencing facilities, event spaces, and reliable Wi-Fi which is in high demand in the region. It also provides digital literacy training, coding classes, and a mobile hub, which will take a mobile version of these services to more remote parts of the region. The developers will offer their training courses in the hub, as well as offering job-focused education modules.

The developers said that citizens in the area have not had access to strong connectivity for some time, so they needed to develop a space that would allow businesses to flourish and for students’ educational needs. The development of Te Kona has been supported by the government’s Provincial Development Unit, as well as other private institutions and foundations.

Reports say that New Zealand may be at the bottom of the world when it comes to geographic locale, but Kiwis are quickly approaching the top when it comes to lean start-ups and tech. This combined with the fact that New Zealand is a great place to do business as some investors may say makes for an exciting time ahead for the New Zealand tech industry.

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Queenstown Research and Innovation Centre

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Research & Innovation Queenstown will be home to a collection of research and development entities, and hi-tech commercial activities. The $45m innovation hub will help to diversify the region’s tourism-reliant economy. 

RCP supported the client with its fund application process, and successfully secured a $22.5m loan from the Government. The innovation hub will be a drawcard for the region, helping to attract world-class talent, and retain and upskill Queenstown locals. It will also support the creation of high-value industries with a low environmental impact.  

The 6,000sqm greenfield site has presented some design challenges. Located near the airport, the building is subject to height restrictions. RCP led a significant redesign process, collaborating with the client and the project team to adapt the building’s form within the given constraints while ensuring operational feasibility.  

The team is also working hard to manage the procurement risks that continue to affect the industry. RCP has been exploring early procurement options for some materials; in other cases it is working with the team to change aspects of the structure’s design to mitigate some of the risks. 

Construction is underway. It is estimated that 100 jobs have been created for the design and construction phase, and up to 400 jobs will be created long term. 

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New Queenstown Research & Innovation Hub To Benefit Region And New Zealand

Press Release – Remarkables Park Limited

Remarkables Park Limited has welcomed the Governments strategic support into stage one of a new Research & Innovation Queenstown hub, announced today. The Government has announced it will lend up to $22.5 million to Research & …

Remarkables Park Limited has welcomed the Government’s strategic support into stage one of a new Research & Innovation Queenstown hub, announced today.

The Government has announced it will lend up to $22.5 million to Research & Innovation Queenstown Ltd (RIQL), a subsidiary of Remarkables Park Limited, to contribute to the development of stage 1 of a $45m greenfield hub called Research & Innovation Queenstown. RIQL will match the Government funding towards the development costs, plus fund adjacent roading and services costs.

The first building will provide approximately 6000sq m of research and innovation offices and facilites, as well as commercial uses at Remarkables Park. This infrastructure will be a major step towards diversifying the Queenstown Lakes District economy .

Remarkables Park Limited Executive Chair Alastair Porter welcomes the Government’s willingness to work with the private sector to support Research & Innovation to assist Queenstown develop a more resilient economy.

“Our vision has always been focused on enabling projects that include creating employment opportunities for local people to ultimately build a prosperous and resilient region. We are committed to sustainable innovation for the wellbeing of future generations,” Porter says.

Government’s financial support will contribute towards the cost of architects, planners, civil, structural, fire and mechanical engineers, followed by 100-plus people who will be involved in construction. Remarkables Park Ltd executive director Johnathan Chen says. “Ultimately, the establishment of the research and innovation hub will provide a platform to attract new, high-value workforce and visitors, as well as retaining and upskilling Queenstown residents.”

The Research & Innovation Queenstown hub is planned to be a beacon to attract world-class talent to the region and New Zealand, in turn creating high value and low environmental impact industries. Chen says.

As part of the project, a high-powered Research & Innovation Advisory Board will be formed, chaired by Dr (Sir) Hermann Hauser, who co-founded Acorn Computers, ARM Ltd, Armadeus Capital, and the Cambridge Innovation Network. He is currently the Vice Chair of the European Innovation Council’s $10b euro deep tech fund.

“New Zealand has a track record in developing diverse technologies and innovation. Critical thinking, collaboration, research are all facilitated by enabling supporting infrastructure, even better when it is located in an inspirational environment to live and work like Queenstown. The government strategy and financial support for the first stage of the Research and Innovation campus is timely, especially given technology sovereignty becoming a dominant issue for this decade and beyond. I am pleased to be working with the Remarkables Park team to build an ecostystem that enables ongoing research and innovation for Queenstown, and ultimately New Zealand,” Hauser says. Chen adds: “Hermann’s knowlege and experience provides invaluable contribution to this project, which helps bridge a critical gap in the sector in order to increase overall productivity of New Zealand firms.”

“A successful innovation precinct will leverage the Queenstown Lakes’ existing international reputation and all its ingredients in the region to facilitate New Zealand’s Research & Innovation sector in commercialisation and globalisation, and in return will further enhance New Zealand’s brand recognition, adding value to other sectors such as tourism and export trade, and we are open to working with parties who are interested in developing this opportunity,” Chen says.

