Green Innovator and Entrepreneur Receives 2025 NovaUCD Innovation Champion of the Year Award
Professor Kevin O’Connor, Director of BiOrbic, the Research Ireland Centre for Bioeconomy, a Principal Investigator at the UCD Earth Institute and a Full Professor in the UCD School of Biomolecular and Biomedical Science, has been named recipient of the 2025 NovaUCD Innovation Champion of the Year Award.
Professor O’Connor was presented with his Award by Professor Orla Feely, President, University College Dublin (UCD) during the annual presentation of the NovaUCD Innovation Awards which took place at the UCD University Club.
Through his research activities Professor O’Connor has, over many years, been championing the development of a sustainable global economy. His research expertise includes a focus on circular economy, circular bioeconomy, and biotechnology including, integrated biorefining, biobased chemicals, microbial biotechnology, biodegradable polymers, biocatalysis and protein engineering.
He is also a champion in promoting an innovation and entrepreneurial ecosystem within his School and College by actively involving members of his research and postdoc teams in his invention disclosures, patent applications, many of which have been subsequently licensed to industry, and through his commercialisation funded projects.
In addition, he has been championing innovation through his leadership roles in shaping Ireland’s bioeconomy research landscape as Director of BioOrbic, as Principal Investigator with Farm Zero C, a collaboration between Carbery and BiOrbic’s research partners to create a climate-neutral nature positive, economically viable dairy farm, and as the lead in the development of pilot scale facilities at the Bioeconomy campus in Lisheen Co. Tipperary.
Professor O'Connor has disclosed 16 inventions to NovaUCD, 7 patents have been filed, 7 licences concluded with industry, and he has co-founded UCD spin-out companies, Bioplastech and Nova Mentis.
Prof. Orla Feely, President, UCD and Prof. Kevin O'Connor
On receiving the 2025 NovaUCD Innovation Champion of the Year Award, Professor O’Connor said, “I would like to thank NovaUCD for the Award. It is a huge honour and a source of great pride for me.
I want to acknowledge and thank the current and former members of my research group, BiOrbic research centre, employees of Bioplastech and Nova Mentis, and the many collaborators in industry and academia for their hard work and dedication and without whom my innovation journey would not be possible.”
He added, “Meaningful collaborations arise when people have a shared vision and can see a mutual benefit. Such collaborations need great people to work and stay together to share the ups and downs of the journey which can be relentless and unforgiving. I am privileged to share my innovation journey with incredibly talented people.”
Professor O’Connor is also playing a key leadership role in Talent4BBI, the first industry led PhD Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions programme in Ireland, which is coordinated by UCD, and which is focused on training a cohort of highly skilled industry-ready early-stage researchers equipped to lead the future of the European bio-based industry sector.
Professor O’Connor has also published over 130 international peer review articles and made over 200 contributions at national and international conferences.
He was previously the recipient of the 2016 NovaUCD Innovation Award and the 2019 Research Ireland Research of the Year Award.
The annual NovaUCD Innovation Awards highlight successes made in areas of knowledge transfer, consultancy, entrepreneurship and the promotion of an innovation culture, by members of the UCD research, innovation and entrepreneurial community.
Speaking at the event Professor Orla Feely, UCD, President, said, “UCD is committed to delivering impact from our leading research and innovation across a broad range of disciplines. The NovaUCD Innovation Awards, which have become a key annual event, recognise the achievements of our research, innovation and entrepreneurial communities and demonstrate our strength in developing talent and creating and applying knowledge to deliver impact.
I congratulate all who have received this year’s Awards and wish the Awardees every future success as they continue to deliver impact in Ireland and further afield through their commercialisation, consultancy, entrepreneurial and innovation activities."
A total of 7 Awards were presented by Professor Feely and the other Awardees are;
2025 NovaUCD Innovation Award: Professor Wenxin Wang, UCD Charles Institute of Dermatology, UCD School of Medicine
2025 NovaUCD Invention of the Year Award: Dr Emer Doheny, UCD School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering and Dr Jayne Carberry, UCD School of Medicine
2025 NovaUCD Spin-out of the Year Award: LaNua Medical, co-founders, Tom Fitzmaurice, Dr Cormac Farrelly, UCD School of Medicine, Dr Eoin O'Cearbhaill and Dr Sajjad Amiri, UCD School of Mechanical and Materials Engineering
2025 NovaUCD Consultancy of the Year Award: Dr Siobhan Mullan, UCD School of Veterinary Medicine
2025 NovaUCD Licence of the Year Award: Professor Peter Kennedy, UCD School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering
2025 NovaUCD CEO of the Year Award: Mike McGearty, Meili.
NovaUCD is supported under the KT Boost Programme co-funded by the Government of Ireland and the European Union, through the ERDF Southern, Eastern & Midland Regional Programme 2021-2027.
ENDS
10 April 2025
For more information contact Micéal Whelan, Communications and Media Relations Manager, NovaUCD, UCD Research and Innovation, e: miceal.whelan@ucd.ie.