Sanofi

The University of Queensland has won the 2026 Australian Financial Review's Higher Education Awards for Research Commercialisation for UQ’s Molecular Clamp technology. The technology was developed by Professor Keith Chappell , Emeritus Professor Paul Young and Professor Daniel Watterson at AIBN and UQ’s School of Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences to create vaccines against life-threatening respiratory viral infections. UQ’s commercialisation company Uniquest established the spinout Vicebio to translate UQ’s Molecular Clamp technology from the lab to the world stage.

15 billion deal, the largest acquisition involving intellectual property originating from an Australian university. AIBN’s Director Professor Kristofer Thurecht said AFR’s Research Commercialisation Award recognises the power of university research coupled with Uniquest’s expertise at helping researchers take their discoveries beyond the laboratory and into the market. ” The Molecular Clamp technology gained worldwide attention in early 2020 when the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) asked UQ to develop a potential vaccine for COVID-19.

The technology stabilises viral proteins in their native shape, enabling the immune system to recognise and respond to them more effectively. The AFR Higher Education Awards celebrate excellence across the university sector, recognising individuals and projects who are at the forefront of creating impactful change for Australians by driving innovative research, economic growth and positive community outcomes. Dr Dean Moss, CEO of UniQuest, said the award shows what can be accomplished when you combine quality research with a sophisticated commercialisation strategy.

” he said. ” The deal also demonstrates the broader potential for this approach to strengthen research commercialisation in Australia to bring about significant public good.