KiwiNet Awards - Annual Report 2023

14 April, 2024

Kevin Sheehy accepting the Simpson Grierson Commercialisation Professional Award

KiwiNet Awards - 28 September 2023

Congratulations to our Commercialisation and Industry Engagement Manager, Kevin Sheehy, who won the 2023 KiwiNet Simpson Grierson Commercialisation Professional Award. The award recognises a commercialisation professional working within a New Zealand research organisation who has made an outstanding contribution to the commercialisation of publicly funded research.

The Institute has supported researchers and their Tech Transfer Offices (TTOs) to spin out nine start-up companies since Kevin took up his current role. Kevin has made a huge contribution, not only within the Institute but throughout New Zealand's deep tech and cleantech ecosystem. One of the key roles he has played is in pulling together key players in the wider start-up sector to identify ways that support for new deep tech and cleantech start-up companies could be enhanced. It's an exciting time in this space and exciting to see Kevin being recognised for his impact.

Congratulations also to one of the Institute's newest affiliated start-up companies, Bspkl, which won the PwC Breakthrough Project Award: Activating sustainability through innovative manufacturing, including its cofounders, Dr Jérôme Leveneur (a MacDiarmid Institute alumnus) and Christina Houlihan.

The MacDiarmid Institute was also well-represented by four other Institute-affiliated KiwiNet finalists: BNZ Researcher Entrepreneur Finalist, Principal Investigator Dr Laura Domigan, and Sprout Breakthrough Innovator Finalists, alumna Dr Olivia Ogilvie and Dr Jérôme Leveneur.

Congratulations to all of them. Being a finalist for these awards is a huge achievement. It's exciting to see so much success in this area.

Read more: MacDiarmid Institute Commercialisation Manager wins KiwiNet Commercialisation Professional Award

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