KiwiNet Awards celebrate innovators driving real-world impact
The 2025 KiwiNet Research Commercialisation Awards have recognised several New Zealand researchers and innovators for their success in translating scientific discoveries into products and solutions with global impact.
This year's awarded projects include breakthroughs in space technology, clean technologies, medical therapeutics, education guidance, and food sustainability. Winners were selected from universities, Crown Research Institutes, and research organisations nationwide.
Recognising science commercialisation
The Momentum Student Entrepreneur Award was presented to Josiah Bugden of CourseSpy at the University of Otago, recognised for developing a platform that enhances transparency in higher education. The Ara Ake Breakthrough Innovator Award went to Dr Ben Mallett of The MacDiarmid Institute, Wellington UniVentures and Paihau Robinson Research Institute for his work advancing New Zealand's capabilities in space technology.
Professor Aaron Marshall from the University of Canterbury and the MacDiarmid Institute received the BNZ Researcher Entrepreneur Award for his work in clean-tech innovation. Sue Muggleston from Plant & Food Research was named the winner of the KCA Commercialisation Professional Award, acknowledged for her contributions to intellectual property and support for future leaders in the sector.
The PwC Breakthrough Project Award recognised the CAR-T Therapy team at the Malaghan Institute of Medical Research for engineering new cancer therapies tailored for use in New Zealand. The AJ Park Commercialisation Impact Award was given to the Potato Innovation 'Crop 78' team from the Bioeconomy Science Institute, highlighting a new potato variety focused on sustainability for French fry production.
Suse Reynolds, a start-up investor and former Chair and Executive Director of the Angel Association New Zealand, received the KiwiNet Commercialisation Icon Award for her support of innovation, investment, and business creation in New Zealand.
Comments from leaders and judges
KiwiNet CEO Dr James Hutchinson says, "Our 2025 winners are proof that when world-class research is backed by vision and action, it becomes a force for real change. Their work spans sectors critical to our economy and the planet - showing the importance of science-led innovation in driving New Zealand's future. But the KiwiNet Awards don't just spotlight individual success, they celebrate a commercialisation ecosystem growing in maturity, ambition and impact. Now more than ever, it's essential we increase support to this sector, so we can all reap the rewards from New Zealand science for years to come."
The awards judging panel features representatives from investment, innovation and research organisations. Judges assess finalists for vision, leadership, and the ability to deliver real-world impact.
KiwiNet Awards judge Melissa Yiannoutsos says, "The 2025 KiwiNet Awards winners show the remarkable depth and breadth of innovation across the country. Judging wasn't easy - every finalist stood out for their vision, passion, and leadership. It was amazing to see how they are not only delivering real-world impact, but also inspiring others and helping embed a culture of entrepreneurship within our research system. Our nation's researchers and entrepreneurs are earning recognition akin to our sports champions, both driving pride and progress and showing that innovation is fast becoming part of our Kiwi identity. We're building on years of research momentum to grow a thriving innovation sector to drive even greater impacts into the future."
The panel for 2025 included Greg Sitters, Managing Partner at Matū Group; Melissa Yiannoutsos, Innovation Fund Manager at Booster NZ; Nadine Williams, CE and Founder of Instinct Lab NZ; David Beard, Partner at Movac; and Adiraj Gupta, Entrepreneur and Founder of Sendd.
Nic Blakeley, Deputy Secretary Labour, Science, and Enterprise at the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment, says, "The KiwiNet Awards winners demonstrate how research, when connected with industry, can lead to meaningful change. Their achievements show the value of commercialisation in turning ideas into impact, driving innovation, supporting economic growth and delivering benefits for New Zealand. Congratulations to the winners of this year's awards."
Award sponsors and support
This year's awards were made possible with support from MBIE, PwC NZ, Sprout Agritech, BNZ, KCA, Campus Plus, AJ Park, Ara Ake, Return On Science, Momentum, and the sponsors of the Momentum Student Entrepreneur Award, namely Icehouse Ventures, Angel Association, and Emerge.
The Kiwi Innovation Network (KiwiNet) operates as a consortium to promote and facilitate commercial outcomes from publicly funded research. Its activities include investment, training, expert guidance and industry connections. To date, KiwiNet has reported investing NZD $66 million in pre-seed funding and has contributed to the creation of over 88 start-ups and 788 jobs in New Zealand, generating more than NZD $646 million in revenue for the country.
