University Commercialisation Offices of New Zealand

University Commercialisation Offices of New Zealand (UCONZ) - was formed in 2005 to bring together the commercialisation offices of the country's universities and to establish closer links with commercial research partners.

2008 marked the 20th anniversary of the establishment of a university commercialisation company - the University of Auckland's UniServices.  The event was marked by the release of the booklet "University research commercialisation: paying dividends for New Zealand". 

New Zealand universities undertake programme to build closer ties with businesses

The eight universities are undertaking a programme to further enhance their working relationships with the business sector by running a project dedicated to creating stronger university-business partnerships. The project will allow better access to the wealth of untapped research and consultancy services provided by universities around the country.

A total of fourteen events have been scheduled and are designed to promote university research capabilities for industries such as food, biotech, infrastructure, ICT and high tech manufacturing, while providing a platform for feedback from the business sector. The initiative has been made possible by funding from the Tertiary Education Commission and is spearheaded by Universities New Zealand, and supported by Business New Zealand and the University Commercialisation Offices of New Zealand (UCONZ). The first event took place in Auckland on 18 May 2010 with a focus on the health sector and the programme will conclude with an ICT event in September 2011.   A list of all the events is here and further details can be obtained by contacting one of the university commercialisation offices, or the project's National Director, Anna Hamilton-Manns.