Nicola Mitchell, founder & CEO of Life Scientific and BioScientific Diagnostics, recipient of the NovaUCD 2009 Innovation Award.
Nicola Mitchell, founder and CEO of two successful life sciences companies, Life Scientific and BioScientific Diagnostics, has won the NovaUCD 2009 Innovation Award.
On presenting the Innovation Award to Nicola Mitchell, Dr Hugh Brady, President, UCD, said, ‘The establishment, growth and development of companies such as Life Scientific and BioScientific Diagnostics is at the heart of the UCD/TCD Innovation Alliance’s objective of developing a world-class ecosystem for innovation that drives enterprise development and the creation of sustainable high-value jobs.’
Nicola established Life Scientific in 1995 with a business idea that enabled clients in the agro-chemical industry get their products to market more quickly. In 2006 BioScientific Diagnostics was established to provide expertise in the development, validation and utilisation of immuno and cell-based methods for investigation of biopharmaceuticals and biomarkers.
Today Life Scientific and BioScientific Diagnostics operate from three facilities, including two certified laboratories in Blackrock and NovaUCD, along with an office in London. The companies collectively employ over 40 people, the majority of whom are scientists. Annual turnover is expected to reach €4 million this year, 95% of which is derived from export sales. The companies have established strategic links with key industrial players such as Amgen, Mitsui, FMC, Bayer, GSK and Pfizer.
Nicola’s vision is to ultimately develop patentable products by exploiting synergies between Life Scientific and BioScientific Diagnostics. By leveraging the companies’ in-depth knowledge of plant protection products and expertise in biotechnology, she aims to create new standards for crop protection that will lead to a new generation of cleaner, greener agrochemicals.
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