4 | RURAL PEOPLE » Callaghan Innovation & AgriTechNZ Turning innovative ideas into high-tech products Richard Loader Established as a Crown entity in 2013, Callaghan Innovation is at the heart of helping Kiwi businesses grow faster for a better New Zealand by activating innovation. Callaghan Innovation takes its name from Sir Paul Callaghan (1947 – 2012), one of New Zealand’s greatest scientists. A highly-respected and inspirational leader and teacher, Sir Paul championed science and business as being crucial to New Zealand’s economic growth. His wish was for New Zealanders to get more value and return from their ingenuity by combining science, innovation and commercialisation. Callaghan Innovation’s role as New Zealand’s innovation agency is to support science and technology-based innovation and its commercialisation by businesses to improve their growth, competitiveness and productivity. Partnering with ambitious businesses of all sizes, Callaghan Innovation delivers a range of innovation and research and development (R&D) services to suit each stage of a business’s growth. “Callaghan Innovation works with businesses to invest in R&D, translating innovative ideas into hightech products and services that will bring value to New Zealand,” says Simon Yarrow, Agritech Lead. “We work with New Zealand start-ups, innovators, iwi, businesses, entrepreneurs and other government agencies and operate across a variety of sectors including CleanTech, agritech, Industry 4.0, advanced manufacturing, and healthtech among others.” Callaghan Innovation also enhances the ef cacy of New Zealand’s innovation ecosystem by connecting talent, opportunities and technology based innovation across organisational boundaries working closely with MBIE (Ministry of Business Innovation and Employment), NZTE (New Zealand Trade and Enterprise), NZVIF (NZ Venture Investment Fund), CRIs (Crown Research Institutes), and other organisations that help increase business investment in R&D and innovation. Simon explains that Callaghan Innovation’s services are broadly split into three areas: Innovation and expertise, innovation funding and innovation skills, and connecting the innovation ecosystem. “From an innovation expertise perspective the agency provides businesses with access to more than 200 of New Zealand’s leading scientists and engineers to assist with technology based innovation and deep-tech problem solving to overcome technical challenges. Through innovation funding and innovation skill the agency enables its customers to innovate with funding for R&D activities as well as access to world-class training and development programmes to grow innovation skills and capability. “By connecting the innovation ecosystem we actively connect New Zealand’s innovation talent with opportunities and research. We run industry events where innovators get inspired, connect and upskill, including Southern SaaS and Matariki X. “We also help New Zealand businesses understand major trends and opportunities, inspiring them to get involved. We challenge businesses to step up and seize those opportunities through technology, innovation and commercialisation.” Operating from three main sites and a regional partner network across New Zealand, Callaghan Innovation’s team empower innovators by connecting people, opportunities and networks, providing tailored technical solutions, skills and capability development programmes, and R&D funding. Callaghan Innovation is currently working with AgritechNZ as part of the Agritech Industry Transformation Plan (ITP) to supercharge global growth for New Zealand’s agritech sector. A service that Callaghan Innovation has partnered with AgritechNZ to develop is the Agritech Support Explorer, a new website which helps businesses navigate the rapidly evolving funding and support landscape with easy-to-access information tailored to speci c needs. Callaghan Innovation is currently working with AgritechNZ as part of the Agritech Industry Transformation Plan (ITP) to supercharge global growth for New Zealand’s agritech sector. Agritech is the use of technology in agriculture, horticulture, and aquaculture to improve yield, ef ciency, and pro tability. Connecting, promoting agri tech in NZ Richard Loader AgriTech New Zealand (AgriTechNZ) was established in 2018 to create a connection between everyone involved in New Zealand’s agritech ecosystem and provide an independent but powerful uni ed voice. Agritech is the use of technology in agriculture, horticulture, and aquaculture with the objective of enabling sustainability and improving yield, ef - ciency, and pro tability. It includes digital technologies, smart tools and equipment, biotechnology and any innovation that enables food systems. “Many agritech innovations are addressing the very important questions that Kiwis, and the world, are facing right now, whether that’s around environmental management, labour shortages or climate change,” says AgriTechNZ Chief Executive Brendan O’Connell. “These are all burning issues and that is where agritech is front and centre.” AgriTechNZ’s foundation was about creating a centre of gravity for all of the interests around agritech in and from New Zealand, explains Brendan. “While connecting people to the internal ecosystem, there is also the external voice bringing Kiwi agritech businesses into global markets. We’re connecting with agritech organisations all around the world so we can create introductions and pathways for companies to connect with their peers overseas.” Representing 160 members, as well as the wider industry sector, AgriTechNZ is an independent non-government membership group, funded by its members. “The membership is quite diverse and encompasses agritech trading businesses including wellestablished agritech brands that New Zealand is famous for, along with a growing number of smaller early-stage businesses. It includes investor groups, research organisations such as the universities and Crown Research Institutes, government agencies, and agri-businesses that represent paths to market for agritech or act as integrators of agritech solutions. Membership also includes farmer and grower industry groups such as DairyNZ, Beef and Lamb New Zealand, Horticulture New Zealand, and Apple and Pears New Zealand.” The organisation’s role is to connect, promote and advance agritech in and from New Zealand. Creating that sense of community with people understanding that there is something connecting all these businesses together was the rst step in AgriTechNZ’s journey, says Brendan. “Recognising agritech as a sector in and of itself has been an important rst step. Agritech is a key service provider to New Zealand’s primary industry, but it also has a signi cant export footprint with a large export potential. So it’s important in terms of its contribution to New Zealand’s GDP.” AgriTechNZ also plays a key role representing agritech’s contribution when it comes to government policy making, by working with Government partners, informing government policy and making sure the technology voice from an agritech perspective is well understood. “It’s useful that we’re a non-government entity, because we can provide that independent voice for the sector as a whole. Many of our members would be well able to represent themselves in discussions with the government or other parts of the New Zealand ecosystem. But having that representative voice of the sector can be very powerful and it makes it easier for the Government to interact with the sector as a whole.”
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