University of Auckland welcomes Government investment in innovation and entrepreneurship
Wed Jul 20 2016 12:00:00 GMT+1200 (New Zealand Standard Time)
University of Auckland welcomes Government investment in innovation and entrepreneurship
20 July 2016
Vice-Chancellor of the University of Auckland, Professor Stuart McCutcheon.
The University of Auckland has applauded the Government’s commitment to radical innovation and growing the country’s high-tech sector following today’s announcement of a $35million investment over four years for Entrepreneurial Universities.
Vice-Chancellor Professor Stuart McCutcheon praised the investment in 15 to 20 new entrepreneurial researchers.
Professor McCutcheon says: “We congratulate the Government on its foresight regarding this development. This initiative will enable us to invest in more entrepreneurial research professors who would “turbo-charge” the world-leading research programmes currently being undertaken at the University by its key researchers.
“Universities around the world that make a very significant contribution to economic development in their own country (e.g. Stanford, MIT, Cambridge) do so by attracting entrepreneurial academics who create radical innovation, and by enhancing the entrepreneurial and innovative skills of graduates to better support a growing high-tech sector.”
Through UniServices, its commercialisation arm, the University of Auckland already has a high-level of connectivity between its researchers and businesses both nationally and internationally. UniServices has, on behalf of the University, over 1200 active projects with over 300 New Zealand firms at any one time.
“Modern economies require modern industries and this initiative will help New Zealand develop a modern high-tech export sector through radical innovation, as well as enhancing our current, largely primary industries,” adds Professor McCutcheon.
Notes for editors
The University of Auckland has been Identified by a Massachusetts
Institute of Technology (MIT) study as one of the world’s leading
entrepreneurial universities “under challenging conditions”.UniServices, the commercial arm of the University of Auckland, is the top
commercialisation company in Australasia (1200 active contracts with 300
firms at any one time).
Contact
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Email: a.beston@auckland.ac.nz