Andor Technology co-founder to get Innovation Founder Award


29 Sep 2011

Dr Hugh Cormican, cofounder of Andor Technology, with Steve Orr, director of NISP CONNECT.

Technology entrepreneur Dr Hugh Cormican has been announced as the NISP CONNECT Innovation Founder of the year for his contribution to putting Northern Ireland innovation on the map.

The Innovation Founder Award recognises those who have founded, led or built a Northern Irish life sciences or technology-based organisation and has contributed to the region to shape the local economy.

After public nominations and deliberations by a judging panel, Cormican was chosen to be recognised as a guest of honour at tonight’s NISP CONNECT stg£25K Awards Gala Dinner.

Cormican studied laser physics at Queen’s University, Belfast, and became part of a team that developed scientific cameras to address light measuring problems.

Once the wider applications of the technology were discovered, Andor Technology was created, becoming a successful Northern Irish technology company.

It was brought through a stock market listing on AIM in 2004, which turned the university spin-out into a global corporation which now employs more than 260 people in 16 offices, distributing products to 10,000 customers in 55 countries.

Cormican has since founded Cirdan Imaging, which designs and supplies medical imaging solutions for the diagnosis and treatment of cancer in surgery, radiology and pathology.

The NISP CONNECT’s stg£25K Awards aim to identify the best knowledge-based ideas with the most commercial potential from the publicly funded research base in Northern Ireland.

“I think it is a great idea for NISP CONNECT to celebrate the work of entrepreneurs who are starting to transform Northern Ireland’s knowledge economy,” said Cormican.

“I was surprised and humbled when I heard that I was going to receive this award, it is a great honour. This is a great incentive for me to do more and to do more to encourage entrepreneurship.”

Cormican’s award, which has been introduced this year, will be presented tonight by nominator Ken Armstrong, managing director of ESS Security.