Case Studies

The intellectual property and expertise of the University of Adelaide has been commercialised by Adelaide Research & Innovation since the company was established in 1984. The positive outputs of these ventures have provided further research funding and delivered value-added services to the Australian community and around the world. Success stories are numerous but we focus here on a few examples of the University’s start-up companies and licensed products:

Making their biggest dreams come true - EmbryoGen®

A collaborative partnership between the University of Adelaide, Adelaide Research & Innovation, and ORIGIO a/s, a world leader in Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART) solutions, has resulted in the development of EmbryoGen®, a novel treatment option for women undergoing IVF who have had one or more previous miscarriages. Now available in over 40 countries, EmbryoGen® is making a real difference to the lives of real people.

Designer Eucalypts available now through Humphris Nursery

Collaboration between the University of Adelaide and Humphris Nursery, based in Mooroolbark Victoria, has resulted in the introduction of two new varieties of ornamental Mallee eucalypts into the Australian plant market - the 'Nullarbor Rose' and the 'Nullarbor Lime'. Check out images on Pinterest, or read more about the collaboration in The Upshot.

New Company to become leader in algal biofuels

A new Australian company has been established to produce commercial quantities of clean, "green" fuels from algae. The company, Muradel Pty Ltd, is a joint venture of Murdoch University, Adelaide Research & Innovation Pty Ltd, and commercial partner SQC Pty Ltd. The focus of this new company is to bring to commercial reality a large-scale business that leverages the natural advantages of the Australian environment, producing algae for renewable fuel and co-products from the biomass.

Security & Surveillance is a SNAP

Sophisticated network surveillance technology developed at the University of Adelaide will help solve a security dilemma currently facing airports, casinos, CBDs, shopping malls and large sporting and entertainment venues around the world. Developed at the University's Australian Centre for Visual Technologies (ACVT), the software is being commercialised by Snap Network Video Surveillance Pty Ltd, a University spin-out company funded with a major investment from the Trans Tasman Commercialisation Fund (TTCF).

BresaGen Ltd

BresaGen grew out of the University’s pioneering gene technology research in the 1980’s to become the first University-linked biotech company in Australia listed on the stock exchange. Using stem cell therapy as a platform technology, BresaGen was established to pursue potential biotherapeutics for leukemia, inflammatory disease and growth deficiency.

GroPep Ltd

GroPep was developed from a scientifi c collaboration between the University and CSIRO resulting in the establishment of a biopharmaceutical company whose success includes global sales of cell culture products. In 2006 GroPep became a part of international biotechnology company Novozymes.

Repromed Pty Ltd

By establishing this specialised fertility service, the University played a role in assisting 26,000 couples to achieve their dream of having a child, using IVF technology. Other innovations in assisted reproduction have included establishing Australia’s fi rst donor sperm program and sperm bank (3rd in the world) which later resulted in the birth of the world’s 6th IVF baby. The business was owned by the University until 2006.

Reproductive Health Science Pty Ltd

University spin-out Reproductive Health Science (RHS) is developing advanced prenatal screening technology which aims to replace conventional screening methods with a solution that will enable accurate, early, non-invasive prenatal screening.

Agricultural Innovation

New wheat, barley, triticale and faba bean varieties produced at the Waite & Roseworthy Campuses with improved production qualities and drought resistance have been widely adopted by growers and have contributed to billions of dollars worth of harvested production. Research in this area has also resulted in the establishment of the plant breeding company Australian Grain Technologies (AGT), and the Australian Centre for Plant Functional Genomics.

Olympic Torch & Cauldron

Adelaide University’s Turbulence Energy and Combustion (TEC) group received national and international recognition for its work on the fuel and combustion system for the Olympic torch, community cauldron and main stadium cauldron. Based in two University departments- Chemical Engineering and Mechanical Engineering-the group’s work focuses on the development and application of new technology for the control of turbulence, and to reduce the environmental impact of combustion.

Optimisation

Mudpack Software is an interactive software package to assist in managing state wide power systems, optimising interconnection and preventing the sort of imbalances that can lead to blackouts. The software has been licensed to seven major power companies in Australia including Powerlink Queensland, Hydro Tasmania, VenCorp and ElectraNet, and is now a standard for NEMMCO networks across Australia.