Twelve new knowledge-intensive business ventures and 28 researchers are taking part on University College Dublin’s 2012 entrepreneurship programme.
The annual Campus Company Development Programme (CCDP), which has just commenced at NovaUCD, assists UCD academic and research entrepreneurs in bring ideas from concepts to fully developed commercial businesses.
Just under 190 new ventures and 290 individuals have to date completed this programme which has run since 1996.
The programme culminates with an awards evening in November. Former winners of this prestigious Award include companies such as BiancaMed, Equinome, Logentries and RendezVu.
APC, the overall winner of the 2011 award, has already hired nine permanent PhD-qualified engineers and chemists. The company is currently recruiting for its technology divisions and expects to employ 20 people by the end of 2013.
The new ventures and individuals participating on this year’s programme are commercialising research undertaken throughout the University, including research in the UCD Schools of Biosystems Engineering, Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Computer Science and Informatics, Physics and Public Health, Physiotherapy and Population Science.
Prof Peter Clinch, UCD vice president for innovation, said: "The Campus Company Development Programme is University College Dublin’s main business support programme and is designed specifically to assist researchers in establishing new UCD spin-out companies to commercialise the innovative ideas arising from their research programmes… It is critically important for the development of a sustainable smart economy in Ireland that university researchers, who have developed innovative ideas, participate on programmes such as the CCDP to understand and learn the skills required to establish new high-tech companies and to grow and develop such companies into the future."
The CCDP is a nine-month, part-time programme designed to suit the busy timetable of researchers and academics. It offers a mix of monthly workshops, mentoring and one-to-one consultancy. It is delivered by NovaUCD staff, with support from NovaUCD’s sponsors and network.
In addition to a cash prize fund of €35,000, winners will get months free NovaUCD desk space and access to professionals services from Aristo, Arthur Cox, Delaney Financial Consultancy, Deloitte and Newmarket Partnership. AccountsIQ will provide a one-year subscription to its accountancy software.
TechCentral Reporters
Subscribers 0
Fans 0
Followers 0
Followers