Te Puna Umanga Venture Taranaki, the regional development agency for Taranaki, has announced the launch of a new project to establish the Taranaki Applied Innovation Centre. The Centre will act as a regional hub to elevate the region’s existing innovation potential and provide a launchpad to help initiate a new biotechnology industry.

The establishment of such a Centre is one of the actions listed in the Tapuae Roa 2025/26 Action Plan, released last week by regional leaders, which outlines key focus areas and opportunities for the region. Supported by New Plymouth District Council, Taranaki Regional Council, and the TOI Foundation, the Taranaki Applied Innovation Centre will forge a new path forward for scientific research and development that reflects the needs and aspirations of the region and its communities.

The Centre will be in an establishment phase for the first year, with a focus on delivering regional coordination of scientific research, developing a suite of programmes to build local STEM expertise, and building a strategy to attract biotechnology startups to the region.

The project has hit the ground running, having already signed Iain Hosie, a Taranaki-born biotechnology director and entrepreneur, who will kick off the research project to investigate the most relevant technologies and the best pathway to attracting startups to the region.

"There’s so much unrealised opportunity here," Hosie said. "Taranaki uniquely intersects agriculture, energy resources, food and fibre engineering and, thanks to Taranaki Maunga, fantastic soil and biodiversity. Globally, it is unique, and other countries and regions with these attributes have become biotechnology powerhouses. With the right business model, funding and ambition, I believe we can create a transformational new industry for Taranaki".

Over time, the Centre will have a laboratory and open-access pilot-scale facilities that will attract industry and researchers alike. It will also host courses to build science skills, host master’s students performing unique research, deliver school programmes to support the local science curriculum and invite researchers to present public workshops and talks.

Deputy CE and GM of Investment at Venture Taranaki, Stacey Hitchcock, says, "Taranaki is full of brilliant minds who are quietly, or sometimes loudly, creating transformational innovations in their field. From major advances in conservation to new agricultural methods, we tend to do a lot with very little. We want to broadcast this brilliance to the world and create an environment where new industries can participate in an advanced economy."

"Taranaki organisations quickly and effectively adopt new technologies and approaches to meet their goals, as we have seen through initiatives such as Curious Minds Taranaki," continues Hitchcock. "The Taranaki Applied Innovation Centre offers a way to continue to support this excellence at a grassroots level and bring it to the world stage."

Through the creation of research collaborations, the centre will connect national and international researchers with local groups to enable mutually beneficial projects.

The Centre will actively pursue research and development that creates real benefit for Taranaki, from the development of nature-based pharmaceuticals through to the use of AI in conservation monitoring. With the region already recognised as a national leader in fields like food production and conservation technologies, Taranaki has the opportunity to establish the region as a lightning-rod for innovators across the globe.

Hitchcock concludes, "With our economy navigating a period of significant uncertainty driven by the ongoing transition of major sectors like energy and agriculture, there is an opportunity to position the region at the forefront of biotechnology innovation."

Through the attraction and retention of new biotechnology companies, Taranaki companies will have the opportunity to diversify and innovate their businesses for a whole new market.

Individuals and organisations interested in participating in this project should contact Project Manager, Thom Adams, at [email protected]. 

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