Led by Professor Bob Buckley, the Institute carries out world-leading research into high temperature superconducting (HTS) materials and applications. Its researchers transferred to Victoria earlier this year from Callaghan Innovation, a government agency focused on commercialising innovation from across the science sector.
The Institute works with a number of businesses and industry groups. This includes Wellington-based HTS-110, a designer and manufacturer of superconducting products, General Cable Superconductors (GCS) which specialises in producing HTS cabling, and Christchurch-based advanced engineering company Fabrum Solutions. Professor Buckley says the Robinson Institute has different, but equally successful, ways of engaging with the companies.
“With HTS-110, it’s about pushing the boundaries and doing novel, high-risk research and development,” says Professor Buckley. “We jointly co-fund projects and are able to attract government support for work that has the potential to deliver new, high-value products, a number of which are already in-market.
“For GCS, staff at the Robinson Institute carry out technology development and manufacture winding cable for the company. This cable has been used in projects both in New Zealand and overseas.”
The relationship with Fabrum, says Professor Buckley, started a few years ago when the Robinson Institute was looking for a business that could manufacture a cryostat—a device used to keep materials at very low temperatures.
“They made it for us, on a fee for service basis, and have gone on to produce and sell similar products to international customers while also supporting other high value manufacturing initiatives we’re involved with. At the start, we introduced them to potential work and now they’re in a position to do the same for us.”
Christopher Boyle, Managing Director of Fabrum, says the company’s vision is to lead the world in the design and manufacture of composite cryostats for research and industrial applications, specifically with HTS systems.
“Fabrum has successfully secured a number of leading-edge contracts for cryostat and associated system builds around the world. In achieving that success, we have relied on our unique relationship with Robinson Research for design input into cryogenic systems and specification of superconductors.”
The Robinson Institute, GCS, HTS-110 and Fabrum work together both nationally and internationally. A recent example was the 2014 Applied Superconductivity Conference in North Carolina in the United States where the four shared a stand.
“Collectively we have a lot of capability combined with a commercial edge. Off that platform, we are exploring opportunities in a range of industries which not only benefits all the partners, but also has the potential to create work for researchers in other areas at Victoria,” says Professor Buckley.