Unisuper has committed $75 million to early-stage research and technologies developed by CSIRO and several universities.
Unisuper will invest $75 million in Uniseed, a venture fund operated by several universities for the commercialisation of research projects.
The investment will cover existing projects as well as new developments across biotechnology, pharmaceuticals, quantum computing and green energy.
Uniseed is operated by the Universities of Melbourne, Queensland, Sydney & New South Wales, and the CSIRO and focuses on future technologies, including hydrogen storage, new medical treatments and drone technology.
These organisations provide around half of all patents created by research organisations in Australia.
The investment will feed into UniSuper’s sustainable investment options.
This is an excellent opportunity for UniSuper to actively participate in the development and commercialisation of research and technology that will shape the future.
“UniSuper has always championed Australia’s thinkers, creators and investigators. Uniseed is at the forefront of new start-ups and technologies,” John Pearce, Chief Investment Officer at Unisuper said.
“This is an excellent opportunity for UniSuper to actively participate in the development and commercialisation of research and technology that will shape the future. We look forward to seeing this investment blossom and grow over time”.
Uniseed’s portfolio includes 21 companies, including probiotics drink manufacturer Perkii, hydrogen storage system developer H2Store and Ena Respiratory, which has developed a therapy that prevents viral and bacterial dissemination to lungs.
It has also successfully exited 11 investments, including Spinifex, a start-up company from the University of Queensland that is developing an oral treatment for neuropathic pain and Fibrotech, a spin-out of the University of Melbourne that is developing drugs to treat fibrosis.
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