Scaling up research commercialisation

Tuesday 10 AugustVirtual Conference

Scaling up research commercialisationTranslating publicly funded research into commercial outcomes

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Emeritus Professor Robin King FTSE [email protected] 0418 823 415

Dr Gunillla Burrowes [email protected] 0407 636 110

Mitchell Piercey [email protected] 0466 271 430

CO-CHAIRS OF THE ORGANISING COMMITTEE ATSE EVENTS MANAGER

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Australian expertise and experience in all facets of research translation and commercialisation are arguably not of sufficient scale and interconnectedness to meet the challenges we now face. Scaling up promising start-ups into sustainable businesses appears to be especially difficult.

Ongoing and new Commonwealth and State government initiatives are aimed at lifting the combined performance of the business and the research sectors. Improving research collaboration, translation and commercialisation is one of the Australian Academy of Technology and Engineering’s three strategic priorities.

This one-day Symposium has been organised by the NSW Division to contribute to this priority. The virtual audience will hear from policy makers, business leaders, entrepreneurship program leaders and successful researchers-turned entrepreneurs. The Symposium is intended to inform and inspire. Speakers will identify how practical, cultural and financial hurdles can be overcome.

The Symposium aims to increase mutual understanding between business, researchers and government and strengthen the networks that will enable more researchers and businesses to succeed in commercialisation.

How can Australia’s science and engineering research achievements and capabilities contribute more to the nation’s prosperity, resilience and well-being?

Virtual Conference


Faculty of Engineering

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K E Y N OT E S P E A K E R S Andrew StevensChair, Industry Innovation and Science Australia

Professor Mary O’Kane AC FTSE O’Kane Associates Chair, Independent Planning Commission of NSW

S P E A K E R SDr Nathaniel BavintonInnovation & Futures Manager, City of Newcastle Chris BealCEO, NextOre David Burt Director of Entrepreneurship, UNSW Sydney Professor Barney Glover AO FTSEVice Chancellor and President, Western Sydney University Dr Roy GreenChair, Advanced Robotics for Manufacturing Hub Dr Sarah JonesCEO, Sydney School of Entrepreneurship Dr Heba Khamis Co-founder and CEO, Contactile Scott McKeonCo-founder, Espresso Displays Dr Andrew MearsCEO, SwitchDin Dr Adi Paterson FTSEPrincipal and Founder, Siyeva Consulting Dr Alison Todd FTSECo-founder and CSO, SpeeDx The Hon. Gabrielle Upton MPParliamentary Secretary to the NSW Premier

Scientia Professor Veena Sahajwalla FTSEDirector, SMaRT Centre for Sustainable Materials Research & Technology, UNSW Sydney

Tuesday 10 August

09.25—10.50 INTRODUCTIONS & KEYNOTES

Welcome and Acknowledgement of Country — Greg Ewing, Engineers AustraliaIntroduction to the Symposium — Professor Robin King FTSE, Deputy Chair, ATSE NSW Division

CHAIR — Dr Gunilla Burrowes FTSE Inaugural Chair, Eighteen04

KEYNOTE — Andrew Stevens Chair, Industry Innovation and Science Australia The national scene

KEYNOTE — Professor Mary O’Kane AC FTSE O’Kane Associates, Chair of NSW Independent Planning Commission Global perspectives, Australian successes

10.50-11.10 MORNING BREAK

11.10—12.30 COMMERCIALISATION JOURNEYS — Followed by Q&A

CHAIR: Chris Vonwiller FTSE — Chair, Appen

Dr Andrew Mears — CEO, SwitchDin Clean energy solutions

Dr Alison Todd FTSE — Co-founder and CSO SpeeDx Medical diagnostics

Chris Beal — CEO, NextOre Minerals industry

12.30-13.15 LUNCH BREAK

1.15—2.35 ROLES FOR GOVERNMENT & UNIVERSITIES — Followed by Q&A

CHAIR: Dr Susan Pond AM FTSE — Chair NSW Smart Sensing Network)

Hon Gabrielle Upton MP — Parliamentary Secretary to the NSW Premier

Professor Barney Glover AO FTSE — Vice Chancellor and President, Western Sydney University

