Minister visits University of Auckland’s Newmarket campus
Fri Mar 17 2017 13:00:00 GMT+1300 (New Zealand Daylight Time)
Minister visits University of Auckland’s Newmarket campus
17 March 2017
The Minister of Science and Innovation, Paul Goldsmith, visited the University of Auckland’s Newmarket Campus today where he toured a number of research sites in the NZ Product Accelerator programme.
The programme, which received $12.7 million in government funding over six years in 2013, is focused on helping New Zealand companies develop products for international markets through strong basic research and new technologies.
Lowering both production costs and capital risk for New Zealand companies is also a focus of the programme.
A large part of the research within the Accelerator is aimed at materials-based manufacturers looking to innovate through design, requiring different materials or combining materials to improve functionality.
Expertise within the programme spans a range of manufacturing technologies including additive manufacturing, design, and collaborative skills.
NZ Product Accelerator director, Professor Mark Taylor of the University of Auckland, said the Minister’s visit was an opportunity to demonstrate the wide range of research and development underway at the Campus.
“We are delighted to have had the opportunity to host the Minister and to show him first-hand the exciting and innovative projects happening within the Newmarket Innovation Precinct,” Professor Taylor says.
“We believe this work is vital to New Zealand’s economic future and the Minister was extremely interested to see progress already achieved and our plans for the future.”
During his tour at Newmarket, Mr Goldsmith toured the Structures laboratory, the thermofluids laboratory and a number of commercial case studies within the NZ Product Accelerator programme.
For more information contact
Anne Beston
Media Relations Adviser
Communications, University of Auckland
Email: a.beston@auckland.ac.nz
Tel: +64 9 923 3258
Mobile: + 64 (0) 21 970 089