Minister congratulates 2024 Research Excellence Award recipients

The Hon Judith Collins, the Minister for Science, Innovation and Technology and Minister for Space thanked the recipients of 2024 Celebrating Research Excellence awards for their world class research and innovation at the awards ceremony at the University of Auckland.

The Minister, in a pre-recorded video message said, “I want to extend my sincere congratulations to all award winners, alongside your families and your support networks. Whether you’re just starting your career or already have a track record of excellence and impactful science, I thank you for the work you do to tackle the tough problems for New Zealand, New Zealanders and for the international community.”

The Vice-Chancellor, Professor Dawn Freshwater, thanked the Minister and echoed her sentiments. She noted that the University has been ranked first in the annual Survey of Commercialisation Outcomes from Public Research (SCOPR) in New Zealand and Australia. With 47 active startups and spinouts from 2021-2023, the University’s record exceeded by a significant margin Australia’s highly respected Commonwealth Science and Industrial Research Organisation, CSIRO.

She said, “This is a testament to the innovative research and startup culture that we have at the University of Auckland.”

The keynote speaker for the award ceremony, Nick Sautner, the chief executive officer of Eden Park, spoke about the strategic partnership between the stadium and the University. “We are proud of our work with the University to achieve research outcomes through mutual learning, networking, peer review and feedback.”

The concept of a research-powered stadium was novel and welcome, he said. The collaboration between Eden Park and the University of Auckland focuses on sustainable practice for stadium operations, smart tech to enhance the fan experience and data driven insights on crowd management and support.