Tech-transfer "experiment" celebrates 20 years

Respected Australian technology-transfer company, UniQuest Pty Limited, will celebrate its 20th anniversary on Thursday, July 8.

A gateway to The University of Queensland’s intellectual property, technologies and expertise, UniQuest has grown to become one of Australia’s most successful and highly regarded university technology-transfer companies.

UniQuest’s formation by UQ in 1984 was visionary, according to UniQuest Managing Director, David Henderson.

“When established, UniQuest was seen as an experiment based on similar university technology transfer ‘experiments’ in California and Cambridge,” said Mr Henderson.

“However, the ‘experiment’ proved to be an important strategic move by UQ, with many other Australian universities now emulating the UniQuest model.”

Today, UniQuest benchmarks in the top one to three for commercialisation activities by Australian Universities, and in the last five years, the company has generated $185 million in revenues from licensing UQ intellectual property, research contracts, international aid projects, and consulting.

From the outset, UniQuest has played an important role in bridging the gap between university research and industry developments in the local, national and international markets, according to Mr Henderson.

“As an example of UniQuest’s contribution to the Australian economy, between 1999-2004, UniQuest formed 24 start-up companies, which with existing start-ups, attracted more than $60 million of investment; delivered international aid projects worth $34.5 million in 22 countries throughout the Pacific and Asia; and completed 2650 consulting projects with Australian companies,” he said.

With UQ evolving as one of Australian’s leading research-intensive institutions, UniQuest’s challenge will be to remain a commercialisation leader both nationally and internationally.

Media: For more information and/or a photo contact David Henderson (T: 07 3365 4037) or Julia Renaud, UniQuest Corporate Development Manager telephone: 07.3365 4037 or Mobile: 0438 436 179 or Email: j.renaud@uniquest.com.au.