Ireland’s Celtic Catalysts a leading supplier of chiral products and technology to the Fine Chemical, Pharmaceutical and Biotech industries was declared the international winner of the “Rising Star Award” at the BioIndustry Association (Scotland) Thistle Bioscience Forum 2008 which took place in Edinburgh.

Kevin Dalton, Sales Director and Dr Brian Kelly, CEO, Celtic Catalysts

Celtic Catalysts was among the four Irish biotech companies, all members of IBEC’s Irish BioIndustry Association (IBIA), who took part in the international “Rising Stars Showcase” competition along with 8 other companies from Scotland and Israel. Each of the participants pitched their companies and development strategies to a panel of experts and an invited audience before Celtic Catalysts was announced the overall winner after a confident and polished pitch by Kevin Dalton, Sales Director.

Dr Brian Kelly and Professor Declan Gilheany co-founded Celtic Catalysts in 2000 as a spin-out from UCD’s School of Chemistry and Chemical Biology. Celtic Catalysts currently employs a staff of 17 and is headquartered in NovaUCD, the Innovation and Technology Transfer Centre at UCD.

Celtic Catalysts’ focus is on the area of chiral synthesis and it has developed a comprehensive portfolio of intellectual property and carved out a uniquely strong niche for itself in the specialised area of P-chiral technology. This technology can be used in the production of a range of drugs which are particularly prevalent in anti-viral and anti-cancer therapeutic areas.

Commenting on the win, Dr Brian Kelly, CEO said, “Celtic Catalysts is delighted to have won this international award. It is a wonderful endorsement of the tremendous hard work of our team over many years to develop and build our IP portfolio and our strategy of translating that portfolio into a dynamic and growing business of international reach.”

The IBIA is the leading representative body for the biotechnology industry in Ireland. Celtic Catalysts and the three other Irish companies who took part in this competition; BiancaMed, which is also based in NovaUCD, EnBio and Luxcel Biosciences are all working on pioneering technologies which will ultimately improve the health and wellbeing of people all around the globe.

Eleanor Garvey, chair of IBIA and Site Leader in Pfizer Ireland, Dún Laoghaire, said, “It is extremely encouraging to see Celtic Catalysts an Irish biotech company win an internationally competition of this calibre.” She added, “Ireland continues to punch well above its weight at a global level and it is important that indigenous Irish companies have the necessary supports to attain their commercial potential.”

ENDS

13 February 2008

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

Editors Notes

Celtic Catalysts is a leading supplier of chiral products and technology to the Fine Chemical, Pharmaceutical and Biotech industries. Celtic Catalysts focuses on the area of chiral synthesis and it has developed a comprehensive portfolio of intellectual property and carved out a uniquely strong niche for itself in the specialised area of P-chiral technology. The company is commercialising chiral technology, developed over many years in UCD’s School of Chemistry and Chemical Biology and it is currently headquartered in NovaUCD, the Innovation and Technology Transfer Centre at UCD.

IBEC’s Irish BioIndustry Association (IBIA), the leading representative body for the Biotechnology Industry in Ireland, has over 50 member companies. IBIA aims to promote, support and encourage the further development of the multinational and indigenous biotech sector in Ireland. The association works closely with Government, its agencies (Enterprise Ireland and IDA) and the research community to help build a strong and thriving biotech sector in Ireland. It is a member of both BIO (US) and EUROPABIO, and is active on a number of issues including biotech patents, regulations on plant biotechnology and promoting research to the industry. IBIA participated in the development of the Enterprise Ireland Biotech Strategy.

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-one 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.