DIT Hothouse Lead Entrepreneur & Researcher Commercialisation Awards 2009
The 2009 DIT Hothouse Lead Entrepreneur & Researcher Commercialisation Awards took place last week in Croke Park. The event was chaired by Oliver Coughlan, VP European Operations, Big Fish Games and keynote speaker was Dr Chris Coughlan, Strategy and E-Commerce Manager at HP, who talked about Competing in the Digital Age. Minister for Science, Technology, Innovation, Conor Lenihan TD presented awards to Hothouse Venture Programme entrepreneurs for best business plans and to DIT researchers for successful commercialisation of research to industry.
l-r: Tom Flanagan Head of Commercialisation DIT, Professor Ellen Hazelkorn Director of Research and Enterprise and Dean of the Graduate Research School DIT, Minister for Science, Technology, Innovation, Conor Lenihan TD, Oliver Coughlan, VP European Operations, Big Fish Games, Paul O'Sullivan Dean and Director of the Faculty of Business in DIT, keynote speaker Dr Chris Coughlan, Strategy and E-Commerce Manager at HP and Bernadette O'Reilly Innovation Centre Manager DIT Hothouse.
Hothouse Venture Programme entrepreneurs
Lead Entrepreneur Awards were won by Mary Skelly, CEO of Microbide and Michelle O’Keeffe, Managing Director of travelaffiliate.ie for the best business plans. Microbide commercialises unique proprietary compositions for use as high level disinfectants and sterilants across a variety of market sectors and travelaffiliate.ie is a travel affiliate programme which provides digital software solutions for the travel industry.
Lead Entrepreneur Awards were won by Mary Skelly (left), CEO of Microbide and Michelle O’Keeffe, Managing Director of travelaffiliate.ie
The awardees were joined at the showcase event by this year’s 24 participating graduate entrepreneurs who offered one-minute elevator pitches on their technology ventures to an audience of industry experts, investors, entrepreneurs and support agencies.
DIT researchers leading the way
The showcase evening also celebrated DIT researchers who have successfully commercialised research over the past year. Tom Flanagan, Head of Commercialisation at DIT commented that ‘Licensing DIT research to industry is an important contribution to economic development and this evening we are awarding eight DIT research groups for successfully licensing technologies.’
Researcher Commercialisation Awards 2009
Dr. Mark Davis, Head of Communications Network Research Institute (CNRI) and Dr. Miroslaw Narbutt for the licence of a Voice on IP quality enhancing software to Accuris Networks.
Dr. Max Ammann, Dr. Matthias John and Dr. Giuseppe Ruvio, Antenna and High Frequency Research Centre (AHFR) for two licences to Taoglas for Ultra WIDE Bandwidth Antenna designs.
Michael Whelan, Centre for Research in Engineering Surface Technology (CREST), for the licence of a novel process for sealing Anodised Aluminium for general engineering applications to Graph Engineering Ltd and for the licence to C& F Automotive Ltd for exterior automotive applications.
Niall Stobie CREST, for licensing an environmental coating to Fleetwood Sherwin Williams.
Dr. Suresh Pillai CREST, for the licence to VitrA of the process of applying functional coatings into ceramics and sanitary ware.
Dan Barry and Dr. Mikel Gainza of the Audio Research Group (ARG) for the licence to the Irish Traditional Music Archives (ITMA) for the Interactive Music Archive Access System.
Charlie Pritchard, Professor Ciarán MacDónaill, Dermot F. Campbell, Dr. Marty Meinardi and Dr. Bunny Richardson of the Digital Media Centre (DMC) for the licence to Cambridge University Press for the use of the voice slow down technology.
Niall Murphy, Department of Applied Technology, for licensing novel engineering technology to Ezo Teoranta for use with its high intensity aqua-culture system.
About Hothouse
Hothouse is the award winning Innovation and Technology Transfer office at Dublin Institute of Technology. A magnetic energy hub, Hothouse draws in entrepreneurs and academic talent and provides an exciting and dynamic environment to fast-track businesses and technologies to commercial success.
Hothouse Venture Programme
The Hothouse Venture Programme is a one-year training and support programme aimed at experienced graduate entrepreneurs engaged in the process of establishing knowledge-intensive businesses with global potential.
Since 2001 the Hothouse Venture Programme has supported over 250 entrepreneurs at the early stages of their business development including companies now successfully established such as TNS MediaMarket, IQ Content, Movidia, Cicero Networks and Allergy Standards Consulting.
A recent survey of previous participant companies indicated that 145 companies had created in excess of 1,000 jobs and have attracted more than Euro50 million in external investment and funding since the programme began in 2001.
It offers a number of supports to budding entrepreneurs to help them build and develop their high end technology based products or services including management training and business counselling, access to funding, investment and networking opportunities as well as a range of office facilities. There are two programmes per year, one starting in March and one in September with 16 places available on each. Participants must have left full-time employment and be working full-time on developing their new business.
2010
In 2010, DIT Hothouse is scheduled to launch two additional venture programmes for emerging knowledge-intensive and IT companies. The programme is designed to provide entrepreneurs that have knowledge-intensive business ideas with the expertise, networks and tools they need to develop highly successful global businesses.
Lead Entrepreneur Award Winners
Michelle O’Keeffe, Managing Director, Travel Affiliate
Travel Affiliate (www.travelaffiliate.ie) is breaking boundaries with new digital software for the travel industry, providing guaranteed return on investment and sophisticated tracking solutions. Travel Affiliate provides content to leads such as Eircom, RTE, MSN and more.
Mary Skelly, CEO, Microbide Limited
Microbide Limited is developing and commercialising unique proprietary biocidal compositions of aldehyde complexes for a variety of commercial market opportunities in the healthcare, water treatment, lifestyle, food, medical, industrial manufacturing and agricultural fields of use.
