Sicona Battery Technologies

It is the ultimate example of how a business forged on a foundation of research and entrepreneurship can become a leader in its field.

The Sydney-based battery technology company has had a long, productive relationship with the University of Wollongong (UOW). Dr Andrew Minett, who co-founded the company alongside CEO Christiaan Jordaan, is an alumnus of UOW, gaining his PhD in materials science more than two decades ago.

So, Dr Minett has always been tangentially tied to Wollongong and to the university. However, what came as a surprise was the relationship that Sicona developed with iAccelerate, and how that has helped both organisations to grow and thrive.

When Dr Minett and his team were considering leaving Sydney, and looking for a new office base, they were drawn to the combination of entrepreneurship, research, and locality offered by iAccelerate, and by Innovation Campus. Sicona knew of iAccelerate through his association with the University, and through the company’s major investor Artesian, which also manages iAccelerate’s capital.

At Innovation Campus, where iAccelerate is located, the team at Sicona have access to world-class facilities and a number of research institutes, whose interests and expertise dovetail with that of Sicona, including the Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Electromaterials Science (ACES), and the Australian Institute for Innovative Materials (AIIM).

“It made sense to locate ourselves at iAccelerate, and use the office space that was available there,” Dr Minett said.

“I knew Wollongong, and the locality is amazing, but being based at Innovation Campus, we have easy access to the incredible researchers that are there, particularly at AIIM, and we loved the growth and sense of entrepreneurship that is occurring there.

“We also have access to an incredibly diverse set of skills that will play a huge role in Sicona moving forward. We have access to bright young minds in engineering, software, IT, from both the undergraduate and postgraduate cohorts at UOW.

“Embedding into iAccelerate made sense.”

Sicona’s relationship with iAccelerate, and UOW at large, has grown from location to one of innovation. In December 2021, the company announced a groundbreaking research collaboration with the University’s exceptional electromaterials researchers, focusing on the use of Edge Functionalised Graphene (EFG). The material has been developed by researchers from ACES, UOW and the Australian National Fabrication Facility, led by Professor David Officer and Distinguished Professor Gordon Wallace.

Under the binding agreements, facilitated by UOW’s Innovation and Commercial Research Unit, Sicona will acquire all intellectual property related to EFG.

Researchers are now working with Sicona to demonstrate scaleup of production, with EFG to be used in the development of next-generation battery materials technology used in the anodes (negative electrodes) and cathodes (positive electrodes) of Li-ion batteries that enable electric-mobility and storage of renewable energy.

Dr Minett said the research agreements with UOW, and the entrepreneurial spirit of iAccelerate, have provided Sicona with the perfect base from which to take their business to the next level.

He has been thrilled to be able to give back during his time in iAccelerate, passing on his knowledge and expertise in an informal capacity to other start-ups under the organisation’s umbrella.

“Last year, I sat in on the iAccelerate Program in an informal capacity. I am not a mentor, but I’ve been involved in lots of start-ups, so I like being able to give back to the iAccelerate cohorts in a non-traditional way.

“Our relationship with iAccelerate is only 12 months old, but it will only grow from here.”

The team behind Sicona have big plans for their company and for the region. Tapping in to the University’s research, expertise, and equipment, while benefiting from the iAccelerate ecosystem, will help Sicona to carve out its place among the revolutionary start-ups creating change and making a lasting impact on the world.