11 July 2019
Named by the International Business Review Magazine as one of Malaysia’s top 60 economic influencers, Dr Viraj Perera has been appointed to lead UniSA Ventures, the University’s highly successful commercialisation operation.
He will take up the position in July and bring a renewed focus to university and industry technology transfer and new product development and commercialisation.
UniSA Deputy Vice Chancellor Research and Innovation Professor Simon Beecham says following an extensive international search, he is delighted to welcome Dr Perera.
“Viraj has such breadth of experience both as a researcher and innovator but also as someone who has been able to work across sectors from universities and government agencies, to consultancies, working at the business end of innovation projects,” Prof Beecham says.
“As UniSA refocuses its research and innovation to deliver solutions for industry business and society across key 21st century challenges, having someone at the helm of our commercialisation arm with the breadth of international experience Viraj has acquired will be a boon for the University.”
Dr Perera has extensive expertise in innovation, SME development, technology transfer and commercialisation and Intellectual Property Rights across several countries.
Most recently he held a position in the Malaysian Government, leading a public-private Technology Commercialisation Platform (PlaTCOM Ventures) which has a focus on university-industry technology transfer, new product development and commercialisation within the SME sector.
Dr Perera has held senior technology transfer and business development roles at Oxford University and the University of Warwick in the UK, and here in Australia and says he is looking forward to the new role.
“I’m delighted to take up this opportunity to lead UniSA Ventures and build up on the successes it has achieved to date,” he says.
“I very much look forward to working closely with the UniSA Ventures team, the wider UniSA community and our stakeholders within the government and industry to achieve our shared goals and objectives”.
Dr Perera will take up his position on July 15.
UniSA media contact: Michèle Nardelli phone: +61 418 823 673 email: Michele.nardelli@unisa.edu.au
