| | | | Welcome to the third edition of the UniQuest newsletter for 2025 - a collaborative initiative of the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research & Innovation) and UniQuest, The University of Queensland's commercialisation company.
A team from UniQuest joined research commercialisation professionals from across New Zealand and Australia at the annual Knowledge Commercialisation Australasia conference in late October. We are proud to share that through UniQuest, UQ is the leading university in Australasia for research commercialisation income and equity held in start-ups, according to the
latest data from the Survey of Commercial Outcomes from Public Research (SCOPR). Both are key metrics for UniQuest that also feature in the UQ Strategic Plan. At the same event, UQ spin-out Vicebio was awarded Best Spin-Out of 2025. Congratulations all on these outstanding results.
This quarter we are showcasing the licensing of a plug-and-play device developed by UQ researcher Dr Mike
Tebyetekerwa to Brisbane-based company Evimien Energy. We are also highlighting the inspiring work of UQ Physiotherapy lecturer Dr Georgina Clutterbuck, who has developed the Sports Stars program, which is on the road to commercialisation.
We trust you enjoy this edition. | | | Professor Sue Harrison
Deputy Vice-Chancellor
(Research & Innovation) |
| | Dr Dean Moss
CEO, UniQuest Pty Ltd | | |
Newsletter in Brief - Vicebio: Billion-dollar deal wins gong at IP commercialisation's night of nights.
- Sports Stars: The path to commercialising a life-changing health intervention.
- Hot takes: IMARC, ovarian cancer test exclusively licensed, quantum seed raise and London
calling.
- Optain raise: UEF backs UQ alum ophthalmology company's Series A.
- Plug-and-play H2O2: UQ deal to develop device could transform chemical production.
- Who are we: Meet UniQuest's Dr Peter
Baines.
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The UQ inventors behind the Molecular Clamp technology licensed to Vicebio: Professor Keith Chappell, Professor Daniel Watterson and Emeritus Professor Paul Young. | | UQ and UniQuest win best spin-out at commercialisation gala
We're proud to share Vicebio was named best spin-out at The KCA Australasian Research Commercialisation Awards held at Adelaide in October, recognising our impact in translating UQ research into global innovation.
This achievement follows July's landmark announcement that pharmaceutical leader Sanofi has entered into an agreement to acquire Vicebio, the company formed in 2018
to develop UQ's Molecular Clamp technology to make vaccines against life-threatening respiratory viral infections.
Sanofi has agreed to acquire Vicebio for a total upfront payment of US$1.15 billion, with potential milestone payments of up to $450 million based on development and regulatory achievements.
Together, these milestones highlight the strength of UQ's research and UniQuest's role in driving world-class commercialisation outcomes.
Congratulations to the UQ inventors, the Vicebio team and all who are involved in this success story. | | | | | | | | | |
| | | Dr Georgina Clutterbuck, UQ School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences physiotherapy lecturer and founder of Sports Stars, a program that improves participation in sport for children with cerebral palsy. | | Spotlight on Sports Stars: Bringing a health intervention to life
"There's grass and bugs and sun, kids running in different directions, parents and caregivers juggling a million things to get there, and the occasional natural disaster or pandemic...," says UQ School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences physiotherapy lecturer and Sports Stars program founder, Dr Georgina Clutterbuck.
Dr Clutterbuck started Sports Stars, an allied health intervention that helps children with a disability be involved in sport, from the grassroots at a park in Ipswich.
She's now working with UniQuest's Director of Social and Behavioural Sciences, Margie Mahon, to build an online training program to upskill health practitioners to run Sports Stars around the world, in part thanks to a US$12,500 grant from U21 Health Sciences Group.
The Sports Stars path to commercialisation is not a typical one but Dr Clutterbuck has shared her learnings for other researchers interested in making an impact.
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| | | | Hot takes - Shock and ore: UniQuest was on the ground at the International Mining and Resources Conference in Sydney last month to showcase UQ technologies.