Dr Nathaniel Bavington — Innovation & Futures Manager, City of Newcastle


Tuesday 10 August 2021

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2.35-2.55 AFTERNOON BREAK

2.55—4.15 DEVELOPING ENTREPRENEURSHIP MINDSETS AND CULTURES — Followed by Q&A

CHAIR: Karen Borg

Dr Sarah Jones — CEO, Sydney School of Entrepreneurship

Scott McKeon — Co-founder, Espresso Displays

David Burt — Director of Entrepreneurship, UNSW Sydney

Dr Heba Khamis — Co-founder and CEO, Contactile

4.15-4.25 BREAK

4.25—5.00 REFLECTIONS AND FUTURE DIRECTIONS — Discussion

CHAIR: Dr Susan Pond AM FTSE — Chair NSW Smart Sensing Network

PARTICIPANTS

Professor Veena Sahajwalla FTSE — Director SMaRT Centre, UNSW Sydney

Dr Roy Green — Chair, Advanced Robotics for Manufacturing Hub

Dr Adi Paterson FTSE — Principal and Founder, Siyeva Consulting

5.00—5.10 CLOSING REMARKS

Jane MacMaster — Chief Engineer, Engineers Australia

5.10—6.00 NETWORKING ZOOM BAR

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Scaling up research commercialisation

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K E Y N OT E S P E A K E R S

Andrew Stevens Andrew is the Chairman of Industry Innovation and Science Australia and the Chairman of the Consumer Data Right - Data Standards Body. He was the Chairman of the Federal Government established Advanced Manufacturing Growth Centre from 2015-2019. He is a member of the Founding Group of the Male Champions of Change. Andrew was the Managing Director of IBM Australia and New Zealand from 2011 to 2014, following as Managing Partner, Growth Markets for IBM’s Global Business Services where he was responsible for the performance of the operations in Asia Pacific, Latin America, Central Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. Andrew is a Fellow Chartered Accountant and graduate of the University of New South Wales.

Synopsis The context for research and the commercialisation of that research evolves around the competitive frontier faced by businesses large and small, global and local. The Board of Industry Innovation and Science Australia plays an important role in advising the Commonwealth Government on Innovation and Science Policy – so what evolutions are underway and what might they mean economically, socially and environmentally for Australia. There appears to be an established transition in the orientation of global and domestic markets from the production of tangible value towards the consumption of intangible value. This presentation will discuss what is involved, what are the risks and opportunities and what are the implications for Research and Development and Innovation itself.

Emeritus Professor Mary O’Kane AC FTSE Mary is Chair of the NSW Independent Planning Commission, Aurora Energy, and Sydney Health Partners, and Executive Chair of O’Kane Associates, a company specialising in major reviews. She was NSW Chief Scientist & Engineer from 2008-2018; and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Adelaide from 1996-2001. For the last 25 years, Mary has served on many Australian and overseas boards and committees in the public and private sectors, especially related to research, engineering, ICT, energy and international development.

Synopsis How to scale up research commercialisation is a debate that has stretched over decades in Australia. But it’s only one aspect of a much more important challenge which is how to harness Australian university high-impact research capacity even more than we do at present for increasing national wealth and addressing major problems. Obviously Australia is not alone in addressing this challenge. In this talk we’ll examine how other countries (notably Sweden, Austria, Norway, UK, USA, NZ and Malaysia, all countries where O’Kane Associates works) tackle this challenge, particularly exploring some notable successes.And then we’ll look at some successful responses to the challenge here in Australia, reflecting on what would lead to successful scale up of what works well.


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S P E A K E R S — C O M M E R C I A L I S AT I O N J O U R N E YS

Dr Alison Todd FTSE Alison is the Co-founder and Chief Scientific Officer of SpeeDx Pty Ltd. She is also an Adjunct Professor at the UNSW. Her career has focused on commercialising diagnostic tools for tailoring the treatment of cancer and infectious diseases. She is a serial inventor with over 120 patents, and her inventions underpin SpeeDx’s range of regulatory-approved, human IVD tests which are sold globally. In 2020 she was the co-recipient of the Clunies Ross Award for Innovation.

