KiwiNet honours research commercialisation winners

KiwiNet has announced the winners of its 2026 Research Commercialisation Awards, which recognise New Zealand researchers, entrepreneurs and projects taking publicly funded research towards commercial use.

The awards cover student entrepreneurship, breakthrough innovation, researcher-led ventures, early-career commercialisation, project development, long-term impact and sector leadership. Winners came from universities, research institutes and commercialisation offices across the country.

Zac Hemmings of the University of Canterbury won the Momentum Student Entrepreneur Award for Cluttr, a venture focused on turning household clutter into a business opportunity. Dr Dominic Moseley of the Paihau-Robinson Research Institute received the NZ Product Accelerator Breakthrough Innovator Award for work linked to the commercialisation of superconductivity.

In the researcher entrepreneur category, Professor Matthew Watson of the University of Canterbury won for work aimed at building new industries for a lower-emissions future. Dr Dan Carlisle of Massey University and Massey Ventures won the KCA Commercialisation Rising Star Award.

The PwC Breakthrough Project Award went to Scentian Bio of the Bioeconomy Science Institute Maiangi Taiao for sensing technology the organisation describes as an insect nose on a chip. Massey University's C-Dax Pasture Meter won the Cytiva Commercialisation Impact Award, which recognises projects with a track record of commercial results.

KiwiNet's highest individual honour, the Commercialisation Icon Award, went to Dr Gavin Ross, whom the network describes as a commercialisation leader in horticulture and food. The award recognises a person judged to have had a significant effect on New Zealand's research commercialisation system.

Sector growth

KiwiNet Chief Executive Officer Dr James Hutchinson said the results reflected a wider shift in the country's research-to-market pipeline.

"The calibre of this year's winners shows that New Zealand research commercialisation is shifting into a new gear. More than 20 years of deliberately building skills, capability and connections is paying off: the ecosystem has matured, the pipeline is deepening, and the flywheel is starting to spin. Across our universities and research organisations, these are the people and projects to watch, creating new companies and industries, opening global markets, and tackling challenges that matter. Our scale and our uniquely collaborative approach give New Zealand a genuine advantage. If we keep investing, connecting and pushing together, we have a real opportunity to become the best place in the world for turning public research into innovations that make a difference," Hutchinson said.

The awards offer a snapshot of where institutions and investors see momentum in New Zealand science commercialisation. Several finalists and winners were tied to areas including climate technology, advanced materials, sensing, agriculture and health.

Finalists in the project category included carbon capture materials from Captivate Technology, industrial ammonia work from Liquium and hazardous waste processing from Nurox. In the impact category, the C-Dax Pasture Meter beat another agricultural finalist, Endophyte AR37.

The judging panel included investors, founders and commercialisation specialists. Judge Bridgit Hawkins said the field showed both technical depth and stronger support systems for researchers moving towards products and spin-out companies.

"The judges were impressed by the global competitiveness we're achieving in areas of deep tech, and by the entrepreneurial spirit driving it - researchers determined to take their work beyond the lab and through to customers, products and spin-out companies. Less visible, but just as important, is the commercialisation infrastructure underpinning that journey. One advantage of being a small country is how connected we are, and it's exciting to see those connections strengthening into a real ecosystem, one that's helping take New Zealand science to commercial outcomes and global markets," Hawkins said.

National network

KiwiNet brings together 14 universities and public research institutes. It says those members account for 80% of New Zealand's publicly funded researchers. The group works across training, connections and early-stage funding support to help move research into businesses, licensing deals and other commercial channels.

The Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment also backed the significance of the awards for the wider economy. Anna Clark, Deputy Secretary of Labour, Science, and Enterprise at the ministry, said the winners showed what can happen when research is linked with industry.

"The KiwiNet Awards winners demonstrate what's possible when great research is connected with industry. Their achievements showcase the impact of commercialisation in turning innovative ideas into successful products, services and solutions that drive economic growth and prosperity, creating benefits for New Zealand. Congratulations to all this year's winners," Clark said.

KiwiNet says that since 2003 it has generated more than 808 commercial deals, 114 start-ups, 968 jobs and more than AUD $907 million in known revenue for New Zealand.