Biotechnology

The New Zealand Government has identified biotechnology as an important business sector for the country and the Auckland region.

Biotechnology is important because it is a high value, high growth sector and a globally competitive industry.

Auckland City Council works with industry groups and organisations like New Zealand Trade and Enterprise (NZTE) and Auckland Plus to support the sustainable development of the sector in Auckland.

Other government agencies involved in the sector include the Foundation for Research, Science and Technology (FRST), The Ministry of Research, Science and Technology (MoRST) and the Ministry of Economic Development (MED).

Biotechnology includes the following subsectors:

• Regenerative medicine
• Enhancement- wellbeing
• Reproductive technologies
• Genomic medicine
• Nutrition
• Ag-Bio
• Industrial biotechnology
• Environmental biotechnology
• Security and defence

Biotechnology helps to deliver improvements to many aspects of our lives, including:

• Better healthcare from new vaccines and diagnostics,
• Advances in regenerative medicine to repair damaged tissue,
• Increasing agricultural production with lower inputs, improved and more sustainable land use, and cleaner energy.

Biotechnology in Auckland

Auckland is strong in the human health sector with commercial success and a strong industry body, NZBio/Auckland.

Auckland City Council is a committed supporter of NZBIO/Auckland and a promoter of businesses and research bodies that work to make life better for everyone. Auckland City Council supports the annual NZBIO conference held in Auckland. The 2008 conference attracted 600 attendees from all over the country and international delegations from Australia, Canada and the UK.

Biotechnology researchers in Auckland are working on treatments for type 1 diabetes, cancer, wound healing, heart disease and infertility.

Auckland city is proud to be the hub of the biotechnology sector in New Zealand. 42% of core biotechnology companies are located in Auckland. In 2005 the Auckland region employed 410 people in core biotechnology companies with revenue of $280 million. Human health research is less labour intensive than agricultural biotechnology research. *

Auckland supports an innovative research community known for its excellence in biotechnology, health and medicine. It includes all the Crown Research Institutes, AUT University and The University of Auckland.

The University of Auckland ranked in the world top 50 universities overall and in the top 30 in biomedicine. It is one of five universities in the world selected by Procter & Gamble for a pilot programme to identify joint commercial research opportunities.

The Institute for Innovation in Biotechnology offers a purpose built biotech facility to bring great research and industry innovation together in a cost effective manner. Biotech companies can lease access to specialist top-end resources in a commercially orientated environment.

Uniservices, the commercial arm of the university, is the largest university- owned research and technology company in Australasia. More than half of their business is biotechnology. They have been very successful in creating spin out companies from commercialised research done at the university eg, Proacta Inc, Protemix Corp, Neuren Pharmaceuticals and Coda Therapeutics.

Recently, Uniservices became a partner in the Trans Tasman Commercialisation Fund with four Australian universities and an Australian pension fund. The fund gives the university access to Australian investment money for research projects whilst retaining the intellectual property in New Zealand.

Auckland is also home to established industries that use, modify, and further develop biotechnology applications e.g. Fisher& Paykel Healthcare, Fonterra and Invitrogen.

Many support services to the sector, such as IP, legal and accounting firms, are located in Auckland.

Some of the venture capital companies based in Auckland investing in biotechnology companies are Endeavour Capital, Bio Pacific Ventures, and Pacific Channel Ltd.

We acknowledge the economic, innovative and dynamic contribution that scientists and their research make to Auckland and New Zealand. We salute the innovation, entrepreneurship and vision of biotechnology business leaders whose hard work capitalises upon new technology.

The sector has all the ingredients for growth and success and a significant role to play in Auckland's economy.

*Statistics sourced from New Zealand Biotechnology Industry Growth Report 2006 by LEK Consulting.

Published July 2008