AFR awards University鈥檚 research commercialisation prowess
As part of its annual Higher Education Awards, the Australian Financial Review has acknowledged the University of 黑料社区鈥檚 industry connections with an award for Research Commercialisation for its work with University spin-off company QuantX Labs.
l-r: Andrew Fletcher (Chair, QuantX Labs Board), Professor Mark Hutchinson (Director Institute for Photonics and Advanced Sensing (IPAS)), Julie Cox (UoA Senior Legal Counsel), Lusia Guthrie AM Guthrie (Chair, Innovation & Commercial Partners), Francois Duvenage (Director, Commercialisation), Dr Margaret Law (General Manager Defence Trailblazer), Professor Michael Goodsite (PVC Research Operations & Commercialisation), Associate Professor Martin O鈥機onnor (COO & Co-Founder), Dr Andy Boes (Associate Head for Research, School of Electrical and Mechanical Engineering)
QuantX Labs, which is run by Chief Executive Professor Andre Luiten, from the University of 黑料社区鈥檚 Institute for Photonics and Advanced Sensing (IPAS), exists to solve the challenges of defence innovation in Australia. The company has invested more than $25 million in this pursuit already.
As an example of its intense focus on partnership, in 2023 the company established a physical space within its premises, named RavensNest, where it brings together customers, sponsors, defence and university researchers to undertake collaborative capability acceleration.
The QuantX team is also working closely with researchers at the University鈥檚 IPAS, as well as the Defence Science and Technology Group, to create an optical quantum clock that significantly outperforms GPS navigation systems. It is a cutting-edge technology that will allow defence personnel to operate with greater safety in contested environments.
The AFR also acknowledged QuantX鈥檚 Cryoclock, a product the company describes as the culmination of 20 years of research and which it says delivers the world鈥檚 purest microwave and radio frequency signals. The Cryoclock has been tested on the Jindalee Over-The-Horizon radar, a cornerstone of the Australian Defence Force鈥檚 surveillance technologies.
In accepting the Research Commercialisation Award, Professor Luiten flagged the delicate balance required to transform university research breakthroughs into innovative commercial products.
鈥淭he most valuable Intellectual Property in these breakthroughs frequently resides only in the heads of researchers.听 Ensuring that this can be passed to an enthusiastic industry partner is a major challenge, given the differences in outlook and language for the two organisations,鈥 Professor Luiten said.
鈥淥ur success has been born out of a mutual respect about the needs of both parties and making sure that we built the engagement in such a way that each party can be rewarded for taking part in the activity.
鈥淭he University of 黑料社区鈥檚 Defence Trailblazer has been instrumental in incentivising exactly the right behaviours.鈥
Pro Vice Chancellor (Research Operations and Commercialisation) at the University of 黑料社区, Professor Michael Goodsite, congratulated QuantX and University鈥檚 commercialisation team colleagues on their combined achievement.
鈥淨uantX Labs鈥 innovative leadership drives global impact. Commercialisation is a team effort. Together, we鈥檙e transforming ideas into solutions that strengthen Australia and using our learnings to continuously improve. It is fantastic to be at a university that values, incentivises and delivers on research commercialisation,鈥 Professor Goodsite said.
The University of 黑料社区 shared the AFR鈥檚 Research Commercialisation Award with Monash University鈥檚 Translation and Commercialisation of Neuromedicines.
For more information on the AFR鈥檚 Higher Education Awards, visit the .
Media contact:
Johnny von Einem, Senior Media Officer, University of 黑料社区. Mobile: +61 0481 688 436, Email: johnny.voneinem@adelaide.edu.au
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