Dr Andrew Mears Andrew is an engineer and entrepreneur with more than 20 years of experience in the areas of renewable energy and innovation management covering Asia & Pacific, Africa and Australia. In 2014 Andrew founded SwitchDin, an energy software company that enables the connection and orchestration of distributed energy resources like rooftop solar, batteries, and electric vehicles. Andrew’s first startup was in satellite communications in 1990 and he’s since worked in academia, SMEs, non-governmental sector, and multi-lateral agencies. This includes lead roles in technology innovation and commercialisation, project development, strategy consulting, and investment program management. He was a Chief Technical Advisor for Renewable Energy and Climate Change for the United Nations in Southern Africa and SE Asia and has delivered more than 40 major assignments in 18 countries directly mobilising investment in excess of $200 million.

Chris Beal Chris is CEO of NextOre, a supplier of advanced sensor equipment to the mining industry. Prior to his role at NextOre, Chris worked in the natural resources industry for 10 years, initially as a mining engineer and then later as corporate advisor. Chris has a passion for supporting the growth and commercialisation of innovative companies, with a particular focus on hardware development. For three years Chris had a leading role within RFC Ambrian’s technology and innovation investment portfolio, working with companies across sectors including renewable energy, industrial infrastructure, and sensor technologies.


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S P E A K E R S — R O L E S F O R G O V E R N M E N T A N D U N I V E R S I T I E S

The Hon Gabrielle Upton MP Gabrielle was re-elected for a third term as the Member for Vaucluse at the March 2019 NSW Election and was appointed Parliamentary Secretary to the Premier. Gabrielle previously served as Minister for the Environment, the first female NSW Attorney General, Minister for Family & Community Services and Minister for Sport & Recreation. As Parliamentary Secretary to the NSW Premier, Gabrielle has been tasked by the Premier to lead the recent initiative to accelerate R&D in NSW. Gabrielle began her career as a banking and finance lawyer at Freehill, Hollingdale & Page and then worked in corporate finance at Deutsche Bank and Toronto Dominion Bank in New York. She served as Deputy Chancellor of the University of New South Wales from 2006 until 2009. Gabrielle has a BA LLB from the University of New South Wales, a MBA from the Stern School of Business at New York University and is a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.

Professor Barney Glover AO FTSEBarney is the Vice-Chancellor and President of Western Sydney University. He commenced in this role on 1 January 2014.Professor Glover is an accomplished academic leader and experienced Vice-Chancellor. Previously Vice-Chancellor at Charles Darwin University from 2009 to 2013, he has a long record of success in university management and leadership, particularly in research, intellectual property management and major capital development projects. Professor Glover also has significant business leadership credentials through having served on the boards of a range of corporate organisations and several state and national centres covering areas such as health and medical research, energy, mineral exploration and processing and telecommunications.

Dr Nathaniel Bavinton Nathanial is Innovation and Futures Manager, City of Newcastle. He is an urban sociologist, social researcher and city strategist who has researched, planned and implemented urban and social innovation for over fifteen years. For Newcastle, Nathaniel leads a team to deliver on the innovation, economy, sustainability and night-time economy portfolios. Collaborating closely with partners, they work to take advantage of opportunities in innovation, economy, digital platforms, smart infrastructure and citizen-centric applications. Their focus is on opportunities for people, and innovative and sustainable city communities, industries and economies. Nathaniel is interested in how cities can be a more creative, connected, and socially diverse places. He believes that in an age of accelerating change cities that embrace the future will thrive.


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S P E A K E R S — D E V E LO P I N G E N T R E P R E N E U R I A L M I N D S E TS A N D C U LT U R E S

Dr Sarah Jones Sarah is CEO of the Sydney School of Entrepreneurship where she is responsible for leading a high-performing team to inspire change, deliver impact and realise SSE’s vision to enhance and embed growth mindsets, entrepreneurial skills, and innovative thinking – empowering positive global impact both now and into the future. Sarah is blending her academic, professional and industry experience with critical pedagogy, to foster critical thinking, engaged collaboration and a desire for lifelong learning. She is committed to harnessing the collective strength of the entrepreneurial system, in its broadest sense, to build a state-wide culture of innovation with global impact.

Scott McKeon Scott is one of the Co-Founders of espresso Displays, a consumer electronics start-up whose first product is a portable monitor which adds a second screen to your laptop. The company raised over $430,000 on Kickstarter and has since won a Gold Good Design Award, a Red Dot Award, and has been featured in Forbes, TechCrunch, the Australian Financial Review and other publications. The product sells in more than 20 countries. Scott and co-founder Will started working on espresso whilst students at the Faculty of Engineering at UTS and studying at SSE.

