DIT Technology Stars at EU Innovation Expo
9th December 2011: DIT technology that kills MRSA and other disease-causing pathogens is playing a star role at the first European Innovation Convention taking place in Brussels thsi week. The light-activated antibacterial surface coating has been developed by a team at the Centre for Research in Engineering Surface Technology (CREST) in Dublin Institute of Technology, working with ceramic manufacturer VitrA Ireland with funding from Enterprise Ireland.
Dr. Brendan Duffy (left) and Dr. Suresh Pillai, researchers at CREST DIT who used Enterprise Ireland funding to create antimicrobial coatings which are used by Vitra Ireland in the manufacture of ceramic tiles. The tiles will be on display at EU Innovation Convention in Brussels 5th-6th December and the EU Commissioner for Innovation Maire Geoghegan-Quinn will visit the only Irish stand to learn about this innovative product.
It is one of 50 star projects selected from over 450 entries to participate in Europe’s premier innovation event. The Innovation Convention 2011 will be led by the President of the European Commission, Mr. José Manuel Barroso and Máire Geoghegan-Quinn, EU Commissioner for Research, Innovation and Science. The Crest Centre in DIT is the only Irish research organisation represented at the Convention.
The Irish exhibit features tiles manufactured by VitrA Ireland with an antibacterial coating that kills pathogens when exposed to light. The photocatalytic technology was originally developed by a research team at DIT using funding from Enterprise Ireland. The technology was converted from a research project into a commercial product when Robert Hickson, MD of VitrA Ireland, wanted to develop the photocatalytic technology for use on ceramics.
Through the Enterprise Ireland funded Innovation Partnership programme, the CREST team overcame the challenges of using indoor light to activate the coating, and ensuring the coating could be fired in the kiln and maintain its sterilising properties. VitrA is now licensing the technology from DIT on an exclusive basis for use on its products worldwide.
Tests carried out by DIT and by the accredited lab Airmid Health Group in Dublin have found the technology is 99.99 per cent efficient at killing the hospital ‘superbug’ MRSA, E. coli and the fungus that causes athlete’s foot.
“We believe it will also be active against other bacteria and micro-organisms,” says Dr. Suresh Pillai, Senior R&D Manager at CREST. He describes how the technology could have applications in the healthcare setting, swimming pools, schools and gyms.
“VitrA is known for excellence in design and technology, and we are very active in commercial projects such as airports and hotels, leisure centres and hospitals around the world,” says Robert Hickson, MD of VitrA Ireland. “This global reach gives us an excellent platform to launch new products and technologies.”
According to Dr. Martin Lyes, Enterprise Ireland, “this partnership between VitrA Ireland and the research team at CREST DIT shows how EU funding for networking in science brought together leading companies, research centres and universities, enhancing Europe’s innovation and creating jobs”.
