CRUXES INNOVATION'S VISION
Australian research is among the best on the planet. Its potential to make a difference in the world is huge and largely untapped.
What if we could build on breakthrough Australian science and research to address global challenges and propel our transition into a sustainable future?
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We believe the best way to unlock the potential of Australian research is to give researchers themselves the skills and support to build deep, sustained partnerships with industry, community groups, and government to solve real-world problems.
CRUXES INNOVATION'S GOAL
Cruxes Innovation wants to help enable a system that, by 2025, creates thousands of new Australian jobs each year delivering local solutions to global problems based on breakthrough Australian research.
This requires cultural changes in Australian research, industry, and government.
WE ARE CRUXES INNOVATION
Jonathan Lacey
Research origins: UoM, photonics
10 years in Silicon Valley
CEO of Monash spin-out
CSIRO business development
CSIRO ON Prime facilitator
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“Australian researchers are brilliant! I want
to use what I've learned from my research translation successes and failures to help unlock the potential of Australian research
to solve big problems, and leave a better world for our children.”
Emily Chang
Organisational psychology
Executive and founder coaching
CSIRO ON Head of Products, Lead Program Designer
USyd INCUBATE Resident Entrepreneur
Sydney School of Entrepreneurship Unit Facilitator
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“I love working with amazing minds and uncovering new possibilities with them through the messy customer and market discovery process. There's not many roles that enable you to learn and grow your skillset and expand your worldview every day.”
CRUXES INNOVATION'S EXPERIENCE
Cruxes Innovation has designed and delivered experiential learning and coaching programs for more than 800 Australian university researchers, in all disciplines, at more than 30 Australian universities, since its foundation in early 2020.
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Our programs have evolved from global and Australian best practice: Stanford’s Lean Launchpad, the US National Science Foundation’s i-Corps, Innovate UK’s iCURe, and CSIRO’s ON program.
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Based on over six years of continuous improvement and co-design with customers and alumni, the Cruxes Innovation program suite is a scalable system that helps research organisations build organisation-wide innovation, entrepreneurship, and research translation capabilities and culture.
WHAT MAKES CRUXES INNOVATION DIFFERENT
Our programs are:
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Field-tested: we’ve helped over 800 Australian researchers in just three years.
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Scalable: give every researcher in the organisation the capability to initiate engagement with industry, be entrepreneurial, and win impact-focused grants.
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Efficiency-enhancing: reduce pressure on business development professionals so they efficiently identify and focus on high-potential-value projects.
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Industry-supported, via our curated mentor network of senior industry leaders.
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Aligned through our mentors with national priority areas.
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Relevant to all research disciplines and target impact sectors.
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Complementary to universities’ in-house accelerators: Our programs are research-focused, and help all impact pathways, not just start-up.
CRUXES INNOVATION'S
INDUSTRY MENTORS
One of the key differentiators of Cruxes Innovation's Ascend Program is the calibre of the industry mentors we match each team with, to accelerate the team's progress towards unlocking the impact potential of their research.
We curate a diverse group of professionals, with senior roles in industry and innovation, who share our passion for helping to build the Australian research impact ecosystem so much that they volunteer their time and their networks to help our teams.
OUR MENTORS
Alberto Balbo
Andrew Davis
Lance Chia
Laxmi Pun
Melissa van der Burgt
Rachel Audigé
Ruth Marshall
Sarvesh Soni
Steve Raine
Alison Wiltshire
Claire Jackson
Laura Kostanski
Leonore Ryan
Michelle Xu
Reema D'Souza
Salvatore Cristiano
Sherman Mak
Vafa Shams
Anne-Maree Taylor
Hugo LeMessurier
Lauren Stafford
Luke Harwood
Peter Batchelor
Rob Ormsby
Samuel Evans
Simon Wilkins
Warren Jennings
Will Schmitt
If you are energised by the impact potential of Australian research and would like to help us build the Australian research impact ecosystem in a mentoring capacity, we would love to chat to you!
MENTOR SPOTLIGHTS
Watch this short video to learn more about why these Ascend Program mentors are passionate about helping Australia’s talented researchers to solve real world problems and create impact.