UCC Invention of the Year Awards

(l-r) Professor Anita Maguire, Vice President for Research and Innovation, UCC, Dr Padraig Cantillon-Murphy (Lifesciences Invention of the Year award winner with the ‘SmartMagnet’ Feeding Tune Placement Kit), Professor Peter Kennedy (ICT Invention of the Year award winner with his Modulator for High Performance Frequency Synthesizer)

(l-r) Professor Anita Maguire, Vice President for Research and Innovation, UCC, Dr Padraig Cantillon-Murphy (Lifesciences Invention of the Year award winner with the ‘SmartMagnet’ Feeding Tune Placement Kit), Professor Peter Kennedy (ICT Invention of the Year award winner with his Modulator for High Performance Frequency Synthesizer)

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Significant research in the area of life sciences and Information Communications Technology (ICT) was recognised at the ‘Invention of the Year’ Awards in UCC. 

The award for the ICT Invention of the Year was presented to Professor Peter Kennedy of Tyndall National Institute for the patented Modulator for High Performance Frequency Synthesizer. This invention is a disruptive technology with global application that will change the way the frequency synthesizers, which provide wireless communication signals, will operate in the future. With the wireless communications market worth billions of dollars, this invention has already attracted the interest of leading global players in the electronics industry. The technology has now been licensed by Analog Devices, and is currently being prototyped in their plant in Limerick.

"It has been exciting working with Peter, and seeing his technology out-perform all current market-leading frequency synthesizers", said Professor Anita Maguire, VP Research and Innovation at UCC. "The Technology Transfer Office works with inventors commercialise highly innovative research. The international interest in this invention has been very significant, and we expect the product to be in commercial production by 2013."

Patients with digestive disorders requiring insertion of feeding tubes may benefit from the "smart magnets" invention developed by Dr Padraig Cantillon-Murphy and David Cronin at Bioelectromagnetics Group in the Electronic and Electrical Engineering Dept., UCC.  Awarded Life Sciences Invention of the Year, the Smart Magnet gastroenteral feeding tube placement kit will assist surgeons in gastroenteral procedures, and decrease the likelihood of complications and mortality. The kit provides for a magnetic coupling consisting of two magnets, which are coupled across a gastrointestinal and abdominal wall to provide a guide path for accurate incision and subsequent insertion of a feeding tube. The internal magnet is carried on an endoscope, which is a component of standard feeding PEG tube kits.

"Working with surgeons in Cork University Hospital, and with the support of the Technology Transfer Office, we developed this novel solution which will greatly assist gastroenteral surgery, and will reduce the risk of complications for patients with feeding tubes inserted using Smart Magnet technology", explained Dr Padraig Cantillon Murphy.

This year, there was a large number of entries to UCC’s Invention of the Year, from the many centres on campus that support innovation and commercialisation of research including gateway UCC, the BioInnovation Centre and the Tyndall National Institute. It is likely that these inventions will follow in the path of recent commercial successes, such as Firecomms, ThinkSmart and InfiniLED, and are expected to represent the next generation of license deals and spin-out companies at the University. Through these commercial successes, UCC continues to enhance its positioning as a leader in industry collaboration and commercialisation of research.

The awards are sponsored Purdy Lucey.

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