The buildings have been designed by award-winning Otago architects Mason & Wales. Earthworks have begun and the building will be constructed by Cook Brothers Construction

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Queenstown's Remarkables Park getting new $45m research and innovation hub

Anne Gibson

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New innovation hub's earthworks with new Holiday Inn (left) and Wyndham Hotel (right). Photo / supplied

The Government's Crown Infrastructure Partners will loan up to $22.5 million for a new $45m research and innovation hub at Queenstown's Remarkables Park, a developer says.

Alastair Porter, chief executive of Remarkables Park - developing the area near Queenstown Airport - announced the new project today, saying the state money would be loaned for the new three-level Research & Innovation Queenstown which is under construction.

That business is a subsidiary of Remarkables Park and the money will contribute to the development of stage one of the project being built on a greenfields or previously undeveloped site near the Kawarau River.

The Remarkables Park company would match Government funding for the building and costs of adjacent roading and services, Porter said.

Earthworks have already started on the corner of Market St and Golden Elm Lane.

"The first building will provide approximately 6000sq m of research and innovation offices and facilities as well as commercial uses. This infrastructure will be a major step towards diversifying the Queenstown Lakes District economy," Porter said.

State financial support would help fund architects, planners, civil, structural, fire, mechanical engineers and a construction workforce of more than 100 people, Porter said.

Jonathan Chen, Remarkables Park executive director, said the new hub would aim to draw new people and keep and potentially upskill the area's residents.

A board has been formed to run the hub and is chaired by Austrian-born entrepreneur Hermann Hauser, who co-founded Acorn Computers, ARM, Amadeus Capital and the Cambridge Innovation Network.

Hauser said New Zealand had a track record of developing technology and in innovation so the new hub in the Queenstown setting would foster a new age of research and innovation in the area.

The hub designed by Otago architects Mason & Wales.

Earthworks are well underway, with significant excavation complete. Cook Brothers Construction won the building contract.

Porter said: "Our vision is focused on enabling projects that include creating employment opportunities for local people to build a prosperous and resilient region. We are committed to sustainable innovation for the well-being of future generations."

The new hub would help diversify the local economy, he said.

Remarkables Park is a master-planned community with hotels and a town centre. It is on the border of the special Remarkables Park Zone, flanked by the Kawarau River.

Porter appears on the National Business Review's Rich List with his brothers, owning 66ha worth $200m in the Remarkables Park zone.

The Porters' proposed conference centre and $100m gondola linked to The Remarkables skifield have not yet eventuated but have been proposed for some years.

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Queenstown’s Remarkables Park getting new $45m research and innovation hub – NZ Herald

Posted on May 31, 2021 by Design in Design Innovation | 0 Comments

The Government’s Crown Infrastructure Partners will loan up to $22.5 million for a new $45m research and innovation hub at Queenstown’s Remarkables Park, a developer says.

Alastair Porter, chief executive of Remarkables Park – developing the area near Queenstown Airport – announced the new project today, saying the state money would be loaned for the new three-level Research & Innovation Queenstown which is under construction.

That business is a subsidiary of Remarkables Park and the money will contribute to the development of stage one of the project being built on a greenfields or previously undeveloped site near the Kawarau River.

The Remarkables Park company would match Government funding for the building and costs of adjacent roading and services, Porter said.

Earthworks have already started on the corner of Market St and Golden Elm Lane.

“The first building will provide approximately 6000sq m of research and innovation offices and facilities as well as commercial uses. This infrastructure will be a major step towards diversifying the Queenstown Lakes District economy,” Porter said.

State financial support would help fund architects, planners, civil, structural, fire, mechanical engineers and a construction workforce of more than 100 people, Porter said.

Jonathan Chen, Remarkables Park executive director, said the new hub would aim to draw new people and keep and potentially upskill the area’s residents.

A board has been formed to run the hub and is chaired by Austrian-born entrepreneur Hermann Hauser, who co-founded Acorn Computers, ARM, Amadeus Capital and the Cambridge Innovation Network.

Hauser said New Zealand had a track record of developing technology and in innovation so the new hub in the Queenstown setting would foster a new age of research and innovation in the area.

The hub designed by Otago architects Mason & Wales.

Earthworks are well underway, with significant excavation complete. Cook Brothers Construction won the building contract.

Porter said: “Our vision is focused on enabling projects that include creating employment opportunities for local people to build a prosperous and resilient region. We are committed to sustainable innovation for the well-being of future generations.”

The new hub would help diversify the local economy, he said.

Remarkables Park is a master-planned community with hotels and a town centre. It is on the border of the special Remarkables Park Zone, flanked by the Kawarau River.

Porter appears on the National Business Review’s Rich List with his brothers, owning 66ha worth $200m in the Remarkables Park zone.

