Innovators in fungi, silver and reinforced plastic nominated for KiwiNet awards

An entrepreneur whose research into fungi could save the forestry industry $50 million a year, a Ph.D. student who uses tiny particles of silver to treat dental disease and a partnership that reinforces plastic using wood fibre are among 12 organisations and individuals in the running in this year's KiwiNet Commercialisation Awards.

KiwiNet or the Kiwi Innovation Network is New Zealand's network of public research organisations. While not carrying out research itself, it aims to encourage collaboration between partners to boost the country's economy.

Robert Hill from Lincoln University is in the running for the researcher entrepreneur award. His work involves using fungi called Trichoderma to boost plant growth and control disease. KiwiNet says its adoption by Malaysian timber company Grand Perfect has enabled the business to end the use of fungicides in its Acacia nurseries and crop mortality has fallen to below 10% from 50%. The kiwifruit marketing company Zespri has invested in Hill's work to try and tackle Psa disease. Several fungi that increase growth and reduce disease losses have been identified.

Others in this category are Stephen Moratti from the University of Otago who developed a gel containing natural polymers that help patients heal post surgery. Manufacturing of the gel is underway in Wellington and the product is to be launched in the US later this year. Associate professor Cather Simpson from the University of Auckland has come up with a technique that uses light to sort sperm by sex for the dairy industry.

In the emerging innovator category, Carla Meledandri from the University of Otago is nominated for her work on using tiny particles of silver to tackle dental decay. The technology has been licenced to a multi-national dental company while others have been nominated for their work in mathematical modelling and using small crystals in catalysts.

Work between Scion and Sonae Industria to create a product called Woodforce that uses wood to reinforce plastic is nominated in the research & business partnership. The end products are being trialled by major vehicle manufacturers.

The winners will be announced at a ceremony in Auckland on June 30.

(BusinessDesk)

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