Episode 28 - Skyfill and unsustainable sustainability with Jim Lane
Release Date: 11/30/2023
Episode 47 - The Ten Carbon Chemistry Conundrum with Tony Peacock
Tech Transfer Talk
In this episode we had a chance to discuss the pre-emptive wind up of with . Earlier this year, Tony candidly some of the story behind the journey and the recent decision to wind up the company, returning the IP to Wintermute Biomedical and I was very keen to explore the story behind this decision. Tony has been involved in tech transfer in many roles, most notably Managing Director of the Pig R&D Corporation (a forerunner of ), Chief Executive of , Chairman of , as well as a consultant to CRC bids and angel investor. We started by exploring our perspectives on what technology...
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Episode 46 - My Favourite Martin: Wright's Law, scaling up and why hydrogen won't decarbonise energy products with Paul Martin
Tech Transfer Talk
In this extended episode we had our first three-peat, with from rejoining the podcast. When he first joined us in February and April of 2023, we had a terrific discussion on the diseconomies of scale, hydrogen and hopium, and it seemed timely to revisit the outlook for scale and technology transfer in the hydrogen market. It was great to explore why funding has continued to flow towards hydrogen in the face of the techno-economic and thermodynamic challenges that these investments are seeking to overcome. We discussed the notion of predatory delay and the emerging infrastructure challenges...
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Episode 45 - Wyse Counsel: Reflections on venture and biobased economy with Roger Wyse
Tech Transfer Talk
In this episode, I had the great pleasure of catching up with , Founder and Managing Partner at . I have had the pleasure of collaborating with Roger over the past decade (or more) and have always found his insights of great value and was delighted to have the chance to discuss his experiences and learnings. Roger reflected on his early experiences at Burrill and the opportunities and challenges of being the first biobased economy venture fund. He then looked back on the early syndication efforts in building the fund and the journey to establishing Spruce Capital Partners in 2013. Spruce was...
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Episode 44 - Science Meets Parliament 2025
Tech Transfer Talk
In this episode I had the opportunity to discuss the genesis and history of Science Meets Parliament (SMP) with running of the 25th SMP in February 2025. Drs , and joined me to explore the origins of the event, how the event has evolved and why it remains a centrepiece to informing parliamentarians of the central role STEM plays in society and the economy. Ken reflected on the need to focus on science for one or two days, to “flood the parliament with scientists” with a mandate to inform parliamentarians – it wasn’t about lobbying. As it happened, the idea was “pushing on an...
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Episode 43 - 'What got us here, won't get us there!': Reflections on NIPF24 with Jane O'Dwyer
Tech Transfer Talk
In this episode, I had the opportunity to reflect on the with , CEO of . Firstly, we reflect on the opportunity before the Australian innovation community to influence policy and bring innovation to the centre of economic policy, and not merely as an afterthought. We then hear some highlights from the remarks of and at NIPF24. These are important scene setters as they bring out issues of local innovation culture, the need for customers and investors, and to find the unique Australian business model that allows innovation to drive economic growth and productivity. We took the...
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Episode 42 - Going with the Flow: How electrical engineering impacted irrigation management with Matt Ryan
Tech Transfer Talk
In this episode, I had the opportunity to chat with of Rubicon Water on a tech transfer success story that is rippling through irrigation markets around the world. is an ASX listed company that started in 1995 following the consolidation of a number of Victorian rural water boards. Members of the departing staff identified inefficiencies in the movement of water from dam to crop and started to develop products and solutions to meet market needs for efficient water management. Early trial work led by Matt in the Burdekin River Irrigation Area around Ayr in Far North Queensland gave...
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Episode 41 - The State of the Bioeconomy with Jim Lane and Sara Lee
Tech Transfer Talk
In this episode I had the great pleasure of catching up on the global bioeconomy with , a global champion of the biobased economy with his daily publication and semi-annual events. Over the past 12 months, a lot has been happening in the bioeconomy, and we had the chance to catch up on Bold Goals, renewable fuels and feedstocks, among other things. Our discussions opened around one of Jim’s keynote messages – it’s all about the feedstocks! While the energy transition is underway, we discuss the importance of molecules as part of the future energy mix. Jim reckons that accessibility to...
