Latest Insights

University Research-Industry Collaboration pushed into a new dance
In February 2022, the Australian Government released its University Research Commercialisation Action Plan to increase focus on research ready for translation/commercialisation. A combination of re-purposed and new money will support a $2.2B (over ten years) program...

How the 2022 budget and other initiatives support innovation
Whilst innovation is key to improving Australia’s productivity and driving economic growth it has not been front-and-centre in the 2022-23 budget. However, innovation and commercialisation have not been ignored, and some welcome initiatives have been included in...

gemaker’s submission to the Productivity Commission’s 5-yearly Inquiry into Australia’s Productivity Performance
Introduction The gemaker team welcomes the opportunity to examine key drivers of national productivity and submit our suggestions for consideration in the Commission’s 5-yearly report to the Treasurer. gemaker Pty Ltd provides expert advice, services and training in...

Celebrating a humble research giant who studied tiny forces
Dr Ulrich Senff was many things: a German immigrant who loved cooking, soccer, poetry, music and beer, an early school leaver who acquired a PhD and my beloved stepfather. What I didn’t discover until after he died earlier this month, aged 70, is that Ulrich’s...

Is Breakthrough Victoria Fund the right investment partner for you?
The announcement of the $2b Breakthrough Victoria Fund (BVF, ‘the Fund’) by the Victorian Government is an enticing carrot for fast growth and emerging businesses – but is it the right one for you? The BVF is clearly a commercial fund looking for commercial returns to...

Breakthrough Victoria – Reducing commercialisation risk through co-investment
Highlights $2b of new investment to support Victorian innovation from early stage to growth$200m available per year for 10 years Investments targeting health and life sciences, agri-food, clean economies, advanced manufacturing and digital technologiesFour...
Commercialisation and Startups

Trailblazer Universities Program
This week the Federal Government announced investment in a new program to support improved commercialisation outcomes from University-based research offering $242.7m over 4 years. Key Highlights Four competitively selected universities will each be awarded $50m over 4...

A 10-year-old gem that helps others to shine
Gems, in fact, are a species of mineral flowers; they are the blossoms of the dark, hard mine; and what they want in perfume, they make up in durabilityHarriet Beecher Stowe Growing gemaker since 2011 has involved some dark days and lots of hard work for me and my...

Not All Heroes Wear Capes
Meet the chemistry superheroes fast-tracking innovation, showcasing Australian technology to the world. If you could create a perfect company during a global pandemic, it would look a lot like EpiChem, a wholly owned subsidiary of PharmAust (ASX:PAA). “We’re all about...

SCOPR survey only tells part of the research commercialisation story
This week, Knowledge Commercialisation Australasia released its first Survey of Commercial Outcomes from Public Research (SCOPR). Based on data collected and analysed by gemaker from 34 Australian and 15 New Zealand universities and research organisations, SCOPR...

Is your business ready for Covid-19?
Australia is bracing for probable Covid-19 outbreaks which can heavily impact businesses if workers or their families become sick or if schools send children home for any length of time. Events will get cancelled and people will stop going out. At this point, you want...
Research-Industry Engagement

University Research-Industry Collaboration pushed into a new dance
In February 2022, the Australian Government released its University Research Commercialisation Action Plan to increase focus on research ready for translation/commercialisation. A combination of re-purposed and new money will support a $2.2B (over ten years) program...

Presentation Training Insights
It started with heart palpitations. Then, clammy hands and cold feet. The last thing I remember is feeling light-headed, before collapsing on the studio floor. During my first weekend presenting on metropolitan television, I fainted. Not once, but twice. (Foolishly, I...

How to get the most out of attending an expo
Make your next expo visit a successful one with our expert tips. Spoiler alert: Most of the work happens before you arrive. Before you go Before booking an expo, do your homework and check it’s right for you. If you have an ideal customer you want to target, find the...

Highlights from Science Meets Business
Every year, Science Meets Business brings together leaders in STEM and private industry to increase understanding and cooperation between these two complex sectors. In 2018, Science Meets Business focused on the theme ‘High Tech and Big Data’. The opening video...

Networking not working? Here’s the smarter alternative
Who likes networking? I ask this routinely when training researchers in industry engagement. The response is always a collective groan. Maybe networking is fun for exceptionally extroverted people, but for most of us, it seems fitting that the word includes ‘work’,...
Innovation Insights

gemaker’s submission to the Productivity Commission’s 5-yearly Inquiry into Australia’s Productivity Performance
Introduction The gemaker team welcomes the opportunity to examine key drivers of national productivity and submit our suggestions for consideration in the Commission’s 5-yearly report to the Treasurer. gemaker Pty Ltd provides expert advice, services and training in...

Celebrating a humble research giant who studied tiny forces
Dr Ulrich Senff was many things: a German immigrant who loved cooking, soccer, poetry, music and beer, an early school leaver who acquired a PhD and my beloved stepfather. What I didn’t discover until after he died earlier this month, aged 70, is that Ulrich’s...

