UC appoints Research & Innovation Director

A senior manager at Australia's national research agency is joining theUniversity of Canterbury to help researchers secure external funding andapply their discoveries to create new commercial products and services.

Dr Nigel Johnson, who will be based at UC's recently-opened NZi3 ICTInnovation Institute, is an internationally recognised expert in themanagement of textile research and commercialisation. In the past four years he has held a number of senior positions at the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), one of the largest and most diverse research organisations in the world with 6,300 staff and a budget of A$1 billion.

As Director of the newly-formed Research & Innovation unit, he will be responsible for overseeing services previously provided by the Research & Consultancy unit and UC's commercialisation company Canterprise, which were merged in March. The merger followed an extensive review of research and commercialisation systems at the University

The role of the new Research & Innovation (R&I) unit is to provide end-to-end services which facilitate and support all stages of research nd innovation development, from initial funding through to commercialisation, where appropriate.

Vice-Chancellor Dr Rod Carr says the breadth of the University's research activities means not all outcomes have commercial potential.

"And that's fine, because as a university we are here to create knowledge first and foremost. But where there is potential for that knowledge to be utilised in commercial products and services, Research & Innovation will help make that happen."

Dr Johnson's appointment follows the recent opening of the NZi3 ICT Innovation Institute at UC, which was established with the support of founding partners HP, IBM, Jade Software Corporation and Tait Electronics.

Dr Carr believes the University's success in forming meaningful and productive relationships with such heavyweight companies reflects its growing reputation as an institution that knows how to work with
industry.

"The model we have developed with NZi3 shows we have the people and the ideas that industry is looking for."

Dr Johnson is familiar with the Canterbury region, having spent 13 years in various roles at Canesis Network Ltd based at Lincoln. He was Deputy CEO when he moved to CSIRO in 2005. He is also familiar with the university environment, having spent 12 years as a lecturer and senior lecturer in textile technology at the University of New South Wales in Sydney.

Dr Johnson, who is an Associate Fellow of the New Zealand Institute of Management, is expected to take up his position in late July.