BiancaMed, the NovaUCD-headquartered medical technology company employing 20 people, is one of 17 companies and organisations shortlisted for the Irish Times Innovation Award 2010. Over 280 companies and organisations initially registered for the awards.

BiancaMed is one of three companies which have been shortlisted in the Product and/or Service innovation category. The other five award categories are; Organisational System & Process, Application of R&D, GreenTech, North/South Collaboration and Public Service Innovation.

Dr Conor Hanley, CEO & co-founder, BiancaMed 

BiancaMed, a UCD spin-out company founded in 2003, has developed and is marketing SleepMinder™, an accurate, contactless and convenient device for the measurement of sleep and breathing in the home. The core of its proprietary technology is a sensitive radio frequency motion sensor that can detect respiration and movement without being connected to the human body. The sensor incorporates sophisticated biometric software that converts the motion data into a measurement of sleep. The technology at the core of BiancaMed’s SleepMinder™ was initially developed at UCD's School of Electrical, Electronic and Mechanical Engineering by Professor Conor Heneghan and Dr Philip de Chazal.

In 2005 BiancaMed launched its first clinical product in collaboration with Del Mar Reynolds Medical for sleep apnea screening. This FDA cleared product is currently sold in the United States, Argentina, Ireland, UK and US.

Last year BiancaMed received an additional €6 million in funding led by pan-European venture capital firm Seventure Partners with existing investors ePlanet Ventures, Enterprise Ireland and ResMed. BiancaMed, which also has an office in Sunnyvale, California, is currently working with several major corporations to launch a range of consumer products in 2010. This includes Bianca Baby, which uses a motion sensor to monitor a baby’s sound, movement and sleep. In addition, BiancaMed is developing a sleep apnoea diagnostic product and the company has launched a sleep monitoring service.

The Irish Times Innovation Award was established in association with InterTradeIreland to recognise the best Innovators in Ireland and companies and organisations, small, medium or large, based on the island of Ireland, were invited to promote their innovations by entering this the first all-island Innovation in Business awards.

The six category winners and the overall 'innovator of the year' will be announced at an event to be held on March 24 2010.

InTime Media and Mcor Technologies have been shortlisted in the Product and/or Service innovation category along with BiancaMed.

Click here for the full listing of all finalists.

ENDS

5 February 2010

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