The Omni-System has been developed by start-up company Gaia Project Australia (GPA) in collaboration with La Trobe researchers from the School of Computing, Engineering and Mathematical Sciences (SCEMS) and the School of Agriculture, Biomedicine and Environment (SABE).
The company’s flagship product is set to revolutionise Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA), with tests showing it can increase yields of salad greens by up to 40 per cent while significantly reducing both capital and operational expenditure compared to other indoor farming systems.
Omni-System development demonstrates the opportunity for industry partners to connect with La Trobe’s expertise and intellectual property and advance their concepts through to a commercially viable product, supported by seed investment from Eagle Fund.
Eagle Fund, which was officially launched today, was established in 2023 between La Trobe and Breakthrough Victoria (BV), as part of BV’s $100 million University Innovation Platform. They have each contributed $9 million to the Fund to provide early-stage funding for researchers and start-up companies seeking to commercialise La Trobe intellectual property, particularly those working within areas of digital health, AI, disease detection and treatment and food security and other research strengths.
Through Eagle Fund, La Trobe and BV have co-invested $500,000 each in GPA.
The Fund has also provided $1 million to the University’s second spin-out biotech company, ExCelligent, formed to commercialise technology invented at La Trobe. This investment has been matched by an international industry partner.
ExCelligent has developed a revolutionary blood-based diagnostic platform that enables early and accurate detection of Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and other neurodegenerative diseases.
La Trobe Vice-Chancellor Professor Theo Farrell said Eagle Fund provided a unique opportunity for investors and industry partners to support La Trobe-backed innovations, gain a competitive edge in key strategic areas, access cutting-edge intellectual property and accelerate research, development and innovation.
“La Trobe University is a leader in world-class research, driving innovation across biotech, Agtech, and biomedical sciences and our research institutes are at the forefront of discovery, translating pioneering science into commercial success,” Professor Farrell said.
“The La Trobe University Eagle Fund offers industry partners a valuable opportunity for strategic collaborations that bridge the gap between research and commercialisation, unlocking access to top-tier research, talent, and funding opportunities to drive industry growth.
“It also encourages an entrepreneurial mindset for researchers, supporting them to create start-up companies to further their research and innovation for global benefit.”
Omni-System, supported with expertise from La Trobe researchers Dr Alex Stumpf and Adam Console, has also received co-investment from Mandalay Venture Partners, LaunchVic and others.
GPA Chief Executive Officer Nadun Hennayaka said: “We have seen first-hand in Australia and abroad the impact of the rising cost of fresh produce during a cost-of-living crisis.
“Our mission is to provide growers with the latest, easily adoptable, cost-efficient technology for sustainable success, by delivering consistent, predictable, highly efficient yields. Ultimately, sustainable and profitable growers lead to a steady supply of affordable, fresh produce for consumers.”
Omni-Yield is now being prepared for deployment, with projects underway in Australia, India and Sri Lanka, and market partnerships establishing in Europe and the USA. In addition, grower demonstration sites in Australia and India, developed in partnership with CSIRO, will launch later this year.
The company is gearing up for a hard launch in spring 2025, positioning itself as a global leader in next-generation CEA technology.
About ExCelligent
ExCelligent was co-founded by Professor Andy Hill and Senior Research Fellow Dr Lesley Cheng, who worked together on the technology in Professor Hill’s lab at La Trobe University. Professor Hill is now an Honorary Professor at La Trobe, and the Deputy Vice-Chancellor Research and Impact at Victoria University. Dr Cheng heads the Neurodegeneration Biology and Biomarker Research group at La Trobe University.
“The investment from the Eagle Fund has allowed us to launch ExCelligent and embark on a program to bring our diagnostic tests for Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases to market,” Professor Hill said.
“This comes at a crucial time with cases of both diseases rising with our ageing population.”
About the Breakthrough Victoria investment partnership
The partnership was established under the $100 million Breakthrough Victoria University Innovation Platform, which aims to increase commercialisation of critical research with real-world benefits from Victorian universities.
Investment in startups at this critical early stage will help fund product concepts, prototypes and trials to help ensure research with strong commercial potential does not succumb to the valley of death. Researchers and academics will also receive support to better identify and translate ideas into commercial opportunities and improve their entrepreneurial capability.
Breakthrough Victoria was launched in 2021 to be a private investment company for Victoria, providing patient capital and investment that impacts the State’s economy. BV provides long-term capital to innovation businesses that will improve people’s lives and benefit Victoria’s economy.
CAPTION: (From left): Adrian Persi, General Manager, GAIA Project Australia Pty Ltd, Dr Olga Hogan, Senior Director, Breakthrough Victoria and Adam Console, Associate Lecturer, Department of Engineering, La Trobe University.
Interviews with Gaia and ExCelligent are available.
Visual opportunities are available for the Omni-System at La Trobe’s hi-tech greenhouses at the Melbourne campus in Bundoora.
Media contact: Robyn Grace, Senior Media Manager M: 0420 826 595, E: r.grace@latrobe.edu.au, media@latrobe.edu.au
