NovaUCD, the hub of innovation and start-up activities at University College Dublin (UCD) has named new a engineer and entrepreneur in residence
Healthcare entrepreneur, CEO and investor Ciaran McCourt has been appointed entrepreneur in residence (EiR), while Dr Eoin O’Cearbhaill, a biomedical engineer who has contributed to the establishment of three UCD spin-out companies, was named engineer in residence (ENGiR).
The focus of the NovaUCD in-residence programme is to actively engage with seasoned and experienced executives with deep domain expertise in commercial and engineering sectors who can provide advice and support to members of the UCD entrepreneurial and research communities along with staff and students at the University.
The EiR and ENGiR will be supported by the NovaUCD team to forge closer ties with inventors and entrepreneurs to accelerate novel technologies emerging from UCD to market and to identify opportunities which may be appropriate for a UCD spin-out or start-up.
Liam Cronin, UCD Director of Innovation, said: “The NovaUCD in-residence programme will support the expansion of UCD’s innovation capacity and deepen engagement with industry, investors and entrepreneurial talent strengthening UCD’s role as a driver of national and European innovation.”
McCourt has more than 30 years’ experience building, financing, scaling and exiting healthcare technology companies in Ireland, UK, across Europe and the US. His experience spans start-ups, university and industry spin-outs and publicly listed companies across medical devices, digital health, diagnostics, software and connected care. He has deep expertise in taking healthcare technologies from concept through commercialisation, with a strong focus on US market entry, growth and strategic exit.
Dr O’Cearbhaill is the Director of the UCD Centre for Biomedical Engineering and leads the UCD Medical Device Design Group. His research spans medical device design, therapeutic delivery and microneedles, additive manufacturing, soft robotics, and the biomechanics of the gastrointestinal tract and vasculature. The group’s work has contributed to three UCD spin-out companies (LaNua Medical, Latch Medical and Lia EyeCare), more than a dozen patent filings, and over €8 million in competitive research funding.
Dr O’Cearbhaill said: “NovaUCD companies and UCD’s research groups have a great deal to offer each other, and I want to build stronger links between them. I also want to encourage more academics, researchers and students to take the leap and launch the next generation of UCD spin-outs and start-ups.”
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