Not All Heroes Wear Capes
Meet the chemistry superheroes fast-tracking innovation, showcasing Australian technology to the world. If you could create a perfect company during a global pandemic, it would look a lot like EpiChem, a wholly owned subsidiary of PharmAust (ASX:PAA). “We’re all about...

International Women’s Day 2021: The Women in STEM
In celebration of IWD 2021, we take a look at three of our amazing clients and how each of these women began their journey into STEM. Katrina Sealey Head of Research Data and Software AAO Macquarie University1. What inspired you to get into astronomy? From a young age...

Icing on the cake for investors
In the perennially competitive world of start-up finance innovative Australian companies should be embracing every opportunity to enhance their appeal to potential investors and show they are serious about building their businesses. One surprisingly under-utilised and...
Funding Insights

University Research-Industry Collaboration pushed into a new dance
In February 2022, the Australian Government released its University Research Commercialisation Action Plan to increase focus on research ready for translation/commercialisation. A combination of re-purposed and new money will support a $2.2B (over ten years) program...

Is Breakthrough Victoria Fund the right investment partner for you?
The announcement of the $2b Breakthrough Victoria Fund (BVF, ‘the Fund’) by the Victorian Government is an enticing carrot for fast growth and emerging businesses – but is it the right one for you? The BVF is clearly a commercial fund looking for commercial returns to...

Breakthrough Victoria – Reducing commercialisation risk through co-investment
Highlights $2b of new investment to support Victorian innovation from early stage to growth$200m available per year for 10 years Investments targeting health and life sciences, agri-food, clean economies, advanced manufacturing and digital technologiesFour...

Trailblazer Universities Program
This week the Federal Government announced investment in a new program to support improved commercialisation outcomes from University-based research offering $242.7m over 4 years. Key Highlights Four competitively selected universities will each be awarded $50m over 4...

Icing on the cake for investors
In the perennially competitive world of start-up finance innovative Australian companies should be embracing every opportunity to enhance their appeal to potential investors and show they are serious about building their businesses. One surprisingly under-utilised and...
Women in STEM Insights

International Women’s Day 2021: The Women in STEM
In celebration of IWD 2021, we take a look at three of our amazing clients and how each of these women began their journey into STEM. Katrina Sealey Head of Research Data and Software AAO Macquarie University1. What inspired you to get into astronomy? From a young age...

International Women’s Day 2021: The Women in STEM
In celebration of IWD 2021, we take a look at three of our amazing clients and how each of these women began their journey into STEM. Katrina Sealey Head of Research Data and Software AAO Macquarie University1. What inspired you to get into astronomy? From a young age...

A time of great change: Celebrating gemaker’s 9th birthday
This month, gemaker completes its ninth journey around the sun. And what a year it’s been. Catastrophic bushfires and the COVID-19 pandemic have fundamentally changed how we live and work. Almost all Australian organisations and businesses have suddenly had to figure...

Welcoming Tracey Spicer AM to gemaker
We're delighted to welcome the lovely Tracey Spicer AM to our gemaker team as Head of Media & Communications. She'll be helping share the extraordinary stories of our Australian innovators who are changing the world. Tracey is a multiple Walkley Award winning...

Discovering the business behind a good idea
My name is Erinn Watts and after recently completing my HSC, I had the opportunity to do work experience at Gemaker. Gemaker is a commercialisation and marketing intelligence consultancy that helps companies to transforms ideas into products for the commercial market....
More Insights

How the 2022 budget and other initiatives support innovation
Whilst innovation is key to improving Australia’s productivity and driving economic growth it has not been front-and-centre in the 2022-23 budget. However, innovation and commercialisation have not been ignored, and some welcome initiatives have been included in...

Our 10th birthday gift to you: 10 tips for start-up success
It’s been a busy decade for the gemaker team. We’ve paused to celebrate our achievements and compile the following list of the top 10 things we’ve learned along the way, which we’re calling the ‘gemaker ten’. Groundwork: Remember the ‘five P principle’: Proper...

Presentation Training Insights
It started with heart palpitations. Then, clammy hands and cold feet. The last thing I remember is feeling light-headed, before collapsing on the studio floor. During my first weekend presenting on metropolitan television, I fainted. Not once, but twice. (Foolishly, I...

Not All Heroes Wear Capes
Meet the chemistry superheroes fast-tracking innovation, showcasing Australian technology to the world. If you could create a perfect company during a global pandemic, it would look a lot like EpiChem, a wholly owned subsidiary of PharmAust (ASX:PAA). “We’re all about...

What is not clear about the patent box regime
A week after delivering his 2021-22 Federal Budget Treasurer Josh Frydenberg held a doorstop interview where Cochlear CEO Dig Howitt welcomed the Budget’s proposed ‘patent box’ regime, saying it will “solidify our future in Australia” and “enable new companies to...