Two Tyndall teams were recognised for their research excellence and innovation at the recent UCC Research and Innovation Awards.
Innovator of the Year Award
Professor Holger Claussen, Dr Senad Bulja, and Dr Lester Ho, Tyndall’s Wireless Communications Laboratory win the ‘Innovator of the Year’ Award at the 2023 UCC Research and Innovation Awards.
To meet building requirements, Low-e windows need to be installed in new buildings, or retrofitted. The thermal coating in these windows blocks not only infra-red for retaining heat, but also radio signals.
As a result, the signal reception indoors can be reduced by a factor of 1000, leading to poor indoor coverage and missed calls.
The invention ‘Improvements in and Relating to Electromagnetic Wave Transmission’ solves this problem through a novel window coating that is transparent to radio waves while retaining the energy efficiency. This coating can either be deposited in the glass manufacturing process, or alternatively added as a foil to existing glass.
The team is currently exploring the commercialisation of this innovation with one of the world’s major glass manufacturers.
Licence of the Year Award
Dr Conor O’Mahony, Carlo Webster, Andrea Bocchino, Ryan Sebastian and Dr Fjodors Tjulkins received this award for their breakthrough research on a new prototype medical device that deploys wearable microneedles to deliver medication to patients in an at-home setting.
The ‘smart’ wearable drug delivery concept, developed by West Pharmaceutical Services, Tyndall National Institute and PA Consulting, uses the microneedle technology to painlessly deliver medication through the skin.
Designed to give patients the ability to self-manage their medication, the prototype automatically delivers doses in a timely manner, meaning patients don’t have to worry about remembering their drug regimen. This technology has the potential to be used across a range of chronic conditions, including autoimmune and cancer treatments, and enables patients to self-manage their treatment in an at-home setting.
This project was part-funded by the Enterprise Ireland Innovation Partnership programme and supported by the Irish Development Agency (IDA).
Professor William Scanlon, CEO, Tyndall, said: I would like to extend my warmest congratulations to Professor Holgar Claussen, Dr Senad Bulja and Dr Lester Ho from the Wireless Communications Laboratory at Tyndall Dublin for winning UCC Innovator of the Year, and to Dr Conor O’Mahony, Carlo Webster, Andrea Bocchino, Ryan Sebastian, Dr Fjodors Tjulkins, of the Micro Transdermal Interface Platforms team at Tyndall for winning UCC Licence of the Year.
“We are very proud that their accomplishments have been recognised and they are a testament to the unique research environment, world-class infrastructure, and calibre of researchers at Tyndall.
“A key UCC Strategic Goal is to deliver impactful research and innovation that addresses global grand challenges. As a research flagship of UCC, Tyndall is committed to research excellence which allows us to deliver impactful IP to industry.
“The UCC Research & Innovation Awards are an important acknowledgement of how Tyndall’s research addresses key societal challenges in the areas of Medtech and Wireless Communications.”
Professor John F Cryan, UCC vice president for research and innovation at UCC said: “Congratulations to all awards recipients at this year’s UCC Research and Innovation Awards.
“The standard of nominations across all award categories was indicative of the exceptional level of research and innovation that takes place throughout the university. Our annual Research and Innovation Awards celebrate those who have demonstrated exceptional creativity, pushed boundaries, and raised the national and international research profile of our institution.”