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Design Improvements For Research And Innovation Queenstown Building

The Research and Innovation Queenstown building development site at Remarkables Park will see increased activity in the New Year. Remarkables Park Group Executive Chairman Alastair Porter said, “Over winter the team of experts designing the building have been working on changes to create a more efficient and effective building. Rapidly rising material costs, have to some extent, also been managed by replacing two narrow upper floors with a top floor now extending over the entire building.”

Key stakeholders including Crown Infrastructure Partners, who are co funding the building on behalf of the Government, Remarkables Park Ltd and Remarkables Park Design Review Board have all been supportive of the new approach. Last week QLDC approved the resource consent for the improved design.

Currently Cook Brothers Construction are seeking tenders for steel and other materials and Remarkables Park Ltd are responding to enquiries for research and innovation space.

Alastair Porter said, “This is a key project in the journey towards diversification for the district, region and New Zealand given it provides research and innovation opportunities in Queenstown’s highly sought after living environment.”

Alastair Porter said “The amended design is attractive, very much fit for purpose and has improved functionality for the tenants. Given this facility will be here for decades to come it was more important to get the design right than to rush the development.”

The Research and Innovation building is on Market Street in Remarkables Park. This area has experienced considerable development in the past few years with the opening of the Holiday Inn and Quest Apartments, adjacent to the existing Ramada and Wyndham Hotels, the extension of the Wakatipu High School to cater for 1800 students, the recent opening of the Te Atamira Arts and Cultural Centre and the evolving Remarkables Market.

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Crux is the issues and action focussed local news site for Queenstown, Wanaka and Central Otago

The new Queenstown entity hoping to create a $1b tech industry locally

A new non-profit entity hoping to grow Queenstown's tech scene into a one-billion-dollar industry in 20 years has launched today, after numerous calls for the district to become more than just a place for tourism.

Technology Queenstown, or TQ, will sit alongside Destination Queenstown, DQ, and Study Queenstown, SQ, to drive economic development in the district.

Creating a thriving local tech sector has worked successfully over in the United States ski resort towns of Spokane (Washington), Bozeman (Montana), Boulder (Colorado) and Bend (Oregon), with an Accenture report released by TQ showing 20 percent of economic output in those locations is now attributable to tech.

Those on the ground today are hoping to replicate that sort of success in Queenstown.

Spearheading the project is Roger Sharp, who says the ball started rolling for the project three years ago, when it became evident that Queenstown needed to diversify itself as "tumbleweeds were metaphorically blowing through the streets" without tourists around.

"I got approached by the mayor, Jim Boult...and he said, 'look, we need to do tourism plus something else, can you help us, can you build something?'."

Although its official launch was today, the entity needs to more than double what's in the kitty to get through its first year, but Mr Sharp says acquiring the extra $600,000 needed is "quite doable".

It was a packed event today for the launch of Technology Queenstown.

So what will this new entity do? 

Mr Sharp says Queenstown's tech sector currently doesn't have a strategy or co-ordination; it's more informal, and typically quite focussed on its start-up community. Technology Queenstown will have a strategic focus.

It also plans to work with the Queenstown Resort College and the University of Otago to boost technology studies, as well as Destination Queenstown and the Queenstown Lakes District Council, all of which had representatives at the launch event today, held at the Queenstown Resort College. 

Currently, tech makes up 1.5 percent of Queenstown's economy, or $100 million, but nationally the tech industry averages 7.5 percent.

Mr Sharp says transforming the tech sector is key to economic diversification, and Technology Queenstown is looking to those US towns for the ingredients for success.

"We've got to have an airport, we've got to have a university, you've got to have a labour force, you've certainly got to have affordable housing."

None of those who Crux spoke to had concrete solutions for how to create housing solutions for the extra 2,000 tech workers mooted.

"The numbers tell us that about 20,000 people are going to move to the district anyway over the next 20 years, so we're wanting one in 10 of them to be a well paid, sophisticated, tech professional," Mr Sharp says.

He is hopeful a sector shift will see larger companies drawn to the district, who will have the "economic power" to negotiate with landlords or property developers to build rental accommodation and lease it. 

Aside from housing, Mr Sharp is focused on growing a " strong tertiary education presence" in the town, and he says the University of Otago is already discussing ways to grow their offerings locally.

There's been talk around the town in recent years of the potential for a new standalone 'economic development' entity, so Crux asked Mr Sharp if there's a potential for Destination Queenstown and Technology Queenstown to merge together to form one.

But it's too soon for that sort of talk, he says. 

"It's too early days to contemplate that; my immediate focus is that I've got about 30 to 40 percent of the money we need to launch. The immediate focus has been 'have we actually got enough money in the bank?'."

Mr Sharp says there are five corporates who've committed to handshake deals to support Technology Queenstown. 

One of the 80 attendees at the event today, Mayor Glyn Lewers was equally excited for the enterprise to launch, and for its potential.

"Obviously it [a thriving tech industry] builds resilience in our economy. That's the number one thing, so when you have a downturn in the tourism sector, you've got others that will shoulder that low.

"I think I first came across this when I was a councillor and trustee of Startup Queenstown, and to see this come to fruition today, it's quite impressive."

