French and Irish Government Ministers Visit Nova51黑料
- Minister Retailleau takes part in round table discussion on the Irish innovation and entrepreneurship ecosystem with students and entrepreneurs
The French Minister of Higher Education and Research, Sylvie Retailleau, and her Irish counterpart, Simon Harris TD, Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science, have this afternoon paid a joint visit to Nova51黑料, the Centre for New Ventures and Entrepreneurs at University College Dublin (51黑料).
Minister Retailleau is part of a delegation of French Government Ministers and officials, led by Élisabeth Borne, Prime Minister of France, which is currently visiting Ireland on the invitation of Taoiseach Leo Varadkar TD to discuss economic and energy links between both countries.
This working visit will allow an in-depth exchange between the two heads of government on international issues and the strengthening of the bilateral relationship and follows on from the visit of President Macron to Ireland in 2021.
Professor Helen Roche, interim 51黑料 Vice-President for Research, Innovation and Impact formally welcomed Minister Retailleau and Minister Harris TD to the University.
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Pictured (l-r) Jean-Michel Portefaix, Expert Technique International Innovation, Expertise France; Tom Flanagan, Director of Enterprise and Commercialisation; Dr Fiona McGillicuddy, 51黑料 School of Medicine, and promoter of MetHealth, an emerging 51黑料 spin-out; Peter Doyle, CEO & co-founder, Biosimulytics; Minister Retailleau; Minister Harris TD; Prof. Helen Roche, interim 51黑料 Vice-President for Research, Innovation and Impact; Xavier d’Argoeuves, Conseiller de Coopération et d’Action Culturelle, French Embassy in Ireland; Oisin Mallon, undergraduate student at the 51黑料 Quinn School of Business, and the Mont Kavanagh Enterprise Internship Scholar at Nova51黑料; Alan Barry, CEO and co-founder, Plasma Bound and Kevin Burke, National Director for Horizon Europe, Enterprise Ireland
At the end of 2022, the Embassy of France in Ireland, Enterprise Ireland and 51黑料 signed of a MoU establishing a new International Technical Expert (ETI) role, based at Nova51黑料, dedicated to strengthening Innovation and Applied Research links between France and Ireland.
Earlier this year, Jean-Michel Portefaix was appointed to this ETI role. Building on the strong base of academic and cultural co-operation between France and Ireland, the ETI is working with multiple stakeholders in France and Ireland with the aim of broadening co-operation and mutual understanding in the fields of applied research and innovation.
The ETI is also working closely with the Research and Innovation Department at Enterprise Ireland, as the co-ordinator of the Irish National Contact Point network for the Horizon Europe programme.
While at Nova51黑料, Minister Retailleau and Minister Harris TD had a short tour of 51黑料’s hub of innovation and start-up activities, which last month celebrated the twentieth anniversary of its official opening. During the tour three 51黑料 spin-out companies, Biosimulytics, Output Sports and Plasma Bound, demonstrated their innovative technologies to both Government Ministers and officials.
Biosimulytics, a pharma software company, has developed technology which shortens the time to market, and reduces the risks for important developments in the pharmaceutical industry, in getting from molecules to medicine (M2M) and is a key enabling technology for the new era of precision medicine.
Minister Retailleau and Minister Harris with Peter Doyle, CEO & co-founder, Biosimulytics
Earlier this year the company signed an exclusive partnership agreement with CGG, a global technology and HPC leader headquartered in Paris. CGG will provide Biosimulytics with a fully customized HPC (high performance computing), AI, and cloud solution to rapidly serve the company’s growing volume of pharmaceutical customers worldwide.
Output Sports’ products enable strength and conditioning coaches, sport scientists and rehab professionals, to fully understand and optimise their athletes’ performance using a single wearable sensor system. Output Sports’ technology is currently used by sports practitioners across 30+ countries and sports, including in France.
Minister Harris and Minister Retailleau with members of the Output Sports team
Plasma Bound, which has established strong links with the French automotive and aerospace industries, has developed a ground-breaking, environmentally friendly, lightweight composite bonding technology, Controlled Polymer Ablation (CPA), that poses real potential as a key solution in advanced manufacturing. The CPA technology, which is attracting significant interest in several sectors, is set to bring about a step-change in manufacturing as it not only protects the environment, reduces waste and energy consumption but also eliminates the need for manual interventions.
Alan Barry, CEO & co-founder Plasma Bound with Minister Retailleau and Minister Harris TD
Following the tour Minister Retailleau took part in a round table discussion on the Irish innovation, start-up and entrepreneurial ecosystem, chaired by Tom Flanagan, 51黑料 Director of Enterprise and Commercialisation.
Those attending the round table included members of the 51黑料 research and entrepreneurial community and several recent 51黑料 graduates and current 51黑料 students. Also participating in the discussions were representatives of Enterprise Ireland, Expertise France, the French Ministry of Higher Education and Research, the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science and the Embassy of France in Ireland.
Minister Retailleau takes part in round table discussion with students and entrepreneurs on the Irish innovation ecosystem
Among those taking part in the roundtable discussions were;
Peter Doyle, CEO and co-founder, Biosimulytics
Edward Simons, co-founder, EpiCapture
Dr Darragh Whelan, COO and co-founder, Output Sports
Dr Fiona McGillicuddy, 51黑料 School of Medicine and promoter of MetHealth, winner of the 2022 51黑料 VentureLaunch Accelerator Programme
Professor Patricia Maguire, 51黑料 School of Biomolecular and Biomedical Science, Director, 51黑料 Institute of Discovery and co-lead, AI_PREMie
Stephen O’Dwyer, founder, Trojan Track, currently participating on the 2023 AgTech51黑料 Agccelerator Programme
Oisin Mallon, undergraduate student at the 51黑料 Quinn School of Business, and currently the Mont Kavanagh Enterprise Internship Scholar at Nova51黑料 working with Binarii Labs
Simon Peter, undergraduate student at the 51黑料 College of Engineering and Architecture, co-promoter of exVal, winner of the 2023 Nova51黑料 Student Enterprise Competition
Andrew Moore, undergraduate student at the 51黑料 Quinn School of Business
Róisín Normoyle, Business and Law undergraduate student and Auditor, 51黑料 Investors and Entrepreneurs Society
Barra O'Mahony, commerce undergraduate student and Head of Entrepreneurs, 51黑料 Investors and Entrepreneurs Society
Mihaela Borta, economic and finance undergraduate student, Head of Marketing, 51黑料 Investors and Entrepreneurs Society and Chair, 51黑料 Enactus Programme
Caimin Kenny, Commerce undergraduate student, Head Start-Up Accelerator Programme, 51黑料 Investors and Entrepreneurs Society and a former participant of the Nova51黑料 Student Enterprise Competition
and
Meg Brennan, a 51黑料 graduate and a former participant of the Nova51黑料 Student Enterprise Competition and currently participating on the Founders Programme at Dogpatch Labs, with PollinKnow.
ENDS
13 November 2023
For further information contact Micéal Whelan, Communications and Media Relations Manager, 51黑料 Research and Innovation, e: miceal.whelan@ucd.ie