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

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.

For more information contact:

Dr John Caradus
Chief Executive, Grasslanz Technology Limited
Ph: 029 351 8001

Dr Ian Boddy
AgResearch General Manager Business Group and Grasslanz Technology Limited Board Chairman
Ph: 029 274 7766

Allanah James
AgResearch Corporate Affairs Manager
Ph: 029 983 3989