Grasslanz Technology receives IP award

15 October 2010

Grasslanz Technology receives award for best commercialisation of IP in international business

Grasslanz Technology Limited, a subsidiary of AgResearch, won the prestigious ‘Best commercialisation of intellectual property in international business’ award at the 2010 New Zealand International Business Awards on Wednesday night in Auckland.

The NZTE sponsored award recognises success in developing and commercialising intellectual property (IP) in international markets; incorporating IP strategy, processes, and monitoring.

AgResearch General Manager, Business Group and Grasslanz Technology Board Chairman, Dr Ian Boddy, said “The importance of this award to a subsidiary of a Crown Research Institute cannot be underestimated.  It is a clear demonstration that CRIs deliver technologies that make a difference to New Zealand.”

Grasslanz Technology Chief Executive, Dr John Caradus says “Our role is to identify projects that can generate useful outputs, invest in their development, protect the resulting IP, and then license to commercial companies to sell to the end-user.  We are the conductor, we join all the dots, finding someone prepared to sell the innovative plant technology to someone who wants to buy it.

“This business model should be one more widely used; it works and has been very successful. Grasslanz Technology employs people adept at connecting a science discovery or development with a commercial opportunity.

“Grasslanz Technology fits into the very difficult spaces between science, discovery, development and commercialisation.  We do not employ scientists or marketing people, but people with a good head for investment in the biological space, who can identify an innovation that we can protect through trade secret, patent, plant variety rights or trademark,” said Dr Caradus.

The judges’ commendation said “Commercialising IP is at the heart of everything Grasslanz does. It makes sure the scientists it invests with understand how the IP they produce can be best protected. Grasslanz is an excellent example of a company that understands, monetizes, protects, and defends its IP.”

As a winner, Grasslanz Technology will receive a customized package of services from TechNZ worth $50,000 to accelerate their innovation and build their research and development capability.

Grasslanz Technology Ltd was established as a subsidiary by AgResearch in 2003 to invest in the development of plant-based technologies for pastoral agriculture, both within New Zealand and off-shore.

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