Tech Transfer Talk

I had the opportunity to unpack the NorVic Foods ecosystem with Lisa Birrell (who was CEO) and Greg Harper (who drove the genesis of the initiative). With the ongoing conversations in Australia around innovation ecosystems (which we have had with John Howard), the need for better industry engagement (which we have had most recently with Jane Fitzpatrick) and the challenges of building regional ag...

In our first joint podcast, I joined Victoria Meyer and The Chemical Show to explore technology transfer and innovation in the chemical industry. The chemical industry is where I got my start, with Dow Chemical and subsequently Akzo Nobel ( now Nouryon),  and I have maintained my deep interest in and passion for the sector over the years. The opportunity to continue this through the biobased econo...

I had the chance to catch up with Dennis Voznesenski , who hosts a regular Commonwealth Bank Agri Podcast . Dennis is an Agricultural Economist and author of War and Wheat: navigating markets during global conflict and is a frequent commentator on Australian agricultural markets and dynamics. With a general sense in Australia that we struggle for demand side innovation, I felt a conversation with...

I had the chance to follow up with Jane Fitzpatrick on her powerful closing remarks at a panel session at the National Innovation Policy Forum last year. Jane is CEO of the Australian National Fabrication Facility , and her organisation sits at the intersection of science, innovation, translation and market pull. Given the challenges we've been highlighting on the podcast around the industry pull,...

I had the great pleasure of catching up with Jarett Abramson , who was 'between gigs' since his departure from Provivi and his imminent (and arguably eminent) commencement at BASF in Europe. The journey started for Jarett with writing patents on cranberry juice extract and we explored how that path to market unfolded. In his private practice, he found himself working across a number of industry se...

In our annual podcast leading into Science Meets Parliament , we had the opportunity to discuss innovation, tech transfer and research translation with Jasmine Chambers , Science & Technology Australia President and Professor Stephen Rodda , Pro-Vice Chancellor (Industry & Innovation) at UNSW . With STA building on their bench to boardroom initiatives with their new 'Science Meets the Economy' Pro...

In our first recorded abroad episode for 2026, I had the opportunity earlier this month to catch up in person with  Jim Lane  in Digestville, located in Key Biscayne, Florida. I hope that many of you recall that we catch up with Jim intermittently and since our last chat with him in November 2024, much has changed in the world of the biobased economy, and yet many themes remain the same!  We first...

Following the National Innovation Policy Forum (NIPF) in November 2025, I had the opportunity to reflect on the event with  Jane O'Dwyer from Cooperative Research Australia (CRA) in mid-December. We started with the raison d'être  of the NIPF to increase the linkages between industry, the innovation system and policymakers. To this end, as patrons of NIPF , David Thodey and Catherine Livingstone h...

In this episode, I had the opportunity to chat with Greg Harper , a longstanding colleague and friend, who has been on the tech transfer and commercialisation journey for many years. In this conversation Greg shares some of his experience and perspectives following his time at CSIRO , as a board member at Meat and Livestock Australia , senior leadership roles within the Agriculture Victoria and, m...

The fourth National Innovation Policy Forum (NIPF) hosted by  Cooperative Research Australia is this coming Monday 3 November 2025 in Canberra— a gathering that brings together leaders across government, business and research to explore how Australia can harness its innovation ecosystem for national advantage.   In this special pre-Forum episode of Tech Transfer Talks, NIPF Co-Patrons Catherine Li...

In this episode I had the opportunity to chat with Alex Zanghellini , exploring his journey from AI/computer science to enzymes, and the co-founding of Arzeda with Nobel Laureate David Baker . Alex chose to bypass finance and found proteins as wonderful machines and became motivated by solving problems and finding products for market applications. Alex reflected on how discovery shows that somethi...

In this episode, I had the chance to explore technology transfer through the lens of one of the world's most enduring and continuous cultures, Australia's indigenous peoples, with Professor Chris Matthews FTSE , Chair of ATSIMA (Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Mathematics Alliance), and Associate Dean (Indigenous Leadership and Engagement) at UTS . Chris set the scene by sharing his journey...

