Research & Innovation

Knowledge Transfer Ireland (KTI) has released the 12 shortlisted entries and seven Achiever of the Year nominees for this year’s Impact Awards with the winners to be announced at a ceremony on 21st November. The annual Impact Awards recognise significant achievements in knowledge transfer and the commercialisation of research carried out in Irish higher education institutions and publicly funded research organisations nationwide. In particular, they pay tribute to the work of those within Ireland’s Technology Transfer Offices (TTOs) around the country who provide a vital link between industry and the academic research.

The KTI Impact Awards will be awarded across 5 categories:

• Collaborative Research Impact Award: recognises successful research collaborations between Irish research performing organisations & industry which have had a demonstratable impact either for the company or research organisation or both.
• Consultancy Impact Award: recognises projects where a researcher or group of researchers at an Irish publicly-funded research performing organisation has provided consultancy advice to a third party that has resulted in economic or public benefit.
• Licence2Market Impact Award: is awarded in respect of licences to intellectual property rights that have been granted by Irish research performing organisations to third parties that have led to significant developments for that party or are delivering significant customer benefit.
• Spin-out Company Award: recognises successes of spin-out companies coming from Irish research performing organisations that have recorded a significant achievement during the year of the award.
• Knowledge Transfer Achiever of the Year Award: recognises the outstanding achievement of individuals in Irish research performing organisations who have made a significant contribution to the knowledge and technology transfer activities of that institution.

Shortlisted entries for 2019 are:

• DCU and Oriel Marine who collaborated to develop a patented technology to extract a unique form of Deep-Sea Magnesium and Minerals to improve the performance of their products in market of severe burn treatment.
• Teagasc and UCC who collaborated with Suntory to develop a bacterial strain into a novel probiotic product substantiated by health claims.
• Glanbia and UCD who collaborated on a project to transform dairy waste products into high value bio-based products for growing global markets including biodegradable plastics, bio-based fertilizers and minerals for human nutrition.
• Trinity College provision of consultancy services to CO2Logic in the completion of a project to generate electricity from physical cooking stoves.
• UCC provision of consultancy services to Abbott Nutrition to design a pilot-scale conveyor system for testing infant powder integrity.

• RCSI negotiated an exclusive license with Foras na Gaelige for the launch of an adult colouring book to introduce young people to the complex world of the human brain.
• Trinity granted patented IP and associated software and know-how to Volograms allowing it to launch highly innovative new commercial product offerings.
• UCD licensed technology to Atlantic Therapeutics leading to the development of a product to treat stress urinary incontinence.
• Nova Leah Limited, a spin out company from the Regulated Software Research Centre (RSRC) at Dundalk Institute of Technology specialising in software in the medical industry.
• NUI Galway spin-out Neurent Medical which is developing a new to world, medical device-led procedure to treat patients with rhinitis.
• UCD spin-out company Equal1 Labs, the world’s first quantum computing hardware start-up developing a new type of quantum computer.
• Toyota Ireland commissioned UCD researchers to investigate the energy behaviour of the (new) Toyota Prius IV hybrid vehicle, under a set of conditions representative of regular Irish commuting patterns.

Seven individuals have been nominated for the Achiever of the Year award in recognition of their notable contributions to knowledge transfer at their institution.  Achievers are nominated from DCU; National College of Ireland; NUIG; Trinity UCC; UCD; and UL.

These entries were evaluated by a panel of international experts that included Maxine Ficarra, CEO at PraxisAuril, the UK knowledge exchange and commercialisation organisation; Holly Wales Meadows, US Patent Attorney and Director at the US knowledge transfer association AUTM; and Eavan O’Brien, Assistant Director for Impact and Partnerships at the Irish Research Council. Submissions were judged according to criteria such as the level of the impact delivered; the clarity and succinctness of the entry; the persuasiveness of the submission in outlining what it has achieved and why it is relevant to the category at hand; and the role that the local technology transfer office played in the activity.

Alison Campbell, Director of KTI commented: “This is the 4th year that we have held the KTI Impact Awards, and each year it’s an opportunity to showcase the best practice knowledge transfer that is taking place in Ireland. Our Annual Knowledge Transfer Survey published earlier in the summer underlined the strength and performance of the knowledge transfer system in Ireland, and the value that businesses place on it. As Chair of the Judging Panel, I would like to congratulate the shortlisted entries and what they have achieved. I would also like to recognise the work that takes place in TTOs all around the country. The calibre of shortlisted entries we see this year is testament to the work that these offices do.”

KTI makes it simpler for businesses and research performing organisations to work together, maximising the extent to which State-funded technology, ideas and expertise get into the hands of business to drive innovation, economic growth and job creation.

CAPTION:

Pictured are MC of the Impact Awards Richard Curran with Director of Knowledge Transfer Ireland, Dr Alison Campbell.