He says he's "proud" of his council's role in relation to the new entity coming together. 

Mayor Glyn Lewers: 'That's the number one thing, so when you have a downturn in the tourism sector, you've got others that will shoulder that low'.

"I'm quite proud that council is mature enough to say to the private sector, go create the success and let's celebrate the success you create, and we've seen it with the DMP [destination management plan], and now we're seeing it with Queenstown Technology."

The council does have its own Economic Development Unit, which is tasked with working to diversify the economy and encourage higher-value jobs.

Mayor Lewers says the needs of tech workers when it comes to housing can have a degree of flexibility not always possible in the hospitality or tourism sectors, as they can spread the housing demand a lot further due to their ability to work remotely. 

"You can live in Wānaka, you can live in Cromwell, you can live down in Kingston, Lumsden, so we can spread that load across the district a lot easier, but it [tech] also generates a higher income."

While he says "financial constraints" prevent the council from taking a more active role in housing provision, the council is encouraging and supporting others in the housing space.

He says a lot of Queenstown and Wānaka high school students head off to university - more than the national average - and a thriving tech scene provides reason and incentive for them to return. 

Also at the event today was University of Otago's deputy vice chancellor of research and enterprise Professor Blaikie, who says Queenstown's tech scene needed something like Technology Queenstown to kick-start change.

At the moment, Professor Blaikie says not many of his university's students will head to Queenstown after graduation to start their careers. 

"A lot of our students will work here in the summer, but in terms of careers positions, probably not that many [graduates will go on to work in Queenstown], because it's not a big centre for [them].

Professor Richard Blaikie is anticipating Technology Queenstown will bring about more opportunities for its students and graduates.

He's hoping with the launch of this new non-profit, Queenstown can become more of a place for internships and for graduates to settle down in.

"Tech has that opportunity to grow very, very big businesses, without a lot of a lot of environmental impacts."

He's hoping that the collaboration of the different parties sitting around the table and the "different skills" they bring, will help create change and bring better opportunities for his students and graduates.

Main image: Roger Sharp, who is driving new not-for-profit Technology Queenstown, or TQ, bringing together key stakeholders including the Queenstown Lakes District Council, the University of Otago, the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment and the Queenstown Resort College.

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In Queenstown yesterday, Finance Minister Grant Robertson said a $22.5million loan for the new Queenstown Research and Innovation Hub at Remarkables Park was an important step towards diversification away from tourism.

Mr Robertson was in town to speak to the Otago Southland branch of the Institute of Directors and Queenstown Chamber of Commerce yesterday.

He said the new hub, near Frankton, would draw entrepreneurs and innovators to the region.

The Government has partnered with Remarkables Park Ltd, which will come up with the rest of the cash, to create the 6000sqm building containing offices and meeting rooms.

The group executive chairman Alastair Porter estimated about 100 jobs had been created for the design and construction phase, and expected about 300 to 400 jobs would be created long term.

He confirmed it was part of a longer-term project, which could result in a conference centre being built later.

Mr Porter said the final list of tenants would cover a multitude of disciplines.

He said a result of the pandemic was that people were used to working remotely and places such as Queenstown were appearing very attractive — he even had a London-based company seeking to relocate to the new hub.

Otago-based Mason and Wales were appointed architects and the build would be carried out by Cook Brothers Construction, the earthworks already being under way.

As part of the project a research and innovation advisory board would be formed, chaired by Dr Hermann Hauser, who co-founded Acorn Computers in the late 1970s and is the vice-chairman of the European Innovation Council’s $10billion deep tech fund.

Remarkables Park executive director Johnathan Chen said the new precinct had the opportunity to put Queenstown at the heart of New Zealand’s innovation and technology brand.

Several tenants had already signed up for space and others were in talks, a large number of them coming from industries focused on the environment, including agriculture.

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Design Improvements For Research And Innovation Queenstown Building

Press Release – Remarkables Park

The Research and Innovation Queenstown building development site at Remarkables Park will see increased activity in the New Year. Remarkables Park Group Executive Chairman Alastair Porter said, Over winter the team of experts designing the building …

The Research and Innovation Queenstown building development site at Remarkables Park will see increased activity in the New Year. Remarkables Park Group Executive Chairman Alastair Porter said, “Over winter the team of experts designing the building have been working on changes to create a more efficient and effective building. Rapidly rising material costs, have to some extent, also been managed by replacing two narrow upper floors with a top floor now extending over the entire building.”

Key stakeholders including Crown Infrastructure Partners, who are co funding the building on behalf of the Government, Remarkables Park Ltd and Remarkables Park Design Review Board have all been supportive of the new approach. Last week QLDC approved the resource consent for the improved design.

Currently Cook Brothers Construction are seeking tenders for steel and other materials and Remarkables Park Ltd are responding to enquiries for research and innovation space.

Alastair Porter said, “This is a key project in the journey towards diversification for the district, region and New Zealand given it provides research and innovation opportunities in Queenstown’s highly sought after living environment.”

