Food Forum Outcomes

Image: Russell Rankin (left), Michael Eyles (middle) and Robert Burnside (right)

The UWS Future of Food Forum has garnered significant attention from the food processing industry since it was held on the 30th of November 2010. Read all about the event and its outcomes in the recent UWS news release. UWS hopes to build upon the success of the forum in 2011 and we look forward to collaborating with our industry partners to deliver upon the needs of both the University and industry.

Please contact us for more information on the outcomes of the event.

VC Award for the Innovation Team at UWS

Image: The UWS Innovation Team: (left to right) Robert Burnside, Fiona Cameron, Stephan Golla, Kathryn Sunn (Absent)

The contributions of the UWS Innovation team was recognised last Friday at the UWS Vice-Chancellor’s Excellence Awards. The team won its nomination in the “Excellence in Entrepreneurship and Innovation” category for the development and implementation of the Equipment Utilisation Program.

The team recently pursued an entrepreneurial initiative that led to the development of an integrated and novel solution for the provision of scientific equipment access to external researchers and industry. Benefits include increased internal usage, market visibility and accessibility, increased scientific collaboration at all levels and the development of important links between UWS and industry.

We encourage you to check out our webpage for more information on the equipment available for use. Please make sure you visit the site regularly for updates on the range of equipment available and information on subsidies and government programs that may assist SMEs with funds to access equipment.

Food for thought

Image: Stuart Quigley, Group Manager - External Research Partnerships, Fonterra Co-operative Ltd (left) and Stephan Golla, Tech Commercialisation Manager, UWS I&C (right)

The inaugural Future of Food Forum hosted by UWS Innovation & Consulting was held on Tuesday, 30th of November 2010 at Yarramundi House, Hawkesbury Campus. Academics from UWS had the opportunity to meet and discuss issues with high profile members of the food industry, industry bodies and government in an event that was the first of its kind for the university. After an official welcome from Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Prof John Ingleson and an address from Head of School, Prof John Bartlett, attendees were involved in workshops and open debate about how the university and industry can more effectively collaborate.

The establishment and building of relationships with the food industry is integral to the development of new and innovative education programs and also in providing direction for applied research.

The outcomes of the forum will be made available to attendees and we encourage other interested industry and government members to contact us for further developments.

UWS IP commercialisation pathways expand

UWS and Intellectual Ventures (IV) have entered into an agreement that will provide UWS with an additional avenue for the commercialisation of intellectual property (IP). UWS I&C’s current strategies for the commercialisation of IP may involve licensing, spin-outs or joint ventures. These avenues are the normal routes for university IP to reach the market and provide community benefit. They are resource intensive but essential for the University to have the greatest chance of reaping maximum return from its research efforts.

IV invests in early stage ideas and inventions that, in isolation, may appear to have limited value. Through its large network of innovative contributors and technological expertise, IV is able to bundle inventions into portfolios so that their value may be realised by a worldwide network that is seeking solutions to identified problems.

All invention disclosures from within UWS are initially screened by the Innovation team at UWS I&C and assessed via a rigorous evaluation process. The IV model provides an alternative path to market which enables the University to potentially harvest IP income and take a larger number of inventions to the world from inventive, pre-patent ideas than we might have otherwise.

The IV model includes engagement with chosen research groups in the University to alert them to identified areas of industry need and training in new ways of generating ideas. An inventor’s early stage idea has an opportunity to flourish, with the possibility of immediate cash return and potential growing returns to both the inventor and UWS over time.

This platform is an additional avenue for academic inventiveness to reach a successful commercialisation outcome for UWS research, inventions, and ideas.

Alzheimer's Research

Associate Professor Gerald Muench from the School of Medicine, together with EcoBiotics Limited, has been awarded a UWS Research Partnership grant to identify compounds from Australian native tropical rainforest plants for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease and other neuro-inflammatory diseases.

Neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s are severely debilitating, and their impact is becoming ever more prominent as our population continues to age. Ecobiotics is the first first company to be given approval to collect native material from Queensland's rainforests under Queensland's Biodiscovery Act (2004), and UWS researchers are excited to be involved in a project of such great importance.

The research team will test a variety of compounds isolated from Australian tropical rainforest plants, particularly from Northern Queensland, for their anti-inflammatory and neuroprotective potential. A number of these plant extracts have already demonstrated these activities in non-Alzheimer related studies, and will now be tested (and further purified) in cell culture models mimicking the inflammatory scenario of Alzheimer's disease.

This important research is representative of a growing capacity at UWS to engage in commercially oriented research. The Innovation team is excited at the bright future for UWS’s new School of Medicine, and we encourage you to watch this space for news on their commercially significant discoveries.

Please click here for the full Research Directions article published by the Office of Research Services at UWS.

IP Evaluation Panel

The University of Western Sydney's (UWS) growing innovation capability was on show again at this year’s third Intellectual Property (IP) Evaluation Panel, which took place last week, October 8th at Frogmore House, Werrington North Campus.

The panel consisted of a number of prominent people from within the engineering and science innovation industries, as well as some of UWS’s most prominent academic minds. Mr Paul Brennan, Managing Director of ASP plastics, was a valuable contributor to the discussion. With his expertise in product development and manufacturing, he was able to provide valuable insight into the commercialisation potential of a new invention from Prof Andrew Beattie from our Centre for Plants and the Environment on the Hawkesbury campus that will hopefully help to reduce the impact of an important agricultural pest.

Paul is seen here back right, along with Matt Lohmeyer , back middle, an expert in Biotechnology commercialisation (company affiliations) and Rob Burnside of the Innovation & Consulting team, back left, along with other UWS participants Dr Fiona Cameron front left (I&C) and Prof Oscar Hauptman, the new Professor at the Centre for Innovation Studies UWS.

Prof Janice Aldrich-Wright from the School of Biomedical Sciences on the Campbelltown campus presented her research on new medically related compounds, and we were very pleased to recommend the implementation of additional steps in order to help protect this potentially valuable technology.

While not traditionally associated with the development of new technologies, it was also very encouraging for the University to see the College of Arts making its first appearance at the panel. Imbedded within the College of Arts, MARCS auditory laboratories conducts pure and applied research on auditory perception and cognition. Watch this space for more information on exciting new developments on their class leading research.

UWS Engineering Innovation

Christian Burden from UWS Development has a long standing relationship with Ian, and is seen here during the factory tour with Ian on his left.

UWS Innovation & Consulting had the pleasure of recently visiting the Managing Director of Advance Metal Products, Mr Ian Stone at Ingleburn, Sydney. A major contributor to the annual design student’s Widevision forum over several years, Mr Stone has a long standing relationship with UWS and has been very supportive of undergraduates in the design area.

Innovation & Consulting are active in supporting the growth of effective Greater Western Sydney industry relationships with our university. It was terrific to hear that the company has hired many UWS graduates and is keen to continue a close relationship with the university.

Advance Metal Products is Australasia’s leading sheet metal manufacturer with some of the most high tech manufacturing facilities in the country, and utilises their relationship with UWS to access important engineering services. We are currently exploring further access to cutting edge engineering technology in our NATA accredited engineering laboratories for testing facilities for the company.

The UWS School of Engineering, lead by Professor Brian Uy, houses an array of testing equipment, now accessible by industry and this provides an open door for industry to talk through UWS I&C with the innovative UWS School of Engineering .