Science commercialisation competition for women launched

Auckland, New Zealand. 4 February 2011…Women scientists with a business idea now have the opportunity to start their own company to commercialise it.

The Association for Women in the Sciences together with Pacific Channel, a venture development and investment company specialising in clean-technology and life-sciences, has launched the Women in Science Entrepreneurship Award. The winner of the Award will receive $50,000 of incubation time at Pacific Channel, including access to an advisory board with experience in science commercialisation.

The aim of the award is to encourage the involvement of more women in science entrepreneurship and venture creation in New Zealand, says Mitali Purohit, Associate at Pacific Channel.

“New Zealand needs a world class innovation ecosystem to capitalise on our strengths in areas such as agriculture and in scientific research, and women are currently under-represented in the upper levels of commercial science,” says Ms Purohit. “We hope this competition will allow women involved in scientific endeavours to think about their research and the potential opportunities for commercialisation for their and New Zealand’s enrichment.”

A panel of judges - including Dr Jilly Evans, co-founder of Amira Pharmaceuticals and 2010 World Class New Zealand Biotechnology category winner; Sarah Gibbs co-founder of Trilogy; and Mitali Purohit from Pacific Channel - will choose the winning entry that demonstrates the greatest social and financial impact. Ideas must be presented by individual women or groups with a female majority. Entry to the competition closes on 30 June, and the winner will be announced at the Association for Women in the Sciences (AWIS) conference on 28-29 July.

More information on the competition, as well as the official entry form, can be found on the Pacific Channel website www.pacificchannel.com or on the AWIS website www.awis.org.nz.

ENDS

BUDGET 2012:
Parliament Debate Live - Video Of Budget 2011
Keith Ng Interactive Graphic: How the Budget Breaks Down
BUDGET 2012 - FULL COVERAGE: Reports / Analysis - Press Kit - Reaction (from everybody) - Previews (from everybody) - Pre-Budget Announcements

Gordon Campbell: On the Budget’s Spreadsheet Victories

It wasn’t as if expectations were sky high, exactly. Chances are, it was always more likely that we’d be seeing Bigfoot rampage through the Beehive lock-up than catch a glimpse of a credible growth agenda from this government. More >>

Sludge Budget Report - Short The Dollar! MEMO: To international bankers FROM: C.D. Sludge Please short the dollar! It'll be good for both you and us. And you know you want to. Greexit, Eurogeddon... watch out... flight to quality and all that. Follow your instincts. The NZ Debt Management Office has been so surprised at the unprecedentedly low interest rates that it can borrow at that it has already entirely pre-funded the 2013 fiscal deficit - all $8 billion of it! More >>

Pattrick Smellie Comment: Doddling along the best we can hope for Criticising Budgets for lacking vision or imagination is like shooting fish in a barrel, but even so, this year's Budget again feels like a missed opportunity. Perhaps it's the intrusion of real world needs that means the government couldn't make better political use of the $558.8 million it expects to gather in its first partial asset sale. More >>