- London calling: UniQuest's Director of IP Commercialisation (Agriculture, Food and Veterinary Sciences) Claire Nock travelled to the World Agritech Summit in London from September 22-23 to gain valuable insights into emerging trends, partnership opportunities and to strengthen global connections for UQ's food and agtech innovations.
| | | | | | | | Optain co-founder Dr Zachary Tan inspects the Optain Resolve camera with VP of Strategy & Operations, Alex Crich. | | Eye on the prize: UEF invests in Optain's visionary future
The UniQuest Extension Fund (UEF) is proud to announce its investment in Optain, a rapidly scaling health technology company that is revolutionising primary care opthalmology.
The Series A round was led by Insight Partners, one of the world's premier growth equity firms with more than US$90
billion in regulatory assets under management, a strong endorsement of Optain's global potential and testament to UEF's ability to attract top-tier deal flow.
Co-founded by UQ medicine alum Dr Zachary Tan (MBBS/BSc), Optain is transforming access to eye health through its AI-powered imaging platform.
The company's flagship product, Optain Resolve, is built on research conducted in partnership with The University of Melbourne's Centre for Eye Research Australia (CERA) and integrates advances hardware and AI to deliver high-quality retinal imaging in primary care settings, removing traditional barriers such as specialist equipment, dark rooms, dilation and extensive operator training.
Optain has achieved significant early-market momentum, securing partnerships with leading healthcare providers and successfully completing deployments across multiple
countries.
The company's technology is now integrated into real-world clinical workflows, with strong repeat engagement from patients and a growing pipeline of expansion opportunities.
The UEF was the only Australian fund to participate in this highly competitive round, which also included several major US health systems as strategic investors. | | | | | |
UQ student Rizal Evans with Dr Mike Tebyetekerwa and their plug-and-play hydrogen peroxide device in the lab. | | | UQ-industry deal unlocks greener hydrogen peroxide supply A
plug-and-play device that makes industry-grade hydrogen peroxide at higher concentrations could transform how one of the world's most widely used chemicals is produced.
UQ researcher Dr Mike Tebyetekerwa said the technology, which has been licensed to Brisbane start-up Evimien Energy, could cut red-tape associated with
producing, storing and transporting hydrogen peroxide. | | | | | | | | Senior Director, Commercialisation -
Physical Sciences Peter grew up in Dunedin in
the South Island of New Zealand where he studied at the University of Otago for double honours in mathematics and physics as an undergraduate.
He was then offered a scholarship by the New Zealand Energy Research and Development Committee to complete his PhD in physics, also at Otago.
"While the academic experience was an important part of my life, I decided I wanted to apply my skills in business and industry," he said. "I took my first job as a developer of scientific software for a division of Datacom that was later acquired by Trimble Navigation."
Peter moved up through the ranks of Datacom/ Trimble, having two years based in the Netherlands, running its European business, and rising to be head of R&D in its New Zealand operation.
"My next career move was to Tait Communications, a wireless telecommunications OEM, which eventually asked me to move to
NZ's 'west island' (aka Australia) to run its Oceania business," he said.
That was in 2001. Peter said the move meant he became "ambidextrous", holding on to his New Zealand citizenship while also gaining Australian citizenship. Now, he and his wife call the Gold Coast home, like many other expat Kiwis!
Fast forward to mid-2023, and with a number of senior roles under his belt, Peter's entire career had been working for industry, albeit in technical and scientific business roles.
Peter said he was inspired to consider a role in technology transfer at UniQuest by his late grandfather, who was a leading business figure in Dunedin while also serving on the council of the local university for most of
his career.
"I find my role rewarding and enjoyable," Peter says of his time at UniQuest. "It feels as if I have returned to my roots."
Contact Peter. | | | | | UniQuest acknowledges the Traditional Owners and their custodianship of the lands on which The University of Queensland and UniQuest are situated.
We pay our respects to their Ancestors and their descendants, who continue cultural and spiritual connections to Country. We recognise their valuable contributions to Australian and global society. | | |
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