ASimil8, a new e-learning venture, co-founded earlier this year by Paul Groarke and Garrett Hussey has won NovaUCD’s 2008 start-up award and €5,000 after being declared the overall winner of the 13th NovaUCD Campus Company Development Programme.

There is currently no convenient way for most students learning languages to practise their language skills other than travelling to foreign destinations which can be expensive and impractical.

To address this and related issues in the learning environment ASimil8 has developed a next generation learning platform to provide immersive education for languages and other subjects using virtual world and gaming technologies. The use of virtual world and gaming technology is designed to engage students in the same way that video games grab and keep their attention. By ‘immersing’ students in real-life settings where they must use their knowledge, ASimil8 will give students a deeper and more dynamic understanding of their subjects.

 
Paul Groarke and Garrett Hussey, co-founders, ASimil8

Paul Groarke, co-founder and CEO, ASimil8, has spent the last 5-years working in the e-learning industry. In the past he has held senior management positions in Baltimore Technologies and other companies. He has managed over 100 product releases and helped to build a number of start-up companies. Garrett Hussey, co-founder and CTO, ASimil8 has 18 years industry experience. He has been chief architect for a number of companies including Baltimore Technologies. He is an expert on the technology and standards in the e-learning industry. ASimil8 is currently located at NovaUCD, the Innovation and Technology Transfer Centre at UCD.

The aim of the NovaUCD Campus Company Development Programme (CCDP), which has run annually since 1996 and which is supported by Enterprise Ireland, is to assist entrepreneurs in bringing their innovative ideas from intellectual concepts to fully developed and sound commercial business enterprises.

The new ventures completing this year’s CCDP are following in the footsteps of former participants such as ChangingWorlds which is being acquired for $60 million by the US-quoted technology company Amdocs. ChangingWorlds which was co-founded by Professor Barry Smyth and Paul Cotter as a spin-out from UCD’s School of Computer Science and Informatics participated on the 1999 CCDP and was that year’s overall winner.

A total of 141 companies and 210 individuals have now completed this NovaUCD Programme and former participants collectively employ 700 people. Other previous participants include BiancaMed, Celtic Catalysts, CRDS, Haptica, Locumotion and TopChem.

Dr Pat Frain, Director, NovaUCD, said, “The CCDP is NovaUCD’s main enterprise support programme.  It is designed specifically to assist entrepreneurs in establishing new high-tech and knowledge intensive ventures, predominantly to commercialise the innovative ideas arising from university research.”  He added, “These new ventures are of critical importance, particularly in the present economic climate, where there is an increasing need to generate opportunities for the creation of highly-skilled employment.  The recent success of ChangingWorlds, a previous CCDP participant, is a clear vindication of the Government strategy of investment both in University research and in the technology transfer offices, incubation facilities and other supports necessary to transfer the resulting technologies to the market place.”

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

Flexitimers has developed an internet platform that will enable companies to radically change how they recruit and approach the HR function. Flexitimers was established to address the needs of employers who wish to recruit professionals with experience and skills but not on a permanent basis and professionals looking for flexible (part-time, freelance and contract) positions and projects.  Flexitimers, which is also located in NovaUCD with a regional office in Gorey, Co. Wexford was co-founded by Dervla Cunningham and Joy Redmond.

 
Dervla Cunningham and Joy Redmond, co-founders, Flexitimers

Bioplastech is commercialising a process which converts waste materials to a value-added, environmentally friendly (i.e. biodegradable) plastic. This plastic has numerous potential product applications in the packaging sector as well as in agriculture and biomedicines. Bioplastech is commercialising research which has been undertaken over the last number of years by Dr Kevin O’Connor and his team in UCD’s School of Biomolecular and Biomedical Science.

 
Dr Kevin O'Connor, founder, Bioplastech

Congratulating all the participants on this year's NovaUCD CCDP Tom Hayes, Manager,  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

21 November 2008

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

Editor’s Notes

Other Participating New Ventures on the NovaUCD 2008 CCDP

ASTRA-Research is a data management solution venture focusing on health-related research and will provide advice, research support, training and analysis. Dr Mary Codd, UCD School Public Health and Population Science is the promoter of ASTRA-Research. 

Biosystems Engineering is commercialising two projects on this year’s CCDP. One is developing a thermal process validation service for the Irish food industry while the second is developing a canine biometric identification system. The promoters are Dr Fergal Tansey and Dr Alexis Pacquit. Biosystems Engineering, a NovaUCD client company has spun-out from the UCD School of Agriculture, Food Science and Veterinary Medicine. 

DESTinE is developing a specialist software tool enabling schools to assess and profile the strengths and interests of students with special educational needs. Stephanie Fitzgerald, an educational psychologist is the promoter. 

eBioTech has developed innovative technologies to remotely diagnose and monitor diseases such as Asthma. eBioTech has emerged from research undertaken in UCD’s School of Electrical, Electronic and Mechanical Engineering and the lead promoters are Professor Richard Reilly and Isabelle Killane. 

ElectroSim is developing software to significantly accelerate electrostatics in molecular simulations. Dr Niall English, UCD School of Chemical and Bioprocess Engineering is the lead promoter. 

ERG Consulting is being established to provide energy and environmental services to the Irish and European building industries. Professor Owen J. Lewis, UCD School of Architecture, Landscape and Civil Engineering is the lead promoter. 

EUV Source Solutions is examining the provision of extreme ultra violet light sources and optics to the semiconductor industry. Dr Kenneth Fahy, Dr Fergal O'Reilly and Dr Paul Sheridan, UCD School of Physics are the promoters. 

Exergaming Solutions is utilising computer games to aid specific therapeutic exercises to improve the quality and outcomes of rehabilitation interventions. Dr Brian Caulfield and Diarmaid Fitzgerald, UCD School of Physiotherapy and Performance Science and Professor Barry Smyth, UCD School of Computer Science and Informatics are the promoters. 

The NovaUCD Campus Company Development Programme (CCDP) is a nine-month, part-time programme designed to suit the busy timetable of researchers and academics. It offers a mix of monthly workshops, mentoring and one-to-one consultancy and is delivered by NovaUCD staff, with support from the NovaUCD sponsors, Enterprise Ireland, as well as other outside experts. 

It is designed to assist entrepreneurs in the establishment and development of knowledge-intensive enterprises by providing the skills necessary to transform ideas into commercially feasible ventures via the development of a business plan. Participants on the programme have the opportunity to access NovaUCD’s desk space and incubation facilities and associated services. 

NovaUCD which officially opened in October 2003, is University College Dublin’s €11 million Innovation and Technology Transfer Centre. NovaUCD is responsible for the implementation of UCD policies relating to the commercialisation of intellectual property arising from UCD’s research programmes. NovaUCD also provides entrepreneurs and knowledge-based start-up companies with incubation facilities and a comprehensive business support programme. NovaUCD is also the main point of contact for companies seeking partners for collaborative research and advice on licensing and other commercial opportunities. 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 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. 

Update August 2011

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