Innovation is the lifeblood of progress, so the partners of FB Rice are delighted to sponsor the annual FB Rice NICTA (National ICT Australia) Innovation Award. This year’s award will be presented to researcher Dr Leonid Ryzhyk, who works in the Trustworthy Embedded Systems project at NICTA’s Neville Roach Laboratory in Sydney.

 

The Managing Partner of FB Rice, Dr. Brett Lunn, warmly praised the work of Dr Ryzhyk. ‘Given the quality of the research being conducted at NICTA, it was very difficult to choose a winner. There were a number of close runners-up, but in the end, Leonid’s use-inspired vision and dedication to the patent process won the day’. 

 

Dr Ryzhyk commented that he was ‘surprised and delighted’ to win the FB Rice Award. ‘The research we do is often over long periods of time and covers very complex materials. It is often very difficult to provide articulate and succinct material for such broad-based research, so I am very pleased to see my efforts in that area rewarded! I am very grateful to FB Rice for the support and encouragement that winning this prize gives me.’

 

The NICTA Trustworthy Embedded Systems project is doing research into new techniques to create more reliable computer systems. Although this kind of scientific work tends to be less familiar to us than Australian biotechnology and environmental research, it already has a huge impact on the lives of every Australian. This is because the ‘embedded systems’ technology that drives computers is also present in ordinary objects like washing machines and motor cars. Embedded systems are also central to the operation of many life-supporting medical devices, like pacemakers.

 

In February 2010, Dr Ryzhyk submitted an invention disclosure and after numerous complex drafts, this was eventually filed as a patent application called ‘Co-design of a Testbench and Driver of a Device’. The judges noted that Leonid was especially diligent in preparing an articulate and succinct invention disclosure, promptly reviewing drafts and answering questions from FB Rice attorneys, and reviewing prior art search reports in a precise and helpful manner, always with good humour.

’We’re delighted to provide encouragement and support to foster innovation and research at NICTA and we look forward to continuing to sponsor this annual award supporting NICTA’s patent activity’, Dr Lunn said. He emphasised that Australia has an understated yet extremely proud global reputation as the source of many important innovations. ’With this contribution we seek to acknowledge and inspire some quiet achievers who are making innovation count for Australia by actively engaging with the patent process’.

The FB Rice NICTA Innovation Award is presented to the most deserving individual or group who participated in NICTA's IP protection and patenting processes during 2010. The award is judged by FB Rice patent attorneys and NICTA's IP team.

Dr Ryzhyk joined NICTA in 2004 as an intern, became a PhD student in 2005 and a Researcher in 2009. He has a PhD from the University of New South Wales and a BSc and MSc with Honours from the National Technical University of Ukraine. He is presently leading NICTA’s research into improving the reliability of device drivers.

 
For further details or to arrange an interview, please contact Mary Flanagan / 02 8231 1002 or Katie Bennett-Stenton / 03 8618 4129.

 

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