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Boost for commercialization of nanotechnology research as key business figures join board of CRANN
(Nanowerk News) CRANN, the Science Foundation Ireland funded nanoscience institute based in Trinity College Dublin (TCD), today announced the addition of three new Board members, from the Irish and European business communities.
Gina Quin, Chief Executive of the Dublin Chamber of Commerce, Julie O'Neill, President IBEC and GM of Gilead Sciences and Ludo Deferm, Executive VP and Head of Business Development of imec, Belgium-based nanoscience institute, have all joined the CRANN board.
The addition