Ten new spin-out firms have emerged out of research commercialised at Trinity College in the areas of ICT, bioscience and physical science.
“The range of these spin-out companies reflects the quality research currently being produced by Trinity researchers,” Trinity College Provost Dr John Hegarty explained.
“It is through such innovation that entrepreneurial activity is generated with direct benefit to the Irish economy and society. Driving enterprise development that will lead to the creation of sustainable high-value jobs is a key strategic goal of the university.”
In 2009, the TCD Technology Transfer Office received 47 invention disclosures; a total of 116 inventions have been disclosed by Trinity Research and Innovation in the past three years.
There were 22 new patent applications filed in 2009 to protect novel intellectual property arising from research taking place throughout Trinity’s schools and research centres. In the past three years, 65 priority patent applications were filed. In 2009, six licence agreements were concluded by TCD, resulting in a total of 21 over a three-year period with a range of companies.
The 10 new campus companies are:
Solvotrin has invented a number of technologies which solves the problem of side effects from some of the world’s most widely used medicines, such as damage to the lining of the stomach. The firm will target the €15bn anti-platelet market segment for its two lead compounds.
BioCroi offers solutions to advance current high-content screening of drug candidates in the drug development laboratory. BioCroi’s PlateMinder technology represents a breakthrough in stabilising cell-based assays performed in micro volumes.
Miravex produces a hand-held imaging device which can be used in cosmetic medicine providing 3D computer-generated images of a patients’ skin with accompanying data analysis, including pigmentation and colour analysis.
Kinometrics’ technology product, SureWash, has been designed to improve the quality of hand hygiene among healthcare workers. SureWash is an interactive camera system that monitors how well healthcare workers wash their hands.
Treocht is developing a web-based system to monitor global events, using print, video and audio sources, and then applying sentiment analysis to Web 2.0 and self-learning systems to deliver a rapid decision support system for financial market predictions. Treocht products will be targeted at the global business intelligence software market.
EmpowerTheUser (ETU) specialises in technologies for immersive learning and developmental skills, enabling training providers to build and deliver high-impact online learning for a fraction of traditional costs. With fully developed and extensively tested technologies, ETU is now finalising initial pilot programmes and raising seed investment.
ReciTell provides advanced e-learning solutions for both the classroom and individual use. Its underpinning technology, which has evolved from research by the Audio and Acoustics Signal Processing Group in Trinity College provides automation of the audio recording and e-content generation process.
Share Navigator provides professional stock market software, education and support for self-directed investors.To date, it has developed two software tools. The first tool allows clients to analyse equity on both a fundamental and technical basis. The second tool analyses clients’ portfolio risk category and shows the optimum weighting of risk to reward.
Anamates (jointly with UCC) provides a simple-to-use, but very powerful web-based, tool which empowers ordinary computer users to create visual animations without having to master high-end professional tools, such as Flash. It can be used for fun, to add flair to a social networking site, or for more serious users it can create web advertising banners and full presentations.
Gofer ICT is a mathematics educational software start-up which is developing a new approach to mathematics learning for Irish Leaving Certificate students. The aim of Gofer is to make students become confident, creative users of mathematics. The material being developed will be ready for testing by students and teachers in Ireland and India later this year, with commercial release planned in 2011.
Enterprise Ireland’s Technology Transfer Strengthening Initiative
“The Government investment in research and innovation, through Enterprise Ireland’s Technology Transfer Strengthening Initiative (TTSI), has also had a significant impact in the formation of these companies,” added Dr James Callaghan, associate director of Trinity Research and Innovation.
“The resulting growth of expertise in the Technology Transfer Office, which facilitated the formation of the companies, has enabled greater commercialisation of Trinity’s world-class research achieving in 2009 the highest annual number of spin-out companies by the college to date.”
Trinity has also streamlined its policy on evaluating and approving campus companies. “As part of the college’s new strategic plan, it is developing an open innovation policy in order to stimulate knowledge transfer and enterprise development further, making the transition from capturing intellectual property to its practical application and use for commercialisation and job creation,” Dr Callaghan concluded.
By John Kennedy
Photo: Trinity College in Dublin