Alastair Porter said “The amended design is attractive, very much fit for purpose and has improved functionality for the tenants. Given this facility will be here for decades to come it was more important to get the design right than to rush the development.”

The Research and Innovation building is on Market Street in Remarkables Park. This area has experienced considerable development in the past few years with the opening of the Holiday Inn and Quest Apartments, adjacent to the existing Ramada and Wyndham Hotels, the extension of the Wakatipu High School to cater for 1800 students, the recent opening of the Te Atamira Arts and Cultural Centre and the evolving Remarkables Market.

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Queenstown Research Week 2024 

Saturday 31 august - thursday 5 september.

Please see below for the 2024 meeting schedule. 

The 34th Annual Queenstown Molecular Biology meeting    

The Queenstown Molecular Biology (QMB) meeting will be a 2-day general science meeting on Mon 2 Sep to Tue 3 Sep. The focus this year will be on "Technologies for a Changing World" . The Convenor of the organising committee for 2024 is Dr Björn Oback, AgResearch. 

The 18th New Zealand Medical Sciences Congress 

MedSci 2024 will run from 4pm Sun 1 Sep to Tue 3 Sep . The chief convenors for MedSci for 2024 are Dr Fiona McBryde and Dr David Crossman, University of Auckland.

QMB Satellite Meetings

Saturday 31 august - sunday 1 september.

Cancer Convenors: Dr Cherie Blenkiron & Prof Andrew Shelling, Te Aka Mātauranga Matepukupuku/Centre for Cancer Research, University of Auckland 

Mental Health Convenors: Dr Olivia Harrison and Prof. Bruce Russell, University of Otago

Plant- Microbe Interactions Convenor: Dr Carl Mesarich, Massey University

Wednesday 4 September - Thursday 5 September

Biomolecular Interactions Convenors: Dr Michael Edmonds and Dr Vanessa Morris, University of Canterbury

Pathogen Genomics Convenors: Prof Jemma Geoghegan & Dr Leah Smith, University of Otago, and Dr David Winter, ESR

Synthetic Biology Convenor: Dr Essie Van Zuylen & Dr Danielle Kok, University of Canterbury

For updates subscribe to our email list via tab on the right or follow us on Facebook or Twitter (@qtresearchweek).

New Zealand must walk the talk on sustainability and innovation - Queenstown hui

Watch this video to get a taste of the topics and conversations that arose at the Seriously Asia Revisited Innovation and Sustainable Development hui

Participants of the hui, which was held under the Chatham House Rule, noted that out-of-date perceptions of Asia meant opportunities were being missed. It was also noted that perceptions of New Zealand in Asia also needed updating and this could only be done through a concerted effort from our end.

“New Zealand has the entrepreneurial spirit and a culture of innovation, but in Asia we are predominantly know as producers of primary products, and not the technology that allows us to lead the world in these sectors,” says the Foundation’s executive director Simon Draper.

“On the flip side, New Zealand still looks to the West as the pace setters of innovation, while often ignoring the fact that Asia is quickly becoming the global centre for new ideas.”

Economist and Chair of the Productivity Commission Te Kōmihana Whai Hua o Aotearoa Ganesh Nana

However, participants warned about the risks of New Zealand “believing its own propaganda” in the innovation and sustainability spaces, noting that we must also walk the talk and invest more in R&D and tackling environmental issues at home.

“It’s not just about perceptions, as we heard in Queenstown, more resources – or at the very least better coordinated efforts – need to be put into R&D, so we can leverage our clean green image but back it up with innovative homegrown solutions to the environmental and sustainability issues New Zealand and the rest of world are facing,” Mr Draper says.

It was recognised by hui participants that to achieve these goals and build New Zealand’s ability and confidence to engage with Asia New Zealand must develop a cohesive and unified plan.

“As we heard in Queenstown, New Zealand needs Asia more than Asia needs us, so if we don’t take a proactive, coordinated approach, progress is likely to slow and we will slip further behind,” Mr Draper says.

Suggested actions that came from the hui included putting the environmental and sustainability at the forefront of business transactions with Asia

The Seriously Asia Revisited Innovation and Sustainable Development hui followed on from hui in Auckland (society and culture), Wellington (politics and security) and Christchurch (trade, tourism and investment).

The four hui canvassed business leaders, industry experts, entrepreneurs, academics, iwi representatives and government officials to delve into the big issues and opportunities that New Zealand faces in Asia.

Findings from the hui will form the basis of a publication and series of recommendations for New Zealand’s engagement with Asia for the years ahead.

• Read the Seriously Asia Revisited Innovation and Sustainable Development paper

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Johns Hopkins to establish new RNA innovation center in collaboration with TriLink BioTechnologies

The center, anchored in the institute for nanobiotechnology, will speed the cycle of rna innovation in pursuit of advanced therapies.

