In 2007, NSi signed a licence agreement with a major pharmaceutical company, Covidien Imaging Solutions to develop an innovative technology to radically improve cancer treatment. This breakthrough was lead by Professor Philip Hogg, co-director of UNSW’s Lowy Cancer Research Centre, after more than 10 years of research.

The test developed determines whether cancer cells are dying within a day or two of a patient’s treatment with radiation or chemotherapy, thus ensuring doctors are providing the most effective treatment and potentially saving patients from unnecessary follow on treatment. It is hoped the technology will be used for treating patients with solid tumours world-wide in five years time. To be further developed are applications using this technology outside of cancer for treating neurological and cardiac conditions following strokes and heart attacks.

NSi signed an 18 year deal with OneSteel in October 2007, giving Australia’s largest manufacturer of steel the right to commercialise on a worldwide basis a unique technology developed by materials scientist Professor Veena Sahajwalla. Professor Sahajwalla’s technology reduces reliance on coke in electric arc furnace steel-making by substituting this carbon source with polyethylene plastic common in shopping bags, soft packaging and some drink containers. In so doing a significant reduction in energy usage is achieved as well as resolving a significant recycling problem.

UNSW is renowned worldwide for its work in photovoltaics (solar cell technology). In 2007, the ARC Photovoltaics Centre of Excellence at UNSW entered joint research and commercial licensing agreements with leading developers and manufacturers of solar technology in China and Taiwan with ongoing interest being shown by other emerging economic giants such as India.

One of UNSW’s alumni is Dr Zhengrong Shi, is now the founder and CEO of Suntech Power Holdings, the fourth largest solar cell maker worldwide. Following a $1.5 m donation to UNSW in 2006, Dr Shi also signed a research agreement to jointly develop an innovative way to form metal contacts to improve solar cell efficiency. This comes out of previous collaborative research between UNSW and Suntech.

In March, NSi signed a licence agreement with Taiwanese solar-cell manufacturer, E-Ton Solar Tech which includes a collaborative research program to develop two of UNSW’s latest high efficiency solar cell technologies for commercial production. E-Ton is a rapidly growing solar cell manufacturer specialising in high performance products which are sold world-wide.

NSi has also signed a licence agreement with China’s CEEG Nanjing PV Tech for a collaborative research program to adapt UNSW’s world record-holding PERL solar-cell technology to suit large scale commercial production.

For more information on available photovoltaic technologies: Renewable Energy & Environment Technologies

In early 2007 NSi and Mines Rescue Pty Ltd signed a multi-million dollar agreement to supply virtual reality (VR) technologies to support mine safety. This interactive software program recreates underground mine environments by projecting an "immersive" film in two theatre modes - a 360-degree 'AVIE' version for group training, and a 180-degree 'iDOME' for individual training sessions.

Under the agreement UNSW will supply four 360-degree AVIE™ theatres and 12 iDOME™ modules to Mines Rescue at four purpose built VR training sites across New South Wales.

Mines Rescue is part of Coal Services, who provide critical services to the NSW coal mining industry in occupational health and safety, workers' compensation, welfare and mines rescue.

Similar safety training packages could be developed for other high-risk industries such as construction, policing and the military. The novel AVIE ™ and iDOME™ theatres were developed by the iCinema Centre for Interactive Research, a joint venture between UNSW's College of Fine Arts and the School of Computer Science and Engineering.

Dr Obada Kayali and Karl Shaw from UNSW’s University College, ADFA, have been working on technology to turn fly-ash, a waste product from power stations into high-performance, light-weight, strong aggregate for concrete or building bricks for over 15 years. In 2007, NSi signed a licence deal with a Chinese manufacturer and trial production has commenced on Flashag ™ bricks and aggregate material. Commercial production is scheduled to commence in 2008, with royalty streams flowing back once full scale production begins. China has a huge hunger for bricks and aggregate as a well as mountains of flyash waste. The UNSW materials have been independently tested and shown to have superior strength and durability

For more information on fly ash technologies: Renewable Energy & Environment Technologies