Software Innovation NZ is a New Zealand software research network. It brings together software researchers from universities, Crown Research Institutes (CRIs), government agencies, other tertiaries and industry-based researchers in a coordinated network of research excellence. One of the aims of Software Innovation NZ (SI^NZ) is to leverage this wide expertise through partnerships with industry to have a real and sustainable impact on software engineering in New Zealand. Complementary to this, SI^NZ aims to build on our proven capacity to attract, grow and retain global research leaders who can make a substantial and sustained contribution to the NZ economy through software-related research partnerships with industry. Already, SI^NZ interacts with a wide range of companies, state agencies, educational bodies and international collaborators to deliver on its twin goals of science excellence and socio-economic impact.
What are Our Strengths?
There are lots of ways your business or organisation can benefit from the expertise of our members. Our strengths are:
- Independence — Our members are autonomous and independent. They are typically associated with a University, and bring the independence that affords. Partnerships we develop are on-going and mutually beneficial for all parties, rather than being constrained as commercial transactions.
- Evidence-Based — Our members have proven capability and leadership for evidence-based research in their respective fields. As such, they provide a level of insight and rigour and can help you build evidence for (or against) the benefits of new technologies or ways of working. Data-driven decision making is sustainable.
What Can We Offer?
- Consulting — Have a difficult problem that can’t be solved with traditional methods? With a diverse range of backgrounds and expertise, our members can provide insight into relevant research areas and how they apply to your business problem.
- Independent Opinion — Need an independent voice on a complex technological issue? Our members have experience serving as expert witnesses in court and assisting investors in assessing up-and-coming technologies.
- Research & Development — Want to prototype software for a complex problem without taking the risk in-house? Our members can work with you to get the necessary funding, and then supervise Master’s or Doctoral students to research the problem and develop a prototype.
- Education & Training — Need a crash course in the latest developments in some area of technology? Our members have considerable expertise in teaching and can help your organisation get up to speed with the latest developments in their respective areas of research.
Engaging with SI^NZ
- First Contact — In the first instance you contact one of our members in your area, and sit down with them to go over your needs. Our members will determine how we can help, and which of our experts is best suited to your problem. For further details please make contact with SI^NZ” and make the link “contact with SI^NZ” go to the contact form.
- Discovery — During this phase, you work with an expert in the relevant area to agree on the best way forward. He/She will gain a deeper understanding of your needs and, from this, narrow down the solution that will work best for you.
- Solution — During this phase, we will typically work alongside you to help address your needs. The details differ from case-to-case, but might involve conducting research, developing prototypes, writing reports or grant applications, giving expert testimony, etc.
Expertise
We have members spread throughout New Zealand and can offer expertise in a wide range of software-related areas that includes.
- Security — With the dramatic increase of cybersecurity threats over the last decade or more, the need for sophisticated techniques has never been so strong. Whilst there are numerous security consultancies that provide auditing services and more, our value is different. We can help you get to grips with state-of-the-art techniques from the research literature and how they can be applied to solve your problem.
- Analytics — Understanding how your business and customers operate is crucial. Long gone is the time when an Excel spreadsheet was enough to extract useful insights. Today’s number crunchers employ sophisticated statistical methods to extract value from your data. Our members have many decades of experience here, and can help you get up to speed.
- Methodology — This includes all aspects of the development process, including: Modern Agile, XP, Scrum, Lean, Kanban. Requirements Engineering, DevOps and more.
- Tools — This includes tools which, in some way, support the development process, including: Automated Testing, Continuous Integration/Deployment and more.
- Software Architecture — This includes, service-oriented, mobile development, and serverless.
- User Interfaces — This includes novel interfaces that use visualization, touch interaction, gestures, and VR/AR/MR.
- Software-related application of emerging technologies — such as Deep Learning, Machine Learning, Blockchain
Where are our Academic Members?
See all members and their institutions.
Contact us to find the appropriate expert for your needs.