TEN RISING tech stars have been short-listed for a £25,000 prize fund and the opportunity to showcase their talents to world class investors.
The contest is organised by NISP Connect, a partnership between the Northern Ireland Science Park, two local universities and a research institute. It aims to identify the “best knowledge-based ideas with the most commercial potential from the publicly funded research base in Northern Ireland”.
A cheque of £10,000 goes to the overall winner, with category winners getting £2,500. All the finalists will receive £500 and get the chance to engage with established science and technology corporations, entrepreneurs, service providers and investors who are interested in promising technology.
Past winners include LenisAer, which earlier this month unveiled a prototype of new aerospace technology for fuel components at the Paris air show.
This year organisers say the shortlist for the award – co-sponsored by Bank of Ireland UK – highlights the wealth of innovative talent in the local health and life science sector.
Steve Orr, director of NISP Connect, said the contest would draw attention to four biotechnology innovations that could have the potential to change the face of various biomedical industries.
“Now more than ever we need to recognise and harness local talent and encourage researchers and individuals to act on their ideas and energy to produce tomorrow’s leading commercial opportunities.”
The 10 short-listed firms have been organised into four separate categories – hi-tech, biotech, cleantech and digital media.
One of the teams in the biotech category is a joint entry by Gensaf, AFBI/SiSaf and the University of Ulster. It has been selected for its GenSafe product which claims to be “a next generation controlled-release drug delivery system for the animal health market”.
Lewis Fertility Testing, a spin- out from Queen’s University Belfast, has also been chosen for SpermComet, “a novel biomarker for male infertility which helps to diagnose infertility and predict treatment success”.
RegenaGraft from the University of Ulster has been shortlisted for its “synthetic implantable heart valve that combines the benefits of current replacements without any of their associated disadvantages such as clotting”.
Queen’s OncoTech’s Ran Biomarker is a “diagnostic assay suitable for both tissue and blood that can identify cancer patients at high risk of metastasis”.
The finalists in the hi-tech category include two QUB spin-outs: Protective Devices which has developed a “compep glove to protect jet pilots against chemical warfare agents while uniquely allowing moisture to pass through” and Flish, the innovator of a “high gain antenna which has the ability to ‘point’ to distant signals such as a satellite without the need for alignment”.
The cleantech shortlist is made up of two other QUB spin-outs; BMT and Extremogen.
BMT has developed a “device for measuring the temperature of a polymer preform profile during the injection stretch blow moulding process” which is largely used in the global packaging industry.
Extremogen meanwhile has created Vapogene, “a molecular biology tool used in the selection process of the best in class biocatalysts for bioprocessing”.
When it comes to the next generation of hi-tech stars in the digital media and software category, a pioneering joint entry from Warfarin Intelligent Alerts and HSC Innovations is one of the candidates.
Its software application is designed to “support the biomarker International Normalised Ratio (INR) therapeutic targets to prevent blood clotting associated complications and allow for 24/7 medical monitoring”.
Its rival in the category is a group effort from Clinical Communicator, HSC/C-Tric and Altnagelvin: Future Healthcare NI Ltd, which has developed “a hosted clinical dashboard” on the cloud platform which claims to “work as an accident reporting tool, task management tool and a change management tool”.
Mr Orr said: “While most of the entries are in the development stage, with help from the network of mentors, I have no doubt that many will go on to become resounding successes.”
ANNUAL AWARD THE SHORTLIST:
BIOTECH
Gensaf, Lewis Fertility Testing; RegenaGraft; OncoTech
HITECH
Protective Devices; Flish
CLEANTECH
BMT; Extremogen
DIGITAL MEDIA SOFTWARE
Warfarin Intelligent Alerts; Clinical Communicator
