Mr Hodgson, recently appointed chairman of the Southern Partnership Group — the organisation formed by the Minister of Health to run the hospital rebuild — said that role meant he could no longer do his present job justice.
Otago Innovation develops and commercialises the intellectual property of University of Otago academics.
"I was going to have to get out of here at some point, hospital or no hospital," Mr Hodgson said.
"I’m a 67-year-old and it’s a plum job which should be allowed to go to the market at some point. I have made the changes here I think were most necessary."
Otago Innovation now deals with about 49 inventions or discoveries annually — double the number that it had done in the past.
Its role is to take those inventions from concept to marketable. Mr Hodgson said OI’s board and staff were aware he was going to start winding down his involvement with the organisation soon.
"This job [the hospital], I couldn’t live with myself if I didn’t do it as well as I could, and I think anyone given a job this big to keep an eye on needs to give it their best."
