University of Auckland among innovation award winners

A team of researchers creating innovative new technologies for manufacturing won a top award at New Zealand’s premier Kiwinet innovation awards.

Titanium Technologies NZ (TiTeNZ) is a team of researchers from universities, Crown-owned research institutes and industry partners who won the Kiwinet AJ Park Commercialisation Collaboration award.

University of Auckland associate professor in chemical and materials engineering, Peng Cao, plays a key role in TiTeNZ. The company creates products for global markets in titanium alloys. These materials have application in the yachting industry and the defence industry.

Associate professor Cao’s team leads metal injection moulding of titanium and supports the research collaboration overall.

“It has been a very exciting project to be involved in and to be given this award was wonderful, we had no idea we would be named the winning team in the collaboration category,” says Cao.

“It is great that the award recognises the outstanding collaboration formed between multiple research organisations working together.”

University of Auckland dean of engineering professor Nicolas Smith said the awards recognised the key role research could play in creating new products that contributed to New Zealand’s export success.