Key Board appointments for Health Innovation Hub

26 June 2012

Key Board appointments for New Zealand’s new Health Innovation Hub

The New Zealand Health Innovation Hub has appointed Dr Murray Horn as it inaugural chairman and Sir Ray Avery as deputy chair.

The announcement was made this afternoon at the New Zealand Healthcare Congress in Auckland.

The Hub has been created to help grow New Zealand’s health technology industry and support the commercial success and widespread adoption of leading innovations developed within the public health sector.

Dr Horn, who is also chair of the National Health Board, said the best creative ideas often come from the frontline. “We want to unleash the talent of New Zealand’s clinicians, and develop stronger relationships with industry to support innovation, and importantly, facilitate clinical trials of products, devices and systems developed in New Zealand.

“Health system transformation demands innovation and better value for money. With ever-increasing demand and costs, pumping more money into health isn’t the answer. We need to do things differently to get better results.

“Improving health and changing lives through innovation is one of our goals. Our aim is to change the world - one step at a time,” Murray Horn said.

The New Zealand Health Innovation Hub is unique in the sense that for the first time, it brings together the substance of the public health system and the entrepreneurial spirit of innovators and industry.

“The Hub is a mobile, virtual organisation which will make the most of technology to deliver excellent customer service. Systems are in place and expert advisors available to support innovators and fast-track ideas with the potential to improve health outcomes and be sold worldwide.

“People who work in health are full of great ideas about how things could be done differently and better to improve the lives of their patients. They’re also highly motivated to make a difference. It hasn’t always been easy for them to get the advice, guidance and support to see their ideas to fruition or to help them engage with industry, and that’s where the Hub will be able to help,” Dr Horn said.
Dr Horn said he was delighted to announce he would be joined on the board by Sir Ray Avery who has been appointed deputy chair. “Sir Ray is one of New Zealand’s best known innovators and is held in high regard both nationally and internationally.

“As a scientist Ray had a substantial career in pharmaceuticals. As an innovator, he designed intraocular lenses for use in Nepal that cost $5.00 to produce instead of $360. Other low-cost solutions to improve health in Third World countries include inventing a baby incubator – the Liferaft which costs $1,500 to produce (instead of $25,000) and a protein supplement to prevent sick children dying from malnutrition. Sir Ray has also founded a global charity, Medicine Mondiale. I know he will make a valuable contribution as both an innovator and a pragmatic scientist,” Dr Horn said.

Sir Ray said he was very excited to be part of NZ’s Health Innovation Hub. “I’m here to help make a difference. I am very keen to see ‘what’s in the cupboard’ in terms of ideas for innovations that are yet to be fully developed. It may be that some existing ideas need to be adapted to progress to a finished product. Sometimes you can be ‘too close to the mirror’ and need to step back to get a broader perspective,” he said.

“With innovation, one of the key questions is ‘What is the need or the problem we’re trying to solve?’ Once that’s clear and you know whether a solution is going to help a handful of patients or millions of people worldwide, you get some perspective on the scope and potential impact of the work to be done.

“I don’t think there’s any point putting time or energy into systems or products where there is no significant and measurable benefit for patients. That’s where the Innovation Hub’s linkages with people who care for patients every day will be invaluable.

“The benefits of ‘growing our own’ in New Zealand include improved health outcomes for Kiwis as a result of innovative new products, and on a bigger scale, benefits to patients worldwide. The New Zealand economy also stands to benefit from innovations that have an international market,” Sir Ray Avery said.

The Hub will be a national entity, with two regional delivery arms in Christchurch and Auckland.

The New Zealand Health Innovation Hub is a partnership between four of New Zealand’s biggest DHBs: Auckland, Counties Manukau, Waitemata and Canterbury. It is expected that other DHBs will become partners as the Hub develops. The Hub also has the backing of the Ministry of Economic Development, Auckland Tourism Events Economic Development and the Canterbury Development Corporation.

Further information can be found at www.innovation.health.nz

ENDS
Frequently-asked questions

Who will staff the Hub?

There will be a small team of permanent staff with innovation managers based at each of the four foundation DHBs.

Who should I contact if I have a great health innovation idea?

Contact details are on the website www.innovation.health.nz or call 0800 466 804
When is it due to “go live”?

The Hub is open now for a small number of projects. It will be up to full speed in September when it is formally launched.

Is the Hub a government department?

While it’s received some government funding, the Hub is an independent Crown entity. This means it’s not bound by the same constraints as some government departments and can be nimble in its approach, flexible with its systems and make the most of cloud technology.

How is the Hub being funded?

The government via the Ministry of Economic Development is investing $3 million in the Hub and a range of other stakeholders including the foundation DHBs, Auckland Tourism Events Economic Development and the Canterbury Development Corporation. The total investment is $14 million over five years. It’s expected that the Hub will be self-funding after that time.

Who are the foundation DHBs?

Auckland, Canterbury, Counties Manukau and Waitemata. These DHBs have a combined revenue of over $5 billion. Importantly, they employ over 12,000 clinical and technical staff.

Will the Hub give out funds to innovators?

Not directly, but it will provide advice and assist innovators in accessing funds. It will also work with venture capital funds.
BIOS

Dr Murray Horn, Chairman

With a passion for excellence and innovation, Dr Horn has previously served on a number of boards, including the New Zealand Tourism Board. He is currently Chairman of the National Health Board, serves on the Telecom Board and is an advisor to a number of private firms and government agencies in New Zealand and Australia. Dr Horn has held a number of senior executive roles with ANZ Banking Group, including leading the group's New Zealand business. He served as Secretary to the New Zealand Treasury, the youngest person to have been appointed to this position, and has represented New Zealand at the OECD, as a governor at the World Bank and as an alternate director at the International Monetary Fund. Dr Horn received his PhD at Harvard University in 1989 and has been awarded a number of academic honours in New Zealand and the United States.
Sir Ray Avery, Deputy Chairman

Sir Ray Avery has amassed numerous accolades for his innovative work as a pharmaceutical scientist, inventor, and social entrepreneur. As the founder and Chief Executive of award-winning development agency Medicine Mondiale, Sir Ray has developed infant incubators, IV flow controllers and pre-digested protein formulations to combat child malnutrition. In his role as Technical Advisor for the Fred Hollows Foundation, he designed and commissioned Intraocular Lens Laboratories in Eritrea and Nepal, cutting the cost of lenses to make them available to the world’s poorest communities. These low-cost lenses are expected to bring sight to 30 million people by 2020. Sir Ray’s recognitions include the Bayer Research and Development Innovator Award 2008, World Class New Zealand Award for Biotechnology 2009, Kiwibank New Zealander of the Year 2010, the Blake Leadership Medal 2010, Ernst and Young Social Entrepreneur Award and Readers Digest New Zealand’s Most Trusted Person in 2011. A founding member of the Department of Clinical Pharmacology at the University of Auckland Medical School, for many years, Sir Ray also held the position of Technical Director for Douglas Pharmaceuticals. In 2011, he was awarded the New Zealand Order of Merit Knight of the Grand Companion in the New Year Honours for services to philanthropy.

ENDS

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