By Hub staff report

Johns Hopkins University, home to considerable expertise in RNA sciences and therapeutic development, has announced a new academic collaboration with TriLink BioTechnologies , part of Maravai LifeSciences , designed to accelerate transformational research in RNA therapeutics and discovery. This includes the creation of a new center in the university's Whiting School of Engineering and access to TriLink's leading RNA synthesis technology, which will accelerate research and therapeutic development.

RNA technology has emerged as an area of extraordinary potential in biology and medicine, including as a therapeutic modality to treat conditions considered untreatable with conventional drugs, such as Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, and certain types of cancer. RNA technology was also instrumental in the development of COVID-19 vaccines, as recognized by the 2023 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine , which went to Katalin Karikó and Drew Weissman of the University of Pennsylvania "for their discoveries concerning base modifications that enabled the development of effective mRNA vaccines against COVID-19." RNA-based therapeutics promise to shorten the time from discovery to intervention, accelerating cycles of innovation and providing new approaches to refractory diseases.

"We are excited to work with TriLink BioTechnologies to build a local research community focused on breakthroughs in RNA applications, from nucleic acid therapeutics and vaccines to cell therapies and beyond," said Ed Schlesinger , dean of the Whiting School. "We expect that, together, we can develop products and establish companies to transform human health."

TriLink's investment includes direct funding for the center as well as the use of its propriety in vitro transcription technology, CleanScript, which will enable Hopkins researchers to advance mRNA development by seamlessly transitioning from research-grade mRNA to clinical-grade mRNA. TriLink will also provide technical expertise and access to other critical discovery and manufacturing supplies, lowering the barriers to discovery and application.

Image caption: Jeff Coller

Jeff Coller , Bloomberg Distinguished Professor of RNA Biology and Therapeutics at Johns Hopkins University and a leader in messenger RNA stability and translation, will serve as the inaugural director of the center, which will be anchored in the Institute for NanoBioTechnology (INBT) and open this spring/summer. The center will bring together Johns Hopkins experts in RNA biology, genetic medicine, drug delivery, and biotechnology under one roof, serving as a training center for the next generation of RNA investigators and as a nexus for RNA researchers across the university's divisions.

"My career has been dedicated to the discovery of genetic medicines, and harnessing RNA will be a critical driver in the next generation of health care delivery," Coller said. "We have seen the impact of RNA technology with the RNA COVID vaccines. Leveraging TriLink's technology and expertise right here on campus is a critical means by which we can ensure that our scientific advances reach patients."

Coller has worked closely with INBT directors Hai-Quan Mao and Sashank Reddy to develop plans for the center. Reddy and Mao saw an opportunity to catalyze discovery in this area by facilitating the design, manufacture, and delivery of custom RNA molecules. Currently it can take months to access the raw materials and packaged nucleotides necessary for researchers to carry out critical experiments, while sourcing high-quality clinical-grade raw materials can also be challenging. Furthermore, needed expertise is currently siloed with disease-oriented researchers, RNA biologists, nanomaterials scientists, and quality and manufacturing engineers rarely working in a coordinated fashion.

"By serving as a central university hub for RNA research, we hope to foster cross-disciplinary learning and accelerate discovery, innovation, and commercialization in this burgeoning area," Reddy said. "We are particularly excited to engage with TriLink Biotechnologies—a world leader in RNA manufacture—to create RNA innovations and increase their chance of translational success."

Drew Burch, president, Nucleic Acid Products, Maravai LifeSciences, added, "The collaboration with Johns Hopkins reinforces our commitment to advancing nucleic acid-based therapies. Our participation in this center of excellence allows TriLink to share its deep knowledge and expertise in nucleic acid production, helping to enable these researchers at Hopkins with the tools they need to develop advanced therapies to treat patients."

Added Paul Nkansah, head of corporate partnerships for Johns Hopkins Technology Ventures , the university's commercialization and industry collaboration arm: "Corporate collaborations are most effective when built upon several dimensions of alignment. TriLink BioTechnologies and Johns Hopkins have a number of complementary goals and expertise, and this collaboration promises to create a new model for how industry expertise can be brought to bear to advance academic goals, human health, and commercial opportunities."

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Tagged institute for nanobiotechnology , technology ventures

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Accelerate-C2D3 Funding Call for Novel Applications of AI for Research and Innovation 2024

20 May 2024

The Accelerate Programme in collaboration with the Cambridge Centre for Data Driven Discovery (C2D3) is offering small grants for University of Cambridge researchers pursuing innovative applications of AI, in research or real-world contexts. Funding can support a variety of activities, including research, events, workshops, teaching, software development, or software development, with a focus on interdisciplinary collaboration.

Successfully deploying AI to tackle real-world challenges requires effective interdisciplinary collaboration. Developing these collaborations requires time and resources to bring together potential research partners, investigate the different ways of framing a challenge, and co-design potential solutions. Scaling successful interventions might require new ways of convening, innovations in training, or novel software tools. Often this work falls outside the scope of routine funding calls.

