NovaUCD, the Innovation and Technology Transfer Centre at UCD is hosting an open day on Monday, December 8 to coincide with worldwide events to mark the 1st Global Business Incubation Day. The purpose of the 1st Global Business Incubation Day, which is being organised by the UK Business Incubation Association, is to celebrate innovation and entrepreneurship through business incubation. Over 1500 physical business incubation environments from more than 50 countries are holding events on this day.

NovaUCD is responsible for the implementation of UCD policies relating to the commercialisation of intellectual property arising from UCD’s research programmes. NovaUCD also provides entrepreneurs and knowledge-based start-up companies with incubation facilities and related services in addition to a comprehensive business support programme.

The NovaUCD open day will consist of a series of talks by NovaUCD staff members and tours of the NovaUCD facility. There will be an option to observe a technology demonstration by UCD spin-out BiancaMed and to visit the offices of ChangingWorlds, another UCD spin-out company.

There will also be an opportunity to meet and talk to the winner and runner-up of NovaUCD’s 2008 Campus Company Development Programme, Paul Groarke, co-founder of ASimil8 and Joy Redmond, co-founder of Flexitimers who will deliver their award-winning presentations. Other members of NovaUCD’s successful community of entrepreneurs including David Seavers, co-founder, Aonta Technologies and John Travers, founder Alternative Energy Resources will also be available to talk about their experiences of locating in an incubation centre.

The aim of NovaUCD’s open day is to give budding high-tech entrepreneurs and innovators a chance to drop-in and visit the NovaUCD facility, to discover the services and facilities available at NovaUCD, to learn about NovaUCD’s successes over the last five years, to meet members of NovaUCD’s community of entrepreneurs and to raise general awareness of NovaUCD.

Click here for the full programme of events.  

To attend the open day or for additional details contact Micéal Whelan, NovaUCD, e: miceal.whelan@ucd.ie, or t: (01) 716 3712.

ENDS

December 1 2008.

For further information contact Micéal Whelan, NovaUCD, t: 716 3712, e: miceal.whelan@ucd.ie.

Editor’s Notes

NovaUCD is University College Dublin’s €11 million Innovation and Technology Transfer Centre.  NovaUCD is responsible for the commercialisation of intellectual property arising from UCD research and for the development of co-operation with industry and business. NovaUCD as a purpose-built centre also nurtures new technology and knowledge-intensive enterprises. NovaUCD has over 40 incubation units, including bio-incubation units, and provides innovators and entrepreneurs with the necessary support and knowledge to take their ideas from proof of principle to commercial success. Twenty-four knowledge-intensive companies are currently located in NovaUCD. NovaUCD has been funded through a unique public-private partnership that includes AIB Bank, Arthur Cox, Deloitte, Enterprise Ireland, Ericsson, Goodbody Stockbrokers, UCD and Xilinx.