AP EnvEcon has won NovaUCD’s 2007 Entrepreneur Award and €5,000 after being declared the overall winner of the 12th NovaUCD Campus Company Development Programme (CCDP).

AP EnvEcon is a provider of decision-support systems, solutions and specialist advice to the public and private sector for the management of environmental change. AP EnvEcon is a spin-out from the Environmental Economics Unit of UCD’s School of Geography, Planning and Environmental Policy and was co-founded by Professor Peter Clinch and Dr Andrew Kelly.

Professor Peter Clinch 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.

AP EnvEcon 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. AP EnvEcon has now located at NovaUCD, the Innovation and Technology Transfer Centre at UCD.

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.

In the last twelve years some 135 projects and 190 individuals have completed the NovaUCD CCDP which is supported by Enterprise Ireland. Previous award winners include BiancaMed, ChangingWorlds, Lightwave Technologies and last year’s winner, Fitfone.

Dr Pat Frain, Director, NovaUCD, said, “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.” He added, “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.”

Two other projects participating on this year’s Programme, Q-Validus and 2Do.ie received runner-up awards and prizes of €3,000 and €2,000 respectively.

Q-Validus is an international certification solutions provider located at NovaUCD. Q-Validus’ 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, as well as 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.

David Carpenter, CEO & Co-founder, Q-Validus

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.

Peter Finnegan, JP Wickremasinghe and Shirleen Flynn, co-founders of 2Do.ie

Congratulating all the participants on this year's NovaUCD CCDP Tom Hayes, Manager of Enterprise Ireland’s High Potential Start-Ups Division, said, "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.” He added, "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.”

ENDS

22 November 2007

For further information contact Micéal Whelan, NovaUCD, e-mail: miceal.whelan@ucd.ie, tel: (01) 716 3712.

Editors Notes

NovaUCD is University College Dublin’s €11 million Innovation and Technology Transfer Centre. NovaUCD is responsible for the commercialisation of intellectual property arising from UCD research and for the development of co-operation with industry and business. NovaUCD as a purpose-built centre also nurtures new technology and knowledge-intensive enterprises. NovaUCD has over 40 incubation units, including bio-incubation units, and provides innovators and entrepreneurs with the necessary support and knowledge to take their ideas from proof of principle to commercial success. Twenty-four knowledge-intensive companies are currently located in NovaUCD. NovaUCD has been funded through a unique public-private partnership that includes AIB Bank, Arthur Cox, Deloitte, Enterprise Ireland, Ericsson, Goodbody Stockbrokers, UCD and Xilinx.

The NovaUCD CCDP is a 9-month, part-time enterprise support initiative. It comprises a mix of practical training and consultancy support including 10 half-day workshops, one-to-one advice and consultancy meetings and a series of networking events. Participants on the Programme have use of desk space facilities and guided access to financial support and information sources. On completion of the CCDP, participants will have developed an investor-ready business plan and presentation and a detailed business strategy. They will also have an opportunity to access the incubation facilities and associated services of NovaUCD.

The NovaUCD Campus Company Development Programme Award Trophy has been designed by Colm Brennan, Sculptor of CAST Bronze Foundry. The award consists of a black Kilkenny limestone arrow-head form pierced by three metal bars, which radiate upwards from an imagined core. The bars carry the colour register analogous to 'gold’, 'silver and 'bronze'. The upward direction of the stone arrow-head is analogous with the drive or direction of a company while the three bars can be interpreted as flashes or streams brought to bear on a developing company.