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Episode 40 - The Prequel: National Innovation Policy Forum 2024 with David Thodey AO and Catherine Livingstone AC
Tech Transfer Talk
In this special edition, we hear from the patrons, and . We reflect on the 2023 NIPF event (also hosted by ), discussing the practical outcomes that were being sought from the last forum and setting them in the context of 'where to from here?' David and Catherine both reflect on culture, risk tolerance, and the layering of process, regulation and legislation and its impact on innovation. We touch on the three main sessions for the , being Sharing Risk, Addressing the Missing Middle and An Australian Business Model. They make a call for more leadership across the community,...
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Episode 39 - Trust, Talent and Technology Transfer with Mark Hutchinson
Tech Transfer Talk
In this episode, I had the great pleasure of having a wide-ranging discussion with . He is currently a member of Australia’s , Advisory Board Member to Program, recent past president of and has been a successful research leader and tech transfer advocate for over 15 years at the , largely centred on the and . We quickly uncover one of Mark’s modus operandi which is to seek forgiveness and not permission. This approach allowed him to get on with addressing roadblocks and challenges in developing and delivering solutions to willing and engaged partners. Given Mark’s early...
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Episode 38 - Tech Transfer with Sticky Customers with Dr Angeline Achariya
Tech Transfer Talk
In this episode I had the chance to catch up with Dr Angeline Achariya, who has had a successful technology transfer journey moving across industry and the innovation sector throughout her career. With her formative years spent on the land in Fiji and in Queensland, she moved into agribusiness starting at Mrs Crockett’s then moving through and to where her executive career took route with and subsequently . Ange then moved to to lead what she started at Mondelez, before moving back to the private sector with and now in her portfolio career journey. We explore what innovation looks like...
info_outlineIn this episode, I have the great pleasure of having our first omnipresent guest, Jim Lane, who is everywhere within the biobased economy with his leading daily publication The Digest. In the midst of driving the Bold Goals Initiative, catalysed by the US Inflation Reduction Act, and running the Advanced Bioeconomy Leadership Conference (ABLC), we catch up with Jim on current perspectives on the bioeconomy and a little soothsaying on what the next few years might look like.
We take a broad tour across ethanol, bio and renewable diesel, biochemicals, biomaterials and hydrogen. We briefly examine the origins of the current North American bioeconomy from the mid-00’s, reflecting on the drive for employment, energy security and emissions reduction and how the financial crash of 2008 and the discovery of shale gas affected early growth.
Through our discussions Jim introduces a concept of 'Skyfill', to describe carbon emissions (akin to Landfill for material waste) and reflects on the need for transparent mechanisms for dealing with carbon and the inevitable unaffordability of government subsidies currently seeking to drive industrial and consumer behavioural change. Jim refers to this situation as 'unsustainability in the name of sustainability'!
We touch on feedstocks and the lack of abundance of what we need, arguing we have too many sugars and too few oils from which to drive the industrial bioeconomy. Jim reflects on a little industrial history as we discuss the current energy and chemical market structures and how some thought should be given to not creating future strong oligopolies when it is hard to anticipate what the right mix of technology solutions might be. In discussing transport, while I suggested thermodynamic efficiency should be the key driver, Jim points to economics and consumer preferences that will drive consumer behaviour, particularly in transport (energy) markets.
We close by traversing the world of biopolymers, the challenges around no renewable chemicals standards (unlike fuels), how drop in molecular equivalent products are playing out against their functional equivalents (or new polymers) in the market and the respective challenges in delivering functional, cost-in-use competitive products. Jim concludes with some optimism, noting that we need to grow faster to meet the carbon targets being set by governments and the private sector.