University of Auckland among innovation award winners

University of Auckland among innovation award winners

A team of researchers creating innovative new technologies for manufacturing won a top award at New Zealand’s premier Kiwinet innovation awards last night.

A team of researchers creating innovative new technologies for manufacturing won a top award at New Zealand’s premier Kiwinet innovation awards last night.

Titanium Technologies NZ (TiTeNZ) are a team of researchers from universities, Crown-owned research institutes and industry partners who won the Kiwinet AJ Park Commercialisation Collaboration Award.

University of Auckland Associate Professor in Chemical and Materials Engineering, Peng Cao, plays a key role in TiTeNZ. The new company creates products for global markets in titanium alloys. These materials have application in the yachting industry and the defence industry.

Associate Professor Cao’s team leads metal injection moulding of titanium and supports the research collaboration overall.

“It has been a very exciting project to be involved in and to be given this Award was wonderful, we had no idea we would be named the winning team in the collaboration category,” says Associate Professor Cao.

“It is great that the Award recognises the outstanding collaboration formed between multiple research organisations working together.”

University of Auckland Dean of Engineering Professor Nicolas Smith said the Awards recognised the key role research could play in creating new products that contributed to New Zealand’s export success.

“I want to sincerely congratulate the TiTeNZ team on their win in these Awards and in particular Associate Professor Cao for the leadership role he has played the success of this major research and industry collaboration.”

Professor Smith also congratulated Associate Professor Iain Anderson, Group Leader of the University’s Biomimetics Lab, Auckland Bioengineering Institute, for his honourable mention in the Kiwinet Researcher Entrepreneur Award category.

Associate Professor Anderson’s research involves the application and control of artificial muscle technologies for wearable sensors, power generators and soft robotics. The new soft-sensor company Stretchsense Ltd is a lab spin-out.

“Recognition by the Judge’s honourable mention of Iain’s work is indicative of the quality of the research being carried out within the University. I am extremely proud of the contribution being made to these critical research areas,” Professor Smith says.

ENDS

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