Tag Archives: Sue Suckling

Callaghan Innovation opens

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callaghan-logoExciting times for future innovations in the New Zealand meat industry. Callaghan Innovation, New Zealand’s new innovation organisation – named after the late Sir Paul Callaghan – opened and was officially launched last Friday in Auckland and Wellington.

The new organisation will accelerate the commercialisation of New Zealand innovation, according to Science and Innovation Minister Steven Joyce.

“Callaghan Innovation will be a one-stop shop for business innovation support, whether it be in science, engineering, design or technology. It will be a high-tech HQ for New Zealand businesses,” he says.

Callaghan Innovation brings together the former crown research institute IRL, the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE)’s business investments team, the Auckland Foodbowl and NZ Trade & Enterprise’s Lean Manufacturing programme. It will commence operations with 400 staff and offices in Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch.

The organisation will work across industries as diverse as food and beverage manufacturing, agri-tech, digital technologies, health technologies, therapeutics and high value wood products.

“The common theme is encouraging innovation and higher value products and services,” says Joyce.

The organisation is being led initially by acting chief executive Murray Nash. Over the coming months, the new Board of directors, chaired by Sue Suckling, will complete the appointment of a permanent chief executive and oversee the bedding in of the organisation’s operations in Auckland, Wellington and Canterbury. Other board members includer former Game Industry Board chief executive Richard Janes, currently an IRL board member, Auckland Transport director Paul Lockey and Dr Michele Alan. They are joined by new board members Robin Hapi, Professor Peter Hunter from Auckland University,Sir Peter Maire and Craig Richardson.

The news has been welcomed by an array of science leaders for its expected ability to boost private sector innovation.

Professor Shaun Hendy, President of the New Zealand Association of Scientists, commented that he thinks Callaghan Innovation will have to do two things to succeed.

“Firstly it must develop the science and technology that New Zealand’s manufacturing sector will need in the decades to come. As Sir Paul Callaghan pointed out in his book, Wool to Weta, New Zealand has not put enough effort into the science that underpins high-value manufacturing.Callaghan Innovation represents a great opportunity to close the knowledge gap between New Zealand and the other advanced economies.

“Secondly, the organisation needs to develop effective new ways of bringing together researchers, entrepreneurs and businesses. New Zealand doesn’t enjoy the benefits of agglomeration that Sydney or Tokyo do, so Callaghan Innovation will need to find scalable, smarter ways to make these connections. This will largely involve making better use of the information we already have about the innovation sector in New Zealand.

“We will be able to tell if Callaghan Innovation is on track in a year or two by whether it has been able to significantly grow the numbers of scientists and decrease the number of bureaucrats that work there,” says Hendy.

Callaghan Innovation is a key part of the Government;’s Business Growth Agenda and received funding in Budget 2012 of $166 million over four years.

 

 

 

Channelling innovation

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The Government released the second of its six progress reports –  Building Innovation – under its Business Growth Agenda this week. The move has been welcomed by the Meat Industry Association (MIA).

Building innovation is central to building a more competitive and productive economy, said Prime Minister John Key at a business breakfast launch for the report earlier this week, adding that it gives a clear picture of the more than 50 policy initiatives the Government has underway to improve innovation, competition and the commercialisation of smart ideas and research into new products.

It calls for a doubling of the amount businesses spend on research and development, from 0.54 percent of GDP to more than one percent of GDP.

MIA chief executive Tim Ritchie has welcomed the report, saying that the meat industry is “all for anything that helps in that area.” Industry is very interested in innovation and already has a number of initiatives in place, he says.

“Individual members are involved with a number of Primary Growth Partnership projects, while the industry has also invested in Ovine Automation Ltd, a consortium of nine MIA member companies and the government that is looking at bringing a step change in sheep processing through the use of automation.”

This all adds to innovations individual meat companies are working on in their own workplaces, like Silver Fern Farms’ robotics projects, Ritchie explains.

New Advanced Technology Institute

Meat exporters will also benefit in the future from the new Advanced Technology Institute (ATI) that was announced this week will be named after the late Sir Paul Callaghan. It is to receive $166 million over the next four years and is one of the initiatives to grow business research and development further.

The Institute will be a one-stop shop that will help high-tech firms become more competitive by better connecting them with innovation and business development expertise within the institute, around the country and internationally, Steven Joyce, science and innovation minister says.

‘It will focus on industries with significant growth potential such as food and beverage manufacturing, agri-technologies, digital technologies, health technologies and therapeutics manufacturing and high-value wood products.

“The ATI will take over some business development functions that are currently within the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment. This will include the administration of some business research and development grants,” Joyce says.

A seven member establishment board has been tasked with having the ATI up and running by the end of the year. Chaired by Sue Suckling, who led the set up of AsureQuality NZ and NZQA, other board members include Industrial Research Ltd (IRL) director and former New Zealand Game Industry Board and Cervena Ltd chairman Richard Janes and Dr Michele Allan, who has leadership experience across many facets of the Australian food industry. They join IRL chair Michael Ludbrook, entrepreneur Neville Jordan, Auckland Transport director Paul Lockey and Plant and Food Research chair Michael Ahie.

Strong support in business community

Business NZ says that there is strong support in the business community for the Government’s systematic approach to building innovation. The ATI is a centrepiece of the innovation policy, says BNZ chief executive Phil O’Reilly.

“But there are many other initiatives including expanded TechNZ funding, better, government procurement policies, National Science challenges, more funding for the Performance-Based Research Fund, refinement of trademark and patents law, more investment in engineering at tertiary institutes, encouragement for multi-nationals to conduct research in NZ and others.

“It is up to business to innovate and grow and take up the Government’s invitation to keep the lines of communication open and provide feedback on how we are travelling towards a high-tech future.”