Baxter family traditions continue to assist UNSW engineers and entrepreneurs

That’s the view of Chris Baxter who is continuing his family tradition of philanthropy by providing financial support to start-ups taking part in the UNSW Founders 10x accelerator program, as well as mentoring and advising participants.

Back in 2013 Chris’s grandfather John Russell Baxter, known as 'Russ', bequeathed UNSW $1.5m in his will as a mark of respect for the University’s engineering program, from which his son John graduated with a BEng (Mechanical) and then a PhD.

The generous donation formed the basis of the Baxter Family Postgraduate Scholarship which has been awarded annually to PhD students in Engineering, Medicine or Science.

Russ, who flew Spitfires in World War II and later became an aeronautical engineer including an assignment with British Aerospace/Aerospatiale working on the development of Concorde, had previously joined with a number of other war veterans to create the Spitfire Memorial Defence Fellowship at UNSW Canberra to provide financial support for defence-related research projects.

Dr Sean O'Byrne was the recipient of the Fellowship in 2013, recognised for his own research into hypersonic airflow in vehicles that move faster than sound.

“There is no Fellowship like this one in Australia,” Dr O’Byrne said. “It's a great way of developing new ideas that would possibly not see the light of day. It allows potentially high pay-off ideas to be tested in a small-scale way.”

In 2024, Russ Baxter’s grandson Chris is firmly following in the family’s philanthropic footsteps with his involvement in the UNSW Founders program which is designed to empower Australia’s next generation of entrepreneurs.

Chris’s own driving passion is helping technology companies establish a firm intellectual property foundation and backing entrepreneurs with the connections they need to take innovative products to market.

Chris founded Baxter IP in 2007, and its professional development program crosses the various areas of IP expertise to business strategy and startup advice.

Chris is a Fellow of The Institute of Patent & Trade Mark Attorneys of Australia (IPTA) and a registered Australian and New Zealand patent attorney. In 2019, he was awarded “Leading Specialist Patent and Trademark Attorney of the Year for Australia” by the Acquisition International Leading Advisers Awards.

In 2023 and 2024, Chris was recognised as a “Patent Star” by the Managing IP, IP Stars awards program and as a “Recommended Individual for Patent Prosecution” by IAM Patent 1000.

He became a benefactor of the UNSW Founder’s Program five years ago, making a donation to the Founder’s Fund to support the new Entrepreneur’s PhD Pathway Program. Baxter IP has been providing in-depth, pro-bono IP advice to their 10x and Health 10x cohorts since 2018.

“I've got to a point with my own business where things are running well now. They're growing steadily according to a strategy and a plan,” he explains.

“And once you're at that point, well something is missing if you don't start giving back. You've got to complete the circle.

“I think, as a donor, you want to see the next generation find their feet so they can, if they so choose, go on the same journey that you have been on. I find that very satisfying.”