Connect. Recent roundup. Latest news from Adelaide Research & Innovation

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1 Connect. August 2015 Latest news from Adelaide Research & Innovation August 2015 Connect. Latest news from Adelaide Research & Innovation Recent roundup It has been a very busy few months since our last Connect newsletter was sent out. Internal client surveys. We have undertaken an extensive survey of internal (University) client attitudes around a mix of issues including satisfaction with a range of ARI services, the level of researcher comfort in different types of external engagement, and a poll on future priorities to assist ARI in planning where to invest its resource and effort in the future. Cross university collaboration. There has been increased interest from the State government in the potential for SA s research assets to unlock business potential or spur new business creation. This interest has extended into how we might better collaborate with our counterparts to streamline access for business and benefit from economies of scale. We recently organised a joint workshop with the commercialisation arms of Flinders and UniSA to identify projects of potential collaboration and opportunities to work more closely together to overcome market challenges. This went well and we have agreed on some future actions, such as the creation of a joint website portal or innovation gateway to collectively demonstrate our technologies and successes, and create a response system for incoming enquiries. University rating overall across three key support functions Commercialisation Tender Contract Research & Consulting Needs + Research = Results. Some select examples of recent projects we have supported are on the following pages. These and many other stories help build the University s positive reputation for delivering relevant outcomes to the community, alongside core activities that deliver excellent research and teaching. the commercial development company of

2 Faculty of Health Sciences National flu surveillance. The University of Adelaide has again been awarded the nation's key surveillance role to collect and report on influenza like illness across Australia. The contract, awarded by the Australian Government Department of Health until January 2017, means the University will have conducted this critical service for more than a decade. It is managed by Professor Nigel Stocks, Director of the Australian Sentinel Practices Research Network (ASPREN), in the University's School of Population Health. Brunei oral health study. The Australian Research Centre for Population Oral Health (ARCPOH) has been awarded a contract to undertake a population based assessment of oral health and related factors on behalf of the Government of Brunei Darussalam. Based on previous large scale surveys, the ARCPOH team led by Professor Kaye Roberts Thomson will work with the Ministry of Health to finalise the project by mid Healthy hearts. Professor John Beltrame has secured funding from the Heart Foundation for the continued development of the Coronary Angiogram Database of South Australia (CADOSA) Registry with a particular focus on expanding the project into the private sector. Initial discussions with private health insurance companies, private hospitals and other industry partners have been very positive and ARI is working on attracting additional funding. Photo The Brunei Times

3 Faculty of Sciences Designer eucalypts. The Ornamental Eucalypt Development Program (OEDP) based at the Waite campus has recently received $250,000 in funding from the Australian Government under its Entrepreneurs Programme, delivered by AusIndustry, and another $250,000 from four industry partners. The funding will enable the 2016 Australian release of two new hybrid ornamental varieties developed by OEDP, along with continued monitoring of a trial in Spain and the establishment of four trial sites in the US, which will be a key export market. Drones to support environmental monitoring. The Department of Environment, Water and Natural Resources has contracted the University s Unmanned Research Aircraft Facility (URAF) to conduct four separate trials on the potential of drones to help monitor birds, possums and prescribed burns. Another agreement with PIRSA will investigate the use of drones to help monitor the SA wild dog fence. Fertiliser Centre funding extended. A new funding agreement between the University and global fertiliser giant The Mosaic Company, will see the Fertiliser Technology Research Centre continue to operate for a further five years. Led by Professor Michael McLaughlin, the centre enables researchers and PhD students work with Mosaic s agronomists and engineers to develop and test different fertiliser compounds that can help grow more food for the world.

4 Faculty of Engineering, Computer and Mathematical Sciences Energy storage knowledge bank. The University of Adelaide has been awarded project funding to better understand the use of battery energy storage in Australian conditions, which has major implications for the future use of renewable energy. The $1.4 million project, funded by the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA), is to be led by Associate Professor Nesimi Ertugrul in the University's Centre for Energy Technology and School of Electrical & Electronic Engineering. Field testing of water filtration systems. Dr Fereydoon Pooya Nejad in the School of Civil, Environmental and Mining Engineering has been contracted by Ecosol to test seven water filtration systems. Ecosol provides stormwater treatment solutions to assist in improving the quality of water draining from urban developments to our natural waterways. The agreement includes bench top studies and a report on the system s performance in the field. Placing a value on graphite. Graphite analysis has been in strong demand with refined graphite (graphene) being touted as one of the high value minerals of the future. University of Adelaide researchers, led by Dr Dusan Losic in the School of Chemical Engineering, have been working with several Australian based mining companies to assess the properties and quality of their graphite ore, and the potential for graphene exfoliation.

