Dr Brian Kelly, CEO and co-founder, Celtic Catalysts
Celtic Catalysts, a UCD spin-out company has been presented with the NovaUCD 2008 Innovation Award. Celtic Catalysts has developed technology which enables global pharmaceutical companies manufacture drugs, particularly in anti-viral and anti-cancer therapeutic areas more cost effectively.
The award was presented to the company in recognition of its successful commercialisation of chiral synthesis research which took place in UCD’s School of Chemistry and Chemical Biology. Celtic Catalysts was co-founded in 2000 by Professor Declan Gilheany and Dr Brian Kelly.
On presenting the NovaUCD 2008 Innovation Award to Celtic Catalysts, Dr Hugh Brady, President, UCD, said, “Celtic Catalysts is a really exciting spin-out company established to commercialise the output of UCD research.” He added, “The generation of new high-tech ventures, such as Celtic Catalysts, is seen as one increasingly important measure of the impact of our research output on economic development in Ireland.”
In addition to product sales, Celtic Catalysts has already signed several research alliance agreements with a number of multinational pharmaceutical companies. These research alliance agreements enable Celtic Catalysts utilise their expertise and technology to solve problems being encountered by pharmaceutical and biotech companies in the manufacture of their drugs.
Dr Pat Frain, Director, NovaUCD congratulating Celtic Catalysts on winning this year’s NovaUCD Innovation Award said, “Brian Kelly, a PhD student when the company was founded, is now the company’s CEO. He is an ideal role model for young researchers seeking the inspiration to establish and grow new knowledge-intensive enterprises.”
Celtic Catalysts is currently in fundraising mode and plans to expand its workforce to over 30 people, mostly at PhD level, within the next two years, occupy its own laboratory facilities to manufacture bulk quantities of its products in addition to securing alliances and supply agreements with all major Pharma and fine chemical companies.
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