Macquarie University is in one of 11 teams of scientists and researchers selected to take part in the next round of CSIRO’s ON Accelerator, a program set out to boost Australia’s innovation performance by accelerating big science and technology ideas into commercially viable innovation opportunities.
The teams were selected on the potential of their ideas to have a positive impact on Australian industry, economy, environment and future, among other selection criteria.
For the first time CSIRO welcomed Australian university applications into the program, recognising the importance of collaboration and engagement between research sectors in driving Australia’s innovation agenda.
Out of eight university applications a collaborative team named Modular Photonics from Macquarie University, University of Adelaide and ANU were successful in securing one of two wildcard spots in the next Accelerator.
The team’s winning idea – a photonics chip that has applications for faster data transfer in data and telecommunication companies – is built on the strengths of Australian photonics research to increase the speed and flow of data to, from and within data centres. The chip is currently three times faster than market technology.
“Before commencing the program I believed that as university researchers we understand real world needs and can readily identify potential commercial opportunities. I can see now that we are frequently guilty of developing a ‘solution’ first and then go in search of a problem. The CSIRO program has enabled us to focus on the problem first and trust that we will find the right solution later. This will involve learning how to better identify potential end-users and ask the right questions,” said team member Professor Michael Withford from the Department of Physics and Astronomy.
Dr Simon Gross from the Department of Physics and Astronomy is also a member of the team.
“One of my key learnings from the program was that having an interesting technology is not sufficient for commercial success. The program has changed my approach to commercialisation and I’m looking forward to learning more through the 12-week CSIRO AcceleratiON bootcamp,” said Dr Gross.
“As a collaborative and industry-engaged university we are excited about continuing to build integration across CSIRO, industry and university sectors. The CSIRO ON Accelerator provides a framework through which we can extend previous collaborations - in wireless research, astronomy, laser technology and plant breeding,” said Professor Sakkie Pretorius, Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research). “It also allows us to look to the future, to generating impact from new future-focused areas in which CSIRO and Macquarie have developed complementary strengths.”
From July this year the ON Accelerator program will be expanded nationally to include all other publically-funded research organisations, as well as Australian universities, as part of the Federal Government’s National Innovation and Science Agenda.
“With the ON Accelerator program we can focus on finding viable opportunities that will not only create economic impact, but provide real social and environmental benefits for Australia. We’re thrilled to be working collaboratively with other research organisations in Australia to lift our nation’s performance in the entrepreneurial ecosystem globally,” said Liza Noonan, Executive Manager, Innovation at CSIRO.
The next round of CSIRO’s ON Accelerator program kicks off on 26 April and takes three months to complete. The 11 winning teams were selected by a judging panel including Dr Cathy Foley, from a group of 25 teams that participated in a challenging and competitive two-day selection bootcamp held 6 – 7 April at Powerhouse Museum, Sydney.
The teams were selected on the potential of their ideas to have a positive impact on Australian industry, economy, environment and future, among other selection criteria.
For the first time CSIRO welcomed Australian university applications into the program, recognising the importance of collaboration and engagement between research sectors in driving Australia’s innovation agenda.
Out of eight university applications a collaborative team named Modular Photonics from Macquarie University, University of Adelaide and ANU were successful in securing one of two wildcard spots in the next Accelerator.
The team’s winning idea – a photonics chip that has applications for faster data transfer in data and telecommunication companies – is built on the strengths of Australian photonics research to increase the speed and flow of data to, from and within data centres. The chip is currently three times faster than market technology.
“Before commencing the program I believed that as university researchers we understand real world needs and can readily identify potential commercial opportunities. I can see now that we are frequently guilty of developing a ‘solution’ first and then go in search of a problem. The CSIRO program has enabled us to focus on the problem first and trust that we will find the right solution later. This will involve learning how to better identify potential end-users and ask the right questions,” said team member Professor Michael Withford from the Department of Physics and Astronomy.
Dr Simon Gross from the Department of Physics and Astronomy is also a member of the team.
“One of my key learnings from the program was that having an interesting technology is not sufficient for commercial success. The program has changed my approach to commercialisation and I’m looking forward to learning more through the 12-week CSIRO AcceleratiON bootcamp,” said Dr Gross.
“As a collaborative and industry-engaged university we are excited about continuing to build integration across CSIRO, industry and university sectors. The CSIRO ON Accelerator provides a framework through which we can extend previous collaborations - in wireless research, astronomy, laser technology and plant breeding,” said Professor Sakkie Pretorius, Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research). “It also allows us to look to the future, to generating impact from new future-focused areas in which CSIRO and Macquarie have developed complementary strengths.”
From July this year the ON Accelerator program will be expanded nationally to include all other publically-funded research organisations, as well as Australian universities, as part of the Federal Government’s National Innovation and Science Agenda.
“With the ON Accelerator program we can focus on finding viable opportunities that will not only create economic impact, but provide real social and environmental benefits for Australia. We’re thrilled to be working collaboratively with other research organisations in Australia to lift our nation’s performance in the entrepreneurial ecosystem globally,” said Liza Noonan, Executive Manager, Innovation at CSIRO.
The next round of CSIRO’s ON Accelerator program kicks off on 26 April and takes three months to complete. The 11 winning teams were selected by a judging panel including Dr Cathy Foley, from a group of 25 teams that participated in a challenging and competitive two-day selection bootcamp held 6 – 7 April at Powerhouse Museum, Sydney.
