Immediate impact
Establishes research collaborations, outreach, and partnerships between AUT and industry.
Purpose
The purpose is to create a platform and forum in which industry partners from across the Science and Engineering fields are invited to AUT to present the technical challenges they are currently facing. This serves multiple purposes: it exposes academics to real-world industry problems, showcases AUT's research capabilities to potential partners, and enables academics to offer direct support in tackling these technical issues that NZ industries are facing.
Background
This proposed Industry-AUT Forum is designed to bridge the gap between academia and industry by fostering meaningful partnerships and collaboratively troubleshooting technical challenges in the Science and Engineering sectors. By directly aligning with AUT’s applied-research vision, this initiative not only addresses pressing industry needs but also serves as a vital platform to showcase AUT’s specialised capabilities. While AUT possesses world-class technical expertise, a persistent disconnect between our researchers and potential industry partners means this capability is often untapped. This frames it as a challenge with a clear solution (the forum). This forum presents a strategic opportunity to demonstrate AUT’s unique value, strengthen our external profile, and align with AUT’s guiding motto, “knowledge that works”.
Strategic impact
The proposal offers three key strategic benefits and impact:
Pipeline creation
Generates a continuous stream of research projects benefiting both AUT and stakeholders.
Commercialisation alignment
Supports AUT Ventures' vision to commercialise research outcomes. Many industry-partnered projects have significant commercial potential, and early engagement with AUT Ventures will be critical to facilitate this component, aligning with AUT's and the government's focus on strengthening the economic impact of research.
Who should attend
Different expertise.
Shared ambition.
A
AUT academics and technical staff
Meet organisations with real problems that align with your expertise, facilities and research interests.
I
Industry representatives
Share a current technical challenge and discover how AUT research capability could help move it forward.
Event details
A full day built for
useful conversations.
When
Friday
27 November 2026
8.30am to 8pm
Where
WG201WA224A
What to bring
A challenge worth solving.
Industry attendees can submit a concise 100-word abstract outlining a technical challenge for discussion.
Industry submissions
Put your challenge on the table.
Register your interest and tell us about one technical problem your organisation is facing.
- Keep the abstract to 100 words
- Focus on the challenge, not a sales pitch
- Identify the science or engineering context
Registration is open. Complete your registration and submit your 100-word industry challenge through the official event registration page.