SFI Researchers Pitch for Success at Demo Day Final

The final day of the Science Foundation Ireland’s TIDA (Technology Innovation Development Awards) took place in the DCU Ryan Academy, with researchers pitching to a panel for the prize of a week in Silicon Valley. This was the culmination of over 2 months of intense training in commercialisation and entrepreneurship for the researchers, as part of the SFI’s TIDA 2010 programme.

The visit to Silicon Valley will be hosted by the Irish Technology Leadership Group (ITLG) and provide an opportunity for the winning researchers to meet members of the venture community and leading technology companies. The panel for the TIDA Demo Day included representatives from the ITLG, Enterprise Ireland, DCU Invent, and Paddy Power.

“All of the presentations were of a very high quality demonstrating a good understanding of business concepts.” said Director of Enterprise and International Affairs at SFI, Dr Ruth Freeman. “In the end it was quite difficult for the panel to decide on a winner so we have awarded not one but two prizes to the researchers” she added.

The winners were announced at the event and were named as Dr Jerry Reen who is based in the BIOMERIT Research Centre in University College Cork (UCC) and Doctor Patricia McGowan who works in the Molecular Therapeutics for Cancer (Ireland) based in St. Vincent’s University Hospital and University College Dublin (UCD).

UCD Researcher Patricia McGowan - one of the winners of the SFI TIDA Demo Day in the DCU Ryan Academy

The BIOMERIT Research Centre was established to promote, co-ordinate and develop key biotechnology research activities in the thematic area of Environment and Health by targeting strategic research funding to sustain and develop research in this area. The Molecular Therapeutics for Cancer, Ireland (MTCI) is a SFI -funded Strategic Research Cluster that aims to discover and develop new anti-cancer drugs.

SFI is facilitating the visit to Silicon Valley, which will be hosted by the ITLG. The visit will be an opportunity for the winning researchers to meet members of the venture community and leading technology companies.

These researchers now have a solid grounding in entrepreneurship that they can bring back to their research centre to examine the potential for commercialisation of their research” said Ann Horan, CEO of the Ryan Academy.

SFI had partnered with the DCU Ryan Academy to provide entrepreneurship training for postdoctoral researchers at research centres in Universities across Ireland. SFI is working in partnership with Enterprise Ireland on TIDA to realise a greater economic impact from the state investment in oriented basic research. The programme aimed to teach business skills to university researchers and scientists.

For further information please contact: Niamh Collins at niamh.collins@ryanacademy.dcu.ie

New Postgrad Bursary for Social Enterprise and Finance

Annual bursary to honour Ray Murphy: Closing Date: May 28th:  

Clann Credo (the Social Investment Fund) and Philanthropy Ireland have announced a scholarship to encourage research on philanthropy and social finance in Irish Third level colleges.  The €10,000 annual bursary is open to students (part-time as well as full-time) that intend to undertake postgraduate study.  

Eligible areas of concentration include philanthropy, social finance, charities regulation, social enterprise/ entrepreneurship, not-for-profit management or other relevant topics.  

Three Colleges, UCC, TCD and DCU have announced fee waivers.  Full Details and application form at www.raymurphybursary.org  .