Two NovaUCD-based Companies Compete in International Biotech Competition in Scotland
NovaUCD-based BiancaMed and Celtic Catalysts are amongst the four Irish companies, all members of IBEC’s Irish BioIndustry Association (IBIA), who will compete internationally at the Thistle BioScience “Rising Stars Showcase” in Edinburgh on Wednesday 6 February.
Dr Philip de Chazal, co-founder, BiancaMed
Companies from Scotland, Israel and, for the first time, Ireland will pitch their company to a panel of experts and an audience. The experts provide feedback to each company before a winner is announced.
Competing companies benefit from increased exposure, which will help crucial export markets. Last year’s winner Haptogen, Aberdeen, was subsequently acquired by Wyeth.
IBIA is the leading representative body for the biotechnology industry in Ireland. The four competing companies (details attached) all work on pioneering technologies, which will ultimately improve the health and wellbeing of people all around the globe. BiancaMed and Celtic Catalysts are UCD spin-out companies located at NovaUCD, the Innovation and Technology Transfer Centre at UCD. NovaUCD has a long track record in company commercialisation; notable successes include the development and licensing of a BSE test, which has to date generated €2 million in royalty income for UCD and the establishment of a range of successful spin-out companies.
Eleanor Garvey, chair of IBIA and Site Leader in Pfizer Ireland, Dún Laoghaire, commented: “It is very encouraging to see Irish companies compete internationally in a competition of this calibre. Ireland continues to punch well above its weight at a global level and it is important that indigenous Irish companies have the necessary supports to fully develop their commercial potential.”
3 February 2008
For further information contact Micéal Whelan, NovaUCD, e-mail: miceal.whelan@ucd.ie, tel: (01) 716 3712.
Editor's Notes
IBEC’s Irish BioIndustry Association (IBIA), the leading representative body for the Biotechnology Industry in Ireland, has over 50 member companies. IBIA aims to promote, support and encourage the further development of the multinational and indigenous biotech sector in Ireland. The association works closely with Government, its agencies (Enterprise Ireland and IDA) and the research community to help build a strong and thriving biotech sector in Ireland. It is a member of both BIO (US) and EUROPABIO, and is active on a number of issues including biotech patents, regulations on plant biotechnolgy and promoting research to the industry. IBIA participated in the development of the Enterprise Ireland Biotech Strategy.
Companies competing at Thistle BioScience “Rising Stars Showcase” 2008
BiancaMed which is based at NovaUCD, is a health technology spin-out from UCD’s School of Electrical, Electronic and Mechanical Engineering. BiancaMed offers leading health technology solutions for monitoring everyday living. BiancaMed’s vision is to help people enjoy healthy lives.
Celtic Catalysts which is also based at NovaUCD is a leading supplier of chiral products and technology to the Fine Chemical, Pharmaceutical and Biotech industries. The company is commercialising chiral technology, developed over many years in UCD’s School of Chemistry and Chemical Biology.
EnBIO (Rubicon Centre, CIT, Cork) provides innovative surface modification technologies to the medical device sector. Frontier™ revolutionises the process technology used to apply coating to metal implant devices. Using proprietary technology EnBIO can induce drug eluting capabilities on the majority of medical devices. The company focuses on three market segments in the medical sector, namely orthopaedic, cardiac rhythm management (CRM) and cardiovascular.
Luxcel BioSciences (Bioinnovation Centre, UCC, Cork) develops and provides innovative, fluorescence-based assays, reagents and instrumentation for high performance drug discovery, life science research and the maintenance of food and environmental safety standards.
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