In our 50th episode,  I had the great privilege of exploring innovation, productivity and the Australian Business Model with Catherine Livingstone AC . Catherine is a distinguished and extraordinary contributor Australian public and business communities, having held a range of roles including CEO of Cochlear , chair of Telstra , chair of CSIRO , chair of Commonwealth Bank of Australia and currentl...

This is a rather timely discussion, as I had the chance to discuss innovation policy, ecosystems and the domestic politics that have influenced the last three decades of innovation in Australia with Dr John Howard , founder of the Acton Institute for Policy Research and Innovation . The timeliness is due to his recent publication Thinking in Public: Australia's Missing Innovation Policy - Will it...

In this episode we had a chance to discuss the world of startups, gamification and behavioural change with Dr Kerstin Oberprieler . Kerstin successfully developed, launched and exited PentaQuest , a platform-based behavioural change product and continues to consult into the area of corporate culture, change and behaviour. I started by asking Kerstin about gamification and human-centred behavioural...

In this episode we had a chance to discuss the pre-emptive wind up of Ten Carbon Chemistry with Dr Tony Peacock . Earlier this year, Tony candidly posted on LinkedIn some of the story behind the journey and the recent decision to wind up the company, returning the IP to Wintermute Biomedical and I was very keen to explore the story behind this decision. Tony has been involved in tech transfer in m...

In this extended episode we had our first three-peat, with Paul Martin from Spitfire Research rejoining the podcast. When he first joined us in February and April of 2023, we had a terrific discussion on the diseconomies of scale, hydrogen and hopium, and it seemed timely to revisit the outlook for scale and technology transfer in the hydrogen market. It was great to explore why funding has contin...

In this episode, I had the great pleasure of catching up with Roger Wyse , Founder and Managing Partner at Spruce Capital Partners . I have had the pleasure of collaborating with Roger over the past decade (or more) and have always found his insights of great value and was delighted to have the chance to discuss his experiences and learnings. Roger reflected on his early experiences at Burrill and...

In this episode I had the opportunity to discuss the genesis and history of Science Meets Parliament (SMP) with Science and Technology Australia running of the 25th SMP in February 2025. Drs Cathy Foley , Jeremy Brownlie and Ken Baldwin , joined me to explore the origins of the event, how the event has evolved and why it remains a centrepiece to informing parliamentarians of the central role STEM...

In this episode, I had the opportunity to reflect on the 2024 National Innovation Policy Forum with Jane O'Dwyer , CEO of Cooperative Research Australia .   Firstly, we reflect on the opportunity before the Australian innovation community to influence policy and bring innovation to the centre of economic policy, and not merely as an afterthought. We then hear some highlights from the remarks of  M...

In this episode, I had the opportunity to chat with Matt Ryan of Rubicon Water on a tech transfer success story that is rippling through irrigation markets around the world. Rubicon Water is an ASX listed company that started in 1995 following the consolidation of a number of Victorian rural water boards. Members of the departing staff identified inefficiencies in the movement of water from dam to...

In this episode I had the great pleasure of catching up on the global bioeconomy with Jim Lane , a global champion of the biobased economy with his daily publication The Digest and semi-annual ABLC events. Over the past 12 months, a lot has been happening in the bioeconomy, and we had the chance to catch up on Bold Goals , renewable fuels and feedstocks, among other things. Our discussions opened...

In this special edition, we hear from the National Innovation Policy Forum patrons, David Thodey AO and Catherine Livingstone AC . We reflect on the 2023 NIPF event (also hosted by Cooperative Research Australia ), discussing the practical outcomes that were being sought from the last forum and setting them in the context of 'where to from here?'  David and Catherine both reflect on culture, risk...

In this episode, I had the great pleasure of having a wide-ranging discussion with Professor Mark Hutchinson . He is currently a member of Australia's National Science and Technology Council , Advisory Board Member to Australian Economic Accelerator Program, recent past president of Science and Technology Australia, and has been a successful research leader and tech transfer advocate for over 15 y...

In this episode I had the chance to catch up with Dr Angeline Achariya, who has had a successful technology transfer journey moving across industry and the innovation sector throughout her career. With her formative years spent on the land in Fiji and in Queensland, she moved into agribusiness starting at Mrs Crockett's then moving through Mars and Fonterra to where her executive career took route...