Accelerate Science’s funding programme will help fill this gap, offering small grants that can be deployed flexibly to start or scale interdisciplinary collaborations in the use of AI for research and innovation. This call is open to researchers from across disciplines at the University of Cambridge wanting to use AI to accelerate their research, and who would benefit from a small amount of funding to kick-start their work or catalyse new collaborations. Applications are invited via the form at this link by 17:00 on Wednesday 18 September 2024. For further details, check out the FAQs below, or email [email protected].

This is the third annual call with 11 projects funded in 2023 and 9 projects funded by the first call in 2022 . Successful projects have included convening a network of researchers working in applying AI in the early detection of cancer, a project using machine learning and natural language processing to predict the outcome of court litigation and research exploring how AI can be used in natural history collections to support viral surveillance.

We will be holding a funding Q and A event on Wednesday 5 June from 15:00 – 16:00 where we will answer your questions about the funding call and there will be an opportunity to talk to our Machine Learning Engineers about the technical aspects of your project. The session will take place in person in West 1 at the West Hub with no need to register in advance.

Why have you launched this call?

The Accelerate Programme’s mission is to drive a step-change in research and innovation at Cambridge through the application of data science in AI. As part of that work, we are keen to support the use of AI to help progress the excellent research happening across the University. Interdisciplinary collaborations are vital to this mission, and the Cambridge Centre for Data-Driven Discovery brings together researchers and expertise from across the University with the aim of enhancing interdisciplinary research. Working together through this call we seek to support projects to start or scale interdisciplinary collaborations to deploy AI to tackle research and real-world challenges.

Who can apply?

Applications are open to any PhD students or members of staff at the University of Cambridge, working in any discipline, including natural, physical, social, medical, and computer sciences, arts, humanities, and engineering. PhD students are eligible to apply to the Accelerate-C2D3 funding call and need to ensure they have the approval of their PI and home department before submitting their application. Under the University guidelines, a named PI will be required to set up the funds in your home department, please ensure they are named in your application. Any queries about eligibility can be sent to [email protected].

What kind of projects will be funded?

Proposals should be able to demonstrate a contribution to advancing the use of data science and AI for research or innovation. We’re interested in projects that have real-world application; this might include, for example, the use of AI to accelerate discovery in a specific research area, or the deployment of AI to tackle real-world challenges. We particularly encourage multidisciplinary proposals. Funding is suitable for projects or activities that can start immediately or in a short timescale and as such we expect to fund projects of no longer than 9-12 months in duration.

What funding can I apply for?

The intention of this call is to support projects across disciplines. We intend to support a number of successful applications, and will offer funding of up to £25,000. Applications for events and workshops will be capped at £15,000.

The amount of funding awarded will depend on the quality of the application and the number of applications received. We would encourage applications that cost less than the maximum set out above. If your idea costs more to deliver, it is likely better to get in touch before applying, so we can informally advise on feasibility: we have a limited budget and large funding requests will limit our ability to support other projects.

Applicants should work with their Department’s grants/finance team to prepare the budget details for their application to ensure projects are fully costed and are in line with University and Departmental policies. Successful projects may be asked to submit a draft X5 before funding can be confirmed.

What can funds be used for?

The focus of this programme is interdisciplinary collaboration that advances the application in research and real-world contexts. Within that remit, funding could be used for a variety of different activities, including research, staff time, events, workshops, conferences, teaching, software development, or research spin-up. Please note that applications for events will be capped at £15,000. We particularly encourage bids working across disciplines. Spending plans should be designed in line with the University’s financial policies, for example policies on travel, accommodation, and sustainability. For further information, please see the Finance Division guidance. If you have any questions about formulating your budget, please contact [email protected].

What support can the Accelerate Programme and C2D3 offer?

As part of developing your proposal, the Accelerate team can offer assistance in sense-checking the technical feasibility of your project. Our AI Clinic will offer informal guidance on technical aspects of the work. If you’d like to access help from the Clinic please email the team on [email protected] outlining the nature of your query. If you would like support from the clinic, please get in touch with us as early as possible to enable sufficient time for discussion before the funding deadline. The Machine Learning Engineering team will be offering a drop in session as part of the Funding Q and A on Wednesday 5 June.

The Clinic can also help resolve software engineering issues you encounter in your machine learning projects. You can get in touch using the contact information above.

As part of this funding scheme, C2D3 can offer administrative and organisational support for conferences, workshops, or other events. This could include venue arrangements, catering, hosting a webpage, delegate registration, or other operational aspects of event delivery. Depending on the nature of the project, C2D3 may also be able to offer support in the design and delivery of teaching activities.

How will my proposal be evaluated?

Applications will be reviewed by a panel and evaluated using the following criteria:

• Strength of proposal in helping enhance interdisciplinary collaboration in the use of AI.
• Contribution of the proposed activity to generating new insights in research or new applications of AI.
• Potential to generate longer-term impact.

What terms and conditions are associated with this funding?

