The leader of an innovative fire detection sensor shared the journey of transforming a UNSW-born idea into a rapidly commercialising safety-technology startup at the NSSN’s recent Sensing Industry Connect at UNSW.

Ginigai’s sensing technology is now poised to be used on vessels covering more than half of the world’s cargo fleet, as well as in other areas like waste management and logistics operations.

Ginigai CEO Anna Lowe said the sensing technology was born at UNSW, where researchers, Professor Aruna Seneviratne and Dr Deepak Mishra, were exploring environmental detection of fire and gases.

“They had a crazy idea to go, okay, can we detect fire, how do we do that? And luckily for them, they had the opportunity to set a car alight in a Sydney tunnel,” she said.

The controlled fire attracted the attention of the Safety Tech Accelerator (STA) in London, a body funded by Lloyds of London, which tests and validates new safety technologies.

STA introduced the Ginigai team to nine of the world’s largest cargo shipping companies including Evergreen, Maesrk and ONE.

This represents more than half of all global freight movement.

“In the last 18 months…we’ve been able to prove the technology through a lot of experiments, a lot on shore, going to Sri Lanka and setting things on fire,” she said.

“Now we’re at the stage of proving the technology, not on land, not as research, but actually on a ship.”

Ginigai sensor technology could soon be used by nine of the world’s largest cargo shipping companies including Maesrk. Credit: AdobeStock

The *Sensing Industry Connect* was the final networking event in this year’s series, attracting researchers, entrepreneurs and industry partners.

Ms Lowe described the company’s expansion into new sectors, including logistics, where its sensors could help improve worker safety in cargo bays.

Ginigai has also been approached by a major waste management company to help it detect lithium batteries before they ignite in rubbish trucks.

UNSW Pro Vice-Chancellor (Industry & Innovation), ProfessorStephen Rodda.

“Believe it or not, one of those garbage trucks that you see on the road are worth half a million dollars so if they go up in smoke because of lithium batteries that' being crushed and send things up on fire, it's worth a lot of money,” she said.

The CEO, who has held senior roles in software, logistics and infrastructure, said the key to leadership of a startup born from university research is clarity of mission and purpose.

“Now I’ve ran large organisations, ran large teams across the world and I’d say to you from a leadership perspective, there is no difference, whether it’s 600 people or six people,” she said.

“At the heart of it is being really clear on what your mission is and on your purpose. Our purpose is simple: to prevent hazards, to absolutely make sure the safety of whether it’s the infrastructure or human or the cargo that we’re protecting.

“And we want to be, whether it's audacious or not, we absolutely want to be the global leader in this area.”

NSSN Co-Director and UNSW Dean of Engineering, Professor Julien Epps

Ms Lowe also described the challenges of commercialising university-based research, particularly shifting the mindset from academic perfectionism to customer-focused delivery.

“(At Ginigai) the technology has to work, but it doesn't need to be 150% perfect. It just needs to be fit for purpose. That's a huge change (from academic perfection).”

Ginigai is entering an exciting new phase, she said, preparing to announce its first major customer by early next year, marking a major milestone in its growth from lab to global market.

The Sensing Industry Connect was the final networking event in this year’s series, attracting researchers, entrepreneurs and industry partners.

UNSW Pro Vice-Chancellor (Industry & Innovation), Prof Stephen Rodda, spoke about the vital role of collaboration between universities, industry and government as the driving force behind innovation in New South Wales.

(From left to right): Prof Julien Epps, Prof Stephen Rodda, Ginigai CEO Anna Lowe

“We generate such wonderful research expertise and capability in our universities,” Professor Rodda said.

“But to think we can take things forward alone is naïve. We need to work with companies, entrepreneurs and investors, wherever they might be in Australia or around the world.”

He said partnerships like those fostered through the NSSN are crucial to translating world-class research into real-world impact, delivering new products and services that strengthen the state’s innovation ecosystem.

NSSN Co-Director and UNSW Dean of Engineering, Professor Julien Epps, said UNSW had a long-standing culture of collaboration with industry.

“We’ve got a long tradition of partnership that actually stretches back to the very beginning in 1949,” Professor Epps said.

“Our first students were sponsored by their industry employers. Partnerships are absolutely what we do here at UNSW.”

The next Sensing Industry Connect will be held at the University of Sydney on 10 February 2026.

Ginigai’s journey from Sydney tunnel test to global shipping lanes