David BurtDavid is an experienced commercial advisor and the current Director of Entrepreneurship at UNSW. In this role David leads the team that delivers commercial support to all UNSW alumni, staff and students to help them turn ideas and science into startups. David currently serves as a Non-Executive Director for Australia’s leading environmental non-profit, the Planet Ark Environmental Foundation, as well as the deep tech incubator Cicada Innovations. David is a member on the Advisory Board of the Committee for Economic Development of Australia (CEDA) and advises several early stage startup companies. David has previously led research commercialisation at the CSIRO where he founded and built the “ON Program” technology accelerator which helped Australian scientists attract over $100M to commercialise Australian research.”

Dr Heba Khamis Heba is the CEO and a co-founder of Contactile – a UNSW Sydney spin-out that is commercialising the PapillArray tactile sensor technology that is giving robots a human sense of touch and enabling robotic dexterity. Heba holds a PhD in Engineering, B (Software) Engineering and B Medical Science. She has applied her expertise in biosignal processing, pattern recognition and machine learning in complex biomedical problems including epilepsy, cardiac and autonomic diseases, malnutrition and human tactile physiology. Since 2014, she has been developing tactile sensors for robotic gripping that are inspired by the human sense of touch.


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S P E A K E R S — R E F L E C T I O N S A N D F U T U R E D I R E C T I O N S

C L O S I N G R E M A R K S

Professor Veena Sahajwalla FTSE FAA Veena is an internationally recognised materials scientist, engineer, and inventor revolutionising recycling science. She is pioneering the high temperature transformation of waste to produce a new generation of ‘green materials’ at the UNSW Sustainable Materials Research and Technology (SMaRT) Centre, where she is Founding Director. Veena is the inventor of polymer injection technology (‘green steel’), an eco-friendly process for using recycled tyres in steel production. In 2018, she launched the world’s first e-waste MICROfactorie™ and in 2019 she launched her plastics and Green Ceramics MICROfactories™, a recycling technology breakthrough. Veena is the director of the ARC Industrial Transformation Research Hub for ‘microrecycling’.

Dr Roy GreenRoy is Chair of the Advanced Robotics for Manufacturing Hub. He is Emeritus Professor and Special Innovation Adviser at the University of Technology Sydney, where he was Dean of the UTS Business School. Roy has a PhD in Economics from the University of Cambridge and has published widely in the areas of innovation and industry policy, including projects with the OECD and European Commission. Roy chaired the Australian Government’s Innovative Regions Centre, CSIRO Manufacturing Sector Advisory Council, NSW Manufacturing Industries Advisory Council and Queensland Competition Authority. As well as his role with the Advanced Robotics for Manufacturing Hub, he chairs the Port of Newcastle, and he is a board member of the Innovative Manufacturing Cooperative Research Centre and Australian Design Council.

Dr Adi Paterson FTSE Adi is the Founder and Principal of Siyeva Consulting. During his career he has been involved in the translation of research and development into societal and business outcomes, most recently in his tenure as CEO of ANSTO from 2009 to 2020; and earlier as one of the architects of the South African National R&D Strategy. He has a strong focus on the importance of diversity, inclusion, and equity, particularly in STEM. He is an Honorary Fellow of Engineers Australia, a Fellow of ATSE and the RSNSW.

Jane MacMaster — Chief Engineer, Engineers AustraliaJane MacMaster has worked as an aerospace, mechanical and systems design engineer in Australia and internationally, focusing primarily on supersonic flight vehicle design, operations research and rapid prototyping in the Defence and cyber security sectors. She has previously worked as a senior advisor within the strategy unit of the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet. Prior to becoming Chief Engineer at Engineers Australia, she developed a generalised approach for complex problem solving which she taught across all faculties at universities, and to staff from Commonwealth, and State and Territory government departments. She is a director on the Board of the Australian Council of Professions.


