Posted: 23 November 2007
Environmental Change Management Spin-out wins the NovaUCD 2007 Entrepreneur Award
AP EnvEcon, a provider of decision-support systems, solutions and specialist advice to the public and private sector for the management of environmental change, has won the NovaUCD 2007 Entrepreneur Award after being declared the overall winner of the 12th NovaUCD Campus Company Development Programme (CCDP).
“The CCDP is NovaUCD’s main enterprise support programme, designed specifically to assist entrepreneurs in developing start-up companies established predominantly to commercialise university research,” said Dr Pat Frain, Director, NovaUCD. “New and innovative enterprises such as those which have completed this year’s Programme are critical for the sustained development and growth of Ireland’s knowledge-based economy.”
Pictured far right: Professor Peter Clinch (background) and Dr Andrew Kelly co-founders of AP EnvEcon
Environmental issues associated with climate change, air quality, transport management and land-use are major policy issues at national, European Union and global levels and will remain so for some time to come. This environmental agenda requires rapid and intelligent responses from the public and private sector. AP EnvEcon is providing high-quality systems and solutions for the public and private sector as they come under these increasing regulatory pressures to improve environmental performance.
The spin-out company, co-founded by Professor Peter Clinch and Dr Andrew Kelly from the Environmental Economics Unit of the UCD School of Geography, Planning and Environmental Policy, was one of the first four companies to receive financial support from Sustainable Energy Ireland under its new incubator programme for emerging green business opportunities in the sustainable energy sector
Professor Peter Clinch is the Jean Monnet Professor of European Environmental Policy and Professor of Regional and Urban Planning at UCD. Earlier this year he was appointed to the National Economic and Social Council. In 2001, Professor Clinch was awarded the Barrington Medal by the Council of the Statistical and Social Inquiry Society of Ireland for excellence in research in the social sciences for his work on sustainability and economic growth in an Irish context.
Dr Andrew Kelly is an environmental economist who specialises in greenhouse gas and air quality emissions modelling, data analysis systems, transport demand management and all aspects of associated policy formation and negotiation.
Q-Validus and 2Do, two other projects participating on this year’s programme, received runner-up awards and prizes of €3,000 and €2,000 respectively.
Q-Validus is an international certification solutions provider located at NovaUCD. Its management team is combining its experience in certification programme development and delivery with industry best practice to manage and deliver high quality certification programmes. Q-Validus has also developed two new product offerings, a compliance programme for spreadsheet users targeted at the financial services sector, and a new role-based vocational skills series aimed at small businesses.
Q-Validus’ promoters are David Carpenter, Garry Cleere and Dudley Dolan. Dudley Dolan was a founder and first CEO of the ECDL international computer skills programme. David Carpenter was CEO of the ECDL Foundation from 1999 to 2006 while Garry Cleere was the Head of Certifications from 1998 to 2006.
2Do.ie is a highly interactive and social networking website designed to provide a strong goal and achievement setting support network for people of all ages. Its aim is to assist users in achieving their goals by offering them expert industry advice and by providing them with the support of other users in the 2Do.ie community. 2Do.ie is currently at the pilot development phase and plans to launch in Q3/Q4 2008 with goals such as reduce/quit smoking, reduce alcohol consumption, lose weight as well as how to maintain a healthy work/life balance being available to users.
The promoters of 2Do.ie, who are all 25 years of age or younger, are Shirleen Flynn, Peter Finnegan, a UCD 5th year medical student and JP Wickremasinghe.
Tom Hayes, Manager of Enterprise Ireland’s High Potential Start-Ups Division congratulated all the participants of this year's NovaUCD CCDP. "Enterprise Ireland is delighted to continue to work in partnership with NovaUCD to assist in the establishment of new market-led businesses such as those which have completed this year’s CCDP and which capitalise on innovative technology.”
“Such companies are an essential element of realising the full commercial potential of the significant and ongoing investment in research and development being made by the Irish Government. Enterprise Ireland looks forward to supporting this year's participants in the future and to assist them to realise their full commercial potential.”
