Massey Ventures celebrates dual win at 2024 KCA Australasian Research Commercialisation Awards

Massey Ventures has achieved remarkable recognition at the 2024 Knowledge Commercialisation Australasia (KCA) Research Commercialisation Awards, securing both the Best Licensing Deal award for an innovative keloid scar treatment and the Best Spinout award for NovoLabs®.

The Best Licensing Deal was awarded for Massey Ventures' collaboration with the Gillies McIndoe Research Institute, which developed a new topical treatment for keloid scarring.

This innovative solution aims to enhance patient care by reducing the need for surgical intervention, addressing the challenges posed by keloids - thickened scars that can be itchy, painful and disfiguring. The intellectual property from this partnership was licensed to leading Aotearoa New Zealand-based global pharmaceutical company, AFT Pharmaceuticals.

Massey Ventures Senior Commercialisation Manager Dr Sean Mackay says, "We are thrilled to be recognised for our collaborative efforts in advancing world-class innovations. This award underscores the strength of our partnerships and our commitment to delivering life-changing solutions to patients."

This keloid treatment marks the second successful outcome from the strategic collaboration between Massey Ventures, Gillies McIndoe and AFT, following their previous licensing of a treatment for strawberry birthmarks in 2022.

With this accolade, Massey Ventures has now won the Best Licensing Deal award three times, previously winning for the Nestlé acquisition of a technology aimed at combating iron deficiency in 2022 and the strawberry birthmarks deal in 2023.

In addition to the licensing award, Massey Ventures also celebrated NovoLabs® receiving the Best Spinout award. NovoLabs' Supercritical UV® disinfection technology, developed at Te Kunenga ki Pūrehuroa Massey University, represents a significant advancement in ultraviolet (UV) disinfection applications.

Their market has been in pollution control, where they offer clients lower cost and more sustainable solutions across a range of applications. For a recent client, where traditional UV treatment was considered unviable, NovoLabs’ technology reduced pathogens to 35 times below the mandated limit. 

In New Zealand, NovoLabs have systems in operation from Northland to Southland and now have their sights set on expansion into international markets. More information about their solutions can be found on their website. 

Professor Emeritus Andy Shilton, the inventor and founder of NovoLabs, says, "Massey University and Massey Ventures have played a pivotal role from day one of NovoLabs' journey. In 2022, we were still in an old shed at the back of the university, but today we are well established and have treated over 1.5 billion litres of liquid across New Zealand using our commercial systems.

"Today we are entering a new stage, with our first export unit soon to ship to Australia. We have a great team and, in particular, I would like to acknowledge the key role Massey Ventures' Director on our Board, Dr Russell Wilson, has played. Russell has been crucial to getting us to where we are today and has a key role to play as we move forward into new market sectors.”​​

The KCA Australasian Research Commercialisation Awards celebrate excellence in research commercialisation from universities and research institutes across Australia and New Zealand. The recognition of Massey Ventures, NovoLabs and the keloid scar deal highlights the importance of technology transfer and commercialisation in advancing research outcomes.

Massey Ventures Commercialisation Manager Dr Dan Carlisle says they’re proud to see Massey Ventures recognised for their hard work and dedication to bringing this technology to market.

“We are proud to see our research commercialisation efforts recognised amongst some incredible finalists from across Australasia. Up against impressive finalists from Australian institutions, we were proud to fly the flag for the New Zealand commercialisation ecosystem.”