CHAMPIONS OF RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT

University and industry collaboration can encourage and nurture the research and development of cutting-edge technology.

The roadmap of technology development is like a funnel. For every one hundred ideas which enter the top of the funnel only a small number of ideas find their way into new technologies and new products launched on the market.

The time and cost to any organisation in travelling down the roadmap of technology development varies across different industry sectors. In the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industry a typical roadmap may take 15 years and cost €1 billion prior to product launch.

Therefore traveling the road of research and product development in this industry sector requires deep pockets, strong organisation support systems, defined processes for R&D and product development and a variety of different expertise at all stages of the R&D, product and clinical development cycle.

Industry Collaboration

Universities by their very nature cannot travel this road alone. Thus there is need for partnership and collaboration with industry in order to progress universityderived technologies into marketed technologies and products.

The National University of Ireland (NUI), Galway has established itself as a research-intensive organisation. In the past five years research spending at the university has increased considerably, over the next three years the university will spend in excess of €120 million on R&D.

Cutting-Edge Technology

In the past 12 months the university has invested in a new Technology Transfer Office (TTO). Since then researchers at the university filed 30 invention disclosures with the TTO, leading to more than 20 patent applications by the end of the year. As a measure of the technology developments on campus, at present the TTO has identified about 30 different cutting-edge technologies which may be licensed out, spun-out into start-up companies or to joint venture companies in association with industry partners for further development and commercialisation. These technologies span across biotech, medical devices, wireless, telemedicine and ICT. The diversity of technologies from a university of this size is remarkable and reflects the can-do “productisation” culture of the university. The university recently entered into an alliance with Tfi (Technology From Ideas) for the development and commercialization of “unresolved” or “unfunded” product, technology ideas, further reflecting the strong technology commercialization drive.

In the past 12 months license income and royalty income generated from NUI developed technologies has increased substantially. A number of spin-out companies have emerged or are in the process of emerging. NUI Galway developed technologies have reached the market place, a case example is the molecular diagnostic SeptiFast technology developed by Dr Tom Barry and colleagues at the Microbiology Dept of NUI Galway. This product was launched by Roche on the market place earlier this year.

Recently Dr Barry, Dr Maher and Prof Smith have developed and progressed yet another breakthrough molecular diagnostic technology. This technology can be used to rapidly detect and diagnose the presence of different microorganisms. Young entrepreneurs such as Dr Margaret Brennan and Dr Bruce Murphy are developing breakthrough diagnostic platform and medical device technologies, respectively, which NUI Galway view as future market “leaders”.

Stem Cell Research

Professor Frank Barry and Tim O’Brien returned from the USA to establish the Regenerative Medicine Institute (REMEDI) at NUI Galway. The focus of REMEDI is the research and development of stem cell therapies and gene therapies to treat different diseases in humans. In a short period of time REMEDI has established itself as a world-class research centre. As a measure of its success it has secured significant funding from SFI, leading to the establishment of the REMEDI CSET centre and collaborative projects with the world-leading medical device company Medtronics. Today there are in excess of 70 scientists and clinicians at REMEDI furthering technology developments into both stem cell research and gene therapy research. It is envisioned that these activities will translate into initial clinical trails in humans in 2008, a remarkable achievement in such a short period of time.

Waste Water Treatment

In the area of waste water design Dr Michael Rodgers and his team have developed a new waste-water treatment technology. This technology can treat sewage and other types of waste water. It is modular in design, it can be scaled from a single house-hold use, to a 1,000 person use. The features of this technology are such that it can readily be modified to meet different needs.

Industry Engagement

A key feature of many of the research and technology development programmes at NUI Galway, is direct industry involvement and the collaborative nature of such technology developments and advancements with industry.

Author: Daniel O'Mahony, Director, Technology Transfer Office, NUI Galway. For more information call +353 (0) 91 492147, email daniel.omahony@nuigalway.ie patricia.walsh@nuigalway.ie www.nuigalway.ie/tto