ChangingWorlds expands
R&D staff by 70pc


29 Mar 2006

UCD spin-off company ChangingWorlds, which works with more than 30 mobile operators worldwide to create personalisation and artificial intelligence in future networks and devices, has unveiled plans to grow its NovaUCD-based research and development (R&D) operation to 17 skilled software engineers.

The company opened its Advanced Research Centre in NovaUCD in August 2005 with 10 research staff. The company has now expanded its team to a total of 17 highly qualified software engineers, who are working together with researchers at the UCD School of Computer Science and Informatics on developing advanced personalisation technologies for the mobile telecoms industry.

“The expansion of our Advanced Research Centre at NovaUCD highlights the success of ChangingWorlds’ research co-operation with UCD,” explained the company’s technical operations director Robert Barany.

“This further significant investment in our joint research programme with UCD will strengthen ChangingWorlds’ global position as the industry-leading provider of intelligent personalisation technologies,” Barany said.

ChangingWorlds was co-founded in 1999 by Prof Barry Smyth and Paul Cotter to commercialise their research into personalisation and artificial intelligence technologies at UCD’s Smart Media Institute.

Today ChangingWorlds is the leading global provider of personalisation and mobile portal solutions and has rolled out its flagship ClixSmart Intelligent Mobile Portal platform to more than 30 mobile network operators worldwide, including Vodafone, O2, TeliaSonera, Mobilkom and Wataniya Telecom groups. The company recently won the DHL Exporter of the Year 2005 Award.

Some 22 knowledge-intensive companies are now located in NovaUCD and 32 of NovaUCD’s incubation units are now occupied, which represents an occupancy rate of more than 80pc of the available incubation space.

“The location of ChangingWorlds’ Advanced Research Centre at NovaUCD will facilitate closer interaction with Prof Barry Smyth and his research group, thereby developing the potential for further commercialisation of UCD research in this area of strategic importance for the Irish economy,” said Dr Pat Frain, director of NovaUCD.

In another example of ChangingWorlds’ deepening relationship with UCD, the company is co-sponsoring the first annual UCD School of Computer Science and Informatics Programming Competition, which is open to staff and students, to be held on the 31 March 2006 with an attractive prize purse of €2,500.

By John Kennedy