37 researchers complete UCD commercialisation bootcamp
37 researchers complete UCD commercialisation bootcamp
Thirty-seven researchers have just completed a new five-week commercialisation bootcamp designed to strengthen the pipeline of commercial opportunities arising from UCD and National College of Art and Design (NCAD) research programmes.
Devised and delivered by the staff of UCD’s office of the vice-president for innovation, the programme was held in the university’s centre for new ventures and entrepreneurs, NovaUCD.
The objective of the bootcamp, which will run twice a year, is to equip academic researchers, staff and postgraduate research students with the knowledge, skills and understanding of the commercialisation process. On completion, it is intended that participants will have developed a solid awareness of what it takes to build a commercialisation plan around their research outputs.
To be eligible to take part, participants need to have a specific piece of research or technology that they believe is suitable for commercialisation and can benefit from the support of the bootcamp.
“By participating on the bootcamp researchers will gain an insight into key commercialisation issues such as clearly identifying the market problem or need and how their proposed solution or technological innovation solves this problem; commercial exploitation routes; who do they need on their team and what are their funding requirements,” said innovation education manager Caroline Gill, who co-devised the bootcamp.
Participants on the first bootcamp represented 19 potential commercial projects emerging from research currently taking place at UCD (32 participants and 16 projects) and at NCAD (five participants and three projects), a recognised college of UCD.
The UCD Commercialisation Bootcamp was delivered by staff of the UCD office of the vice-president for innovation and included guest presentations by Dr Ruth McMahon, Enterprise Ireland, John O’Sullivan, ACT Venture Capital and Edward Fidegon-Kavanagh, Clear Presentation Design.
Pictured at NovaUCD is Dr Peter Richardson, a postdoctoral researcher in UCD’s School of Electrical, Electronic and Communications Engineering and a participant on the new UCD Commercialisation Bootcamp. Dr Richardson participated on the bootcamp to further develop commercial ideas for smart grid applications in power systems. The goal of the project is to develop software tools that will enable power systems to successfully incorporate new technologies and energy resources, such as wind generation, on existing electricity networks.