NovaUCD, the Innovation and Technology Transfer Centre, will showcase fifteen new high-tech and knowledge-intensive ventures emerging at UCD during a key event next week.

The NovaUCD 2009 Campus Company Development Programme (CCDP) Awards Evening takes place on Wednesday 18 November at 5:45 pm in the William Jefferson Clinton Auditorium, UCD, Belfield, Dublin 4.

The aim of the CCDP, NovaUCD’s key enterprise support programme, is to assist academic and research entrepreneurs in the establishment and development of new high-tech ventures to commercialise the output of their research activities. The Programme assists participants in defining, developing and transforming their innovative ideas into commercially feasible ventures and in preparing detailed business plans.

At the Awards Evening each of the fifteen new ventures (details below) participating on this year’s Programme will deliver a short ‘elevator pitch’. Four short-listed ventures, selected by an independent evaluation panel, will then present their business plans in more detail to an audience comprising members of Ireland’s research, state agencies, venture capital, industry and business communities.

The overall winner, selected by the evaluation panel, will be presented with the NovaUCD 2009 CCDP Award and a cheque for €5,000. Two other short listed ventures will receive runner-up awards and prizes of €3,000 and €2,000 respectively.

140 new ventures and 210 individuals have now completed this Programme, which has run annually since 1996, and former participants collectively employ over 750 people. Former winners include BiancaMed (2002), the health technology company, which raised €6 million in second round venture capital funding earlier this year and ChangingWorlds (1999), the provider of personalization and intelligent portal solutions for mobile service providers, which was acquired in 2008 by Amdocs for $60 million. 

At the NovaUCD 2009 CCDP Awards Evening, Dr Hugh Brady, President, UCD will deliver a welcome address and Deirdre Somers, Chief Executive, Irish Stock Exchange will be the guest speaker.

ENDS

11 November 2009

For further information contact: Micéal Whelan, NovaUCD, t: +353+ (0)1 716 3712, e: miceal.whelan@ucd.ie.

Editors Notes

Participating New Ventures

Agri-Time is developing real-time, practical management support tools, delivered over the internet on mobile phones and computers, to assist farmers in running and managing their farms.   Promoters: Professor Nick Holden, Agnieszka Piwowarczyk and Marian Hennessy, UCD School of Agriculture, Food Science and Veterinary Medicine.

Anura Therapeutics is developing a novel process for the identification of potent bioactive peptides for drug discovery. Promoter: Professor Stephen Pennington, UCD School of Medicine and Medical Science.

BedrockMaths is developing a suite of multi-media, web-based interactive assessment, teaching and learning support systems to assist students who have difficulties in learning mathematics. Promoters: Máirín Barry and Dr Ruichao Wang, UCD School of Education.

Bettie is developing a communications device designed specifically for the ageing population which allows people to keep up-to-date and in touch with friends and family. Promoters: Ben Arent and Zoran Skrba, UCD School of Computer Science and Informatics.

BoFinn Diagnostics will provide a bulk tank milk testing service to the dairy industry for the rapid and inexpensive diagnosis of infectious diseases. Promoter: Dr Mary Sekiya, UCD School of Agriculture, Food Science and Veterinary Medicine.

Cernam is a specialist digital investigations company developing unique software products in the area of online investigations. Promoter: Owen O’Connor, NovaUCD client company.

Equinome is developing genetic tests to optimise decision-making in the breeding and racing of thoroughbred horses. Promoter: Dr Emmeline Hill, UCD School of Agriculture, Food Science and Veterinary Medicine.

GliúMara is utilising biomimetic technology to produce adhesives that provide strong, rapid and biocompatible adhesion to wet surfaces for biomedical applications. Promoters: Dr Anika Mostaert and Professor Suzi Jarvis, UCD School of Biology and Environmental Science and UCD School of Physics.

Insite Analytics is developing automated, real-time analytics software to improve the performance of retail units in retail locations such as large shopping centres and department stores, by analysing shopper movements and behaviour. Promoters: Ross Shannon, Adrian K. Clear and Dr Aaron Quigley, UCD School of Computer Science and Informatics.

Inviver is developing novel diagnostics and vaccine products for infectious diseases in the veterinary health industry. Promoters: Dr Jarlath Nally and Pablo Rojas, UCD School of Agriculture, Food Science and Veterinary Medicine.

Nanolytic Laboratories will provide imaging and material analysis for both Research and Development and Quality Assurance departments of companies in the semi-conductor and other technology driven sectors. Promoter: Dr Ian Reid, UCD School of Chemical and Bioprocess Engineering.

Novocept is developing a suite of bioinformatics software packages for the biomolecular, pharmaceutical and the protein engineering industry to assist in reducing the costs involved in producing a new drug candidate or in the redesign of enzymes. Promoters: Dr Martin Peters, Dr Ian Walsh, Dr Michael Johnston and Dr Jens Erik Nielsen, UCD School of Biomolecular and Biomedical Science and Dr Gianluca Pollastri, UCD School of Computer Science and Informatics.

Retinostics is developing a novel ultra-high resolution scanning laser ophthalmoscope for diagnostics of the human eye retina. Promoters: Dr Brian Vohnsen and Dr Diego Jose Rativa-Millan, UCD School of Physics.

TraceHunter Software is developing easy-to-use, highly automated tools to revolutionise computer forensic investigations. Promoters: Dr Pavel Gladyshev, Yuandong Zhu and Joshua James, UCD School of Computer Science and Informatics.

VIDAS is developing peer-to-peer video distribution technologies for more efficient use of computer networks. Promoters: Dr Sean Murphy, Dr Hamid Nafaa and Professor Liam Murphy, UCD School of Computer Science and Informatics.

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 academic entrepreneurs in the establishment and development of knowledge-intensive enterprises by providing the skills necessary to transform innovative 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, the Innovation and Technology Transfer Centre, is the hub of knowledge transfer activities at University College Dublin. 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 has been funded through a unique public-private partnership that includes AIB Bank, Arthur Cox, Deloitte, Enterprise Ireland, Ericsson, Goodbody Stockbrokers, UCD and Xilinx.