[Music plays and the Coat of Arms and an image appears of the Prime Minister’s Prize for Innovation badge and text appears: 2022 Prime Minister’s Prize for Innovation, PhotonAssay Team, Dr Nicholas Cutmore, Dr James Tickner, Mr Dirk Moore Treasure]
[Image changes to show James Tickner on the left, Nick Cutmore on the right, and Dirk Treasure at the centre all facing the camera and introducing themselves one after the other]
James Tickner: I’m James Tickner.
Nick Cutmore: I’m Nick Cutmore.
Dirk Treasure: I’m Dirk Treasure, and we’re the PhotonAssay team.
[Image changes to show a workbench with a computer and the camera zooms in on Chrysos PhotonAssay displayed on the computer screen, and then the image changes to show James talking]
James Tickner: The story of Chrysos starts back in the year 2000 with research undertaken in the CSIRO as part of Dr Nick Cutmore’s program.
[Images move through to show Dirk looking at a computer screen, a close view of a scanner being used to scan a weight of a pot of crushed rock on scales, and then Nick talking to the camera]
Nick Cutmore: PhotonAssay is a faster, safer and more accurate way of analysing gold for the minerals industry.
[Images move through of a close view of James holding a piece of equipment, then James, Dirk and Nick looking at the piece of equipment, and James looking at a digital image on a computer screen]
James Tickner: Our team focused on trying to find innovative solutions for industrial problems using different aspects of physics.
[Images move through to show pots of crushed rocks in sample pots being moved through an x-ray machine on a conveyer belt and scanned]
Nick Cutmore: This technology uses high-energy x-rays to analyse gold in samples, doing away with centuries-old chemical methods.
[Image shows a gold sample in a pot being moved along by a robotic machine, and then the image changes to show a close and then medium view of Nick talking to the camera]
These chemical methods were slow, laborious and could be hazardous for the operator, and often struggled to give accurate results.
[Image changes to show Dirk talking to the camera, and then the image changes to show a rear view of a male walking through an office past James and Nick standing at a desk talking]
Dirk Treasure: Chrysos combines great engineering and great science in our PhotonAssay technology.
[Image changes to show Dirk and a female looking at a computer screen together, and then the image changes to show two sample pots of crushed rock]
We’re now offering this faster, more accurate, more environmentally friendly technique to gold miners around the world.
[Images move through of a male operating a touch screen, samples of pots of crushed rocks, a digital image on a computer screen, and gold sample pots moving along a conveyer belt on a machine]
Our PhotonAssay units combine x-rays and robotics into a fully automated gold analysis solution.
[Image changes to show Nick talking to the camera, Dirk working on a machine and looking at a conveyer belt image on the screen, a close view of Dirk, and then two sample pots of crushed rocks]
Nick Cutmore: Being fully automated, PhotonAssay can deliver results to customers in as little as two minutes, unlike the days that could be required using traditional methods.
[Image changes to show a close view of Nick, and then the camera zooms out to show James and Nick in conversation in an office]
James Tickner: Inventing a technology is one thing, but then figuring out how you actually get it to market is something completely different.
[Image changes to show James talking to the camera, and then the image changes to show a close view of James talking to the camera]
Within CSIRO we considered lots of different commercialisation models, before finally settling on the idea of setting up a startup company.
[Images move through of James and a female colleague looking at a computer screen together, and then James and a male colleague looking at a computer screen]
For me personally, the process of creating a new company was a real eye opener.
[Image changes to show James walking through an office, and then the image changes to show James and a female colleague in conversation while looking at a computer]
It just involved working with so many new people, so many new partners and learning so many new skills.
[Image changes to show Dirk talking to the camera, and then the image changes to show Nick and a female colleague walking through an office towards the camera]
Dirk Treasure: When we started Chrysos, we were just 5 people. Now we’ve expanded into North America, and into Africa, and we’ve got about 70 people around the world.
[Image changes to show Dirk talking to the camera, and then the image changes to show Dirk, Nick, and James sitting around a table looking at laptops and talking]
In May 2022, we completed our IPO and we’re now a publicly-traded ASX-listed company.
[Image changes to show a close view of James talking to the camera]
James Tickner: It’s an incredible honour to be named as a recipient for the Prime Minister’s Prize for Innovation.
[Images move through to show James and Dirk working on a machine, then James, Nick and Dirk looking at a small piece of equipment together, and then all three men walking towards the camera]
I think it really recognises the fact that science, industry and innovation coming together can solve major problems for Australia and around the world.
[Music plays and the image changes to show the Coat of Arms and the Prime Minister’s Prize for Innovation badge and text appears: 2022 Prime Minister’s Prize for Innovation, PhotonAssay Team, Dr Nicholas Cutmore, Dr James Tickner, Mr Dirk Moore Treasure]