5 Faculty of the Professions China trade impact study. A team of university researchers have recently been working on a study for the Department of State Development to examine the impact of the China Australia Free Trade Agreement (ChAFTA) on the South Australian economy. The scope of the study includes potential trade gains, and investment, employment and GDP effects, alongside advice and practical recommendations for key sectors. Drones in agriculture. ARI partnered with Global Food Studies' Agribusiness Advisory Board to deliver a highly informative session covering new developments in drone technology and their relevance to the agricultural sector. Autonomous drones could support improved production, undertake simple and repetitive manual labour activities, reduce WHS risks, and lower operational overheads. They have the potential to revolutionise the business of farming. Faculty of Arts Interpreting history through performing arts. Professor Mark Carroll is leading an ARC Linkage project that heralds a significant cooperation between South Australian tertiary and cultural institutions to document and interpret the impact of World War I on the performing arts in urban and regional South Australia. The resulting archival research is expected to generate scholarly outputs, regional exhibitions, and research informed performances.

6 Business development and promotion Sector specific marketing ARI has developed seven sector specific marketing brochures mixing university capability, short case studies and ARI contact information to help raise greater awareness of what ARI and the University has been working on, and relevant expertise for future projects. A similar approach has also been applied to the ARI website, which now combines capability, available technologies and results information on individual sector specific pages. View the new brochures and website content at Adelaide Ideas Market (AIM) Back in March ARI hosted another successful AIM event to showcase new and interesting research with investment potential. Over 25 investors and advisors attended where three new technologies were presented using short six minute pitches. These were followed by questions and helpful discussions over networking drinks. Our AIM contacts were also invited to attend the Drones in Agriculture information session, and we are currently finalising plans for our next official AIM event will be held in early Sept. Contact Deputy Director Dr Jane Rathjen on or jane.rathjen@adelaide.edu.au if you would like more information.

7 ARI & AstraZeneca Open Innovation Partnership ARI has created a partnership with global biopharmaceutical company AstraZeneca to provide an opportunity for university researchers to access their optimised compounds, technologies, multi disciplinary science, services and know how, with the prospect of joint publications in high profile journals and, most importantly, the opportunity to see ideas develop into treatments for patients. Successful projects will be eligible for funding not only from AstraZeneca, but also through ARI s Commercial Accelerator Scheme. Commercial Accelerator Scheme The Commercial Accelerator Scheme (CAS) is a proof of concept funding program created by ARI to help address the recognised gap in funding known as the "valley of death" between traditional research funding and the market. It has provided a bridge for many projects to successful licence or other funding options. The Scheme is only available to University of Adelaide staff and the first step is to register your interest with your ARI Commercial Development Manager. Then keep an eye on our website because we will opening the application process in late August, with $400,000 available for multiple projects in the 2015 funding round. Greg Macpherson (third from left) with the China delegation. Partnership trip to China During April Commercial Development Manager Greg Macpherson joined representatives from the State Government (Health Industries SA), IDT Australia (CMAX), and UniSA to visit Suzhou Industrial Park (SIP) near Shanghai. The SIP is apparently the largest and most active life sciences park in China. The delegation introduced their respective organisations and promoted the benefits of conducting clinical research in Adelaide at an information workshop attended by about 70 representatives of Chinese pharma companies. Greg also extended his trip to visit Shanghai Jiao Tong University (SJTU). There he met with staff from the Advanced Industrial Technology Research Institute (AITRI), who expressed interest in working with ARI on projects that are suitable for the Chinese market.

8 The shape of things to come BioSA IP funding. The commercialisation of emerging technologies from University of Adelaide research has been given a boost with $200,000 provided to ARI for additional IP protection costs over the next two years. Funded by the State Government, through BioSA, the grant means that we can give more discoveries and innovations a go. Engagement with industry and translation of research to impact for the broader community is going to become increasingly important. Federal and State governments have both flagged this clearly, and grant and institutional funding will be tied to it more closely. The current Pyne review, and earlier discussion papers such as Boosting the Commercial returns from research, are clear examples of this. In this context ARI welcomes the current external review of its work and this important aspect of the University s engagement. The review panel includes senior representatives of the most successful commercialisation groups in the country, as well as members experienced in venture capital, industry and government. We look forward to implementing the recommendations to ensure improved future performance. We are building a solid base of existing achievement: noting that the University already benchmarks at number 4 in the country (number 3 in the Group of 8) on measures of contract and commercialisation income. As the commercial development company of the University of Adelaide, ARI s mission is to: Connect. We provide a shop front and point of access for business and government to engage with academics on research, development, innovation and knowledge exchange. We promote University research capability and technology development opportunities, and facilitate business development and networking. Collaborate. We negotiate, prepare and manage agreements for collaboration, contract research and consultancy, and provide advice to the University on other research (grant, collaboration and partnership) and commercial engagements. This amounts to more than 1700 research projects annually for researchers engaging with industry and government. Create. We actively assess, protect and commercialise innovation on behalf of the University. We also provide direct funding support for projects with market potential through a commercial proof of concept fund, and provide access to and advice on external funding support. Find out more at