Business idea earns CQU Asset Management team national recognition
By Greg Chapman
CQUniversity’s Asset Management team has taken out a major category of the Your Entrepreneurs Scheme (YES) Australia inaugural pilot program.
The program, which aims to foster the next generation of research entrepreneurs and bridge the gap between scientific discovery and commercial application within the Australian innovation ecosystem, brought together teams from several regional universities.
Over seven intensive weeks, 30 participants, including CQU’s Asset Management team, engaged in hands-on learning focused on research commercialization and partnerships, which then led to each team sharing a high-energy online pitch event.
CQU’s Asset Management team was awarded the ‘Best Business Model’ and have been invited to showcase their pitches at the prestigious UK YES2025 event at The Royal Society in London.
CQU Senior Lecturer in Industry Liaison Lead in Asset and Maintenance Management, Dr Muralitheran Kanagarajoo, said he and PhD students Mischeck Moyo and Philip Sage pitched the business model ‘Artificial Intelligence Driven Asset Management Maturity Assessment’.
“(The aim) is to solve the extensive cost, time and effort required to determine asset management maturity for an organisation,” he said.
“We are proposing a solution that covers the requirement of industry standard (ISO 55001, 31000, 45001 and the Global Forum on Maintenance and Asset Management (GFMAM) best practices which provides governance to the asset management practices for the organisation.”
(YES) Australia said it was “incredibly proud of the participants who invested their time and creativity into this journey.”
"The quality of the pitches showcased, speaks volumes about the innovation and commercial potential thriving in Australia’s regional research sector. This pilot proves there’s strong demand and capability for entrepreneurial education across the country."
Student Misheck Moyo said: “Participating in the Yes Australia program was a transformative learning experience that ignited my imagination and revealed opportunities I had never envisioned.”
Fellow student Philip Sage added: "Participating in the YES Australia program was an invaluable experience - learning from global venture capital experts over 8 weeks and ultimately winning the pitch competition validated both our Asset Management solution's business model and our team's ability to articulate its value proposition to investors."
Dr Kanagarajoo said he and his team looked forward to showcasing their business model in London.
“We are excited to showcase our business idea on the world stage and place CQU AMM on the global map,” he said.