Standard University finance terms apply. All funded projects are asked to acknowledge the source of funding in project outputs. Funded projects will be asked to provide a short blogpost that describes the question they are interested in, why this matters, and what action is needed to make progress. The Accelerate team can provide a science writer to help produce this, if required. We’ll also ask for a short evaluation explaining how the funding has benefitted your work, to help us assess the impact of this funding. Community-building is central to our work, and we hope that researchers who benefit from this funding will become involved in supporting and growing the Accelerate community!

Over what timescale should research be carried out?

This funding is particularly suited to activities that can be initiated in the near-term, with the aim of scoping, setting-up, or scaling-up interdisciplinary activities. We expect projects of no longer than 9 -12 months in duration and project dates will be confirmed as part of award agreements. All projects funded under this call should be complete by 31 December 2025. Any unspent funds should be returned to the Accelerate Programme.

• Call opens: Monday 20 May 2024
• Funding Call Q and A session: Wednesday 5 June 2024, 1, West Hub 15:00 - 16:00
• Call closes: Wednesday 18 September 2024, 1 BST 17:00
• Outcome communicated early October 2024
• Earliest project start date: November 2024
• All projects to be complete by: 31 December 2025

How can I apply?

To apply, please submit an application form by 17:00 on Wednesday 18 September.

What information is required for the application form?

The application form requests the following details:

Questions 1-3: Primary organiser for the application (please provide the name, role, department, and email address of the primary organiser who will act as point of contact for this application).

Questions 4-5: Partners involved in the proposed project (please provide the following details for collaborators involved in the application: name, role, department or institution, and indicate the current status of the partnership).

Question 6: Short project title

Question 7: Proposed project dates

Question 8: Project summary (briefly summarise the context for your project, the issue you will address, and your proposed intervention).

Question 9: Problem statement (please describe the problem or issue your activity is intended to address and the impact of that problem).

Question 10: Proposed solution (please describe how your proposed intervention will solve the problem set out above).

Question 11: Proposed approach (please describe what your intervention/activity is, how it works, and how you’ll get started).

Question 12: Desired outcomes (please describe what you hope to achieve with this work).

Question 13-14: Funding request (tell us how much funding you are requesting and provide a brief breakdown on headline areas of spend, for example: staffing, event organisation, bought-in services, equipment).

Question 15: Additional support from Accelerate or C2D3 (in this section, please advise whether you anticipate requiring any additional administrative or technical support from Accelerate or C2D3 to deliver your project, and what type of input would be helpful).

Answers to questions 8-15 should have a maximum word count of 300 words. Please note the word limits, in assessing applications we will consider the first 300 words of each response only.

For further questions, please contact [email protected].

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IIT Madras to house ‘Shell IITM Centre for Energy Research’ focusing innovation

The partnership will promote innovation, r&d and commercialisation of technologies in the energy sector with key initiatives including the shell chair professorship at iit madras..

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The Indian Institute of Technology Madras’ (IIT Madras) Energy Consortium and Shell India have partnered to launch the ‘Shell IITM Centre for Energy Research’ (SICER). The inauguration ceremony, which took place at the Shell Technology Centre in Bengaluru today (May 22, 2024), marks a significant milestone in collaborative research and strategic engagement between academia and industry.

The collaboration will be centralised under SICER for five years and will promote innovation, research, development, piloting, and commercialisation of technologies in the energy sector.

The key outcomes envisaged include research collaborations in critical challenges and opportunities in the energy transition space, incubation of energy start-ups by leveraging the start-up ecosystem of IIT Madras and the Shell Chair Professorship, which will act as a bridge and enable knowledge exchange between Shell and IIT Madras, along with the continuation of Shell’s participation in the Energy Consortium.

Highlighting the unique aspects of this partnership, Dr Ajay Mehta, VP Engineering Technology, Shell, said, “We are proud to expand our partnership with IIT Madras with the launch of the Shell IITM Centre for Energy Research (SICER), demonstrating our commitment to promoting open innovation, research, and technology development across the wide spectrum of the energy transition. We have had several successful bilateral research and development (R&D) projects with IIT Madras in the past. This collaboration will further enable us to share our knowledge and resources with IITM while leveraging their expertise, R&D facilities, and innovation ecosystem to address one of the world’s most critical challenges – the energy transition.”

As part of the initiative, Dr Satyanarayanan Seshadri was announced as the first-ever Shell Chair Professor at IIT Madras . He is the Head of the Energy Consortium at IIT Madras and a faculty member in the Department of Applied Mechanics and Biomedical Engineering at IIT Madras. He brings with him a wealth of expertise. His leadership will prove crucial in guiding research activities at the new centre and fostering collaboration between academia and industry.

Speaking about this collaboration, Dr Satyanarayanan Seshadri, Shell Chair Professor, IIT Madras, said, “As the Shell Chair Professor, I am honoured to lead the research efforts at SICER. Our mission is to unlock the full potential of our partnership by leveraging our shared interests in areas such as R&D and startup incubation, while also actively seeking out new opportunities for collaboration.”