Knowledge Transfer Ireland, the body which helps businesses to boost their competitiveness through innovation with third level research, has announced the winners of their sixth annual Impact Awards.
The KTI Impact Awards celebrate the work of the Higher Education Innovation Offices around the country, and their role in helping transform academic research into commercial impact.
Since KTI's launch in 2014 over 240 new products and services have been brought to market as a result of companies accessing technology and ideas from research.
The Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (RCSI) and LocateBio won the Commercialisation Impact Award for success achieved from licensing technologies to the company.
RCSI licensed three bone and cartilage regenerative technologies to Locate Bio, an orthobiologics company.
These are substances that orthopaedic surgeons use to help injuries heal more quickly, often using the body's own cells and healing capabilities to reverse damage.
The technologies have been granted FDA breakthrough device designation, a key milestone for Locate Bio as it validates the technology and will simplify its regulatory pathway.
University College Cork (UCC), the Irish Photonic Integration Centre & Rockley Photonics received the Industry Engagement Award, for a research partnership that has delivered value to the company, university and wider community through job creation.
The ongoing collaboration, active since 2017, has been one of UCC’s most successful collaborative partnerships.
On the back of this, Rockley established Rockley Photonics Ireland in Cork in 2020 which grew to 10 employees in 2021. The company focuses on the use of apps and data chips for use in healthcare, machines and wearable devices.
Meanwhile, Dublin City University (DCU) and Inclusio won the inaugural Future Forward Award.
Inclusio, a new spinout founded in December 2020 from DCU, is focused on transforming workplace culture through an AI engine which enables companies to take a data driven approach to culture and diversity.
It drives personalised, bite-sized learning and engagement, empowering employees to influence workplace culture.
KTI Director and Chair of the Judging Panel Dr Alison Campbell said that this year's winners all represent significant impact from research and exemplify what a vibrant knowledge transfer community looks like.
"Across diversity and inclusion, health technology and cutting-edge photonics our winners today are delivering economic and societal benefit," Dr Campbell said.
"I applaud the hard work and dedication in the Innovation Offices in our Higher Education Institute, who are driven by the desire to make a difference and see research translated for public good," she added.