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SY M P O S I U M C O - C H A I R S A N D S E S S I O N C H A I R S

Dr Robin King FTSERobin is Honorary Secretary and Deputy Chair of ATSE’s NSW Division and co-chair of the Symposium Organising Committee. He is an Adjunct Professor at UTS and an Emeritus Professor of the University of South Australia where he was the inaugural Pro Vice Chancellor for IT, Engineering and the Environment. Robin has led several national engineering education projects for the Australian Council of Engineering Deans. He is a former director of two CRCs, and former chair of Engineers Australia’s Accreditation Board and the Sydney Accord.

Dr Gunilla Burrowes FTSE Gunilla is an electrical engineer with a broad range of industry and academic experience. She is passionate about innovation, entrepreneurship, technology commercialisation and improving diversity and inclusion in the workplace. Gunilla is a pillar of the Newcastle innovation ecosystem, having co-founded her own tech company, BlueZone Group in 2000. She is the inaugural Chair of Eighteen04 (an inspirational co-working and incubator space for companies scaling in the clean tech and smart city area) and an instigator of Hunter iF project (an open consortium of leading organisations in the Hunter that supports the growing startup ecosystem in the region). She is a member of the Hunter Angels and has been an Angel Investor for over 10 years. Gunilla is also co-founder of a consultancy, Gender Matters, that advises organisations on gender equity and has a unique approach to mitigating cognitive bias in decision-making. She is on numerous company boards including SwitchDin, the Blue Economy and SmartCrete CRC’s. Gunilla is a member of the ATSE NSW Division Committee and co-chair of this Symposium Organising Committee.

Chris Vonwiller FTSE Chris is the co-founder and Non-Executive Chairman of Appen, having formerly served as Appen CEO from 1999–2010. Prior to joining Appen, Chris served for 20 years in senior executive positions with Telstra Corporation Limited, playing a leading role in the development and deployment of innovative internet services, multimedia, and pay television. Chris is a former Chairman of the Warren Centre for Advanced Engineering. He is a Fellow of ATSE and Engineers Australia, and an Honorary Doctor of Engineering from the University of Sydney.

Dr Susan M. Pond AM FRSN FTSE FAHMSSusan is Chair, NSW Smart Sensing Network and non-executive director of several listed and non-listed companies. She is President of the Royal Society of NSW. Susan has a strong scientific and commercial background having held academic positions in medicine and science, and executive positions in healthcare and industrial biotechnology. Previous positions include Chair of AusBiotech Ltd and board member of Commercialisation Australia and Innovation Australia. Dr Pond holds an Adjunct Professor appointment in The University of Sydney’s Faculty of Engineering.

Karen Borg Karen has held leadership roles in FTSE100-250 companies in multiple private and public sectors. Most recently, she was CEO of Healthdirect, delivering the National Coronavirus Helpline and the vaccine communication program. She was also the inaugural CEO of Jobs for NSW, redesigning funding for scale ups and launching the Sydney Startup Hub. Prior to this, Karen held international leadership roles in the private sector. Karen is on the board of Somnomed, The North Foundation and interim Chair for the Australian Vaccine Research Alliance. She has a B.A. and was a finalist for Telstra Businesswoman of the Year.


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Emeritus Professor Robin King FTSEDr Gunilla Burrowes FTSE Dr John Baxter FTSE

Emeritus Professor Annabelle Duncan PSM FTSE Dr Adi Paterson FTSE Professor Laura Poole Warren AM FTSE

Australian industry competitiveness depends significantly on the ability to translate investment in science, research and development into economic benefits, and to lift productivity through the uptake of new technology and technical innovations, including from overseas. Collaboration between Australia’s research workforce and industry underpins innovation in our economy and will be critical to support growth in onshore jobs in the wake of COVID-19.

At Engineers Australia we have always recognised the dynamic tension between research as an end in itself and commercialisation to ensure its transformative effect. Emerging from the pandemic, there could not be a more pivotal time to examine how we turn innovation into jobs and businesses to reboot our economy and ensure we stay at the forefront of the engineering profession.


Since its founding in 1947, UNSW has had a focus on science and technology disciplines. It now sits comfortably in the top 50 Engineering schools worldwide. UNSW offers a comprehensive range of degree programs, covering almost all engineering disciplines. Over the past five years, the faculty’s research has led to dozens of start-ups, and over $175m of revenue from end-user sponsored research and licence agreements.

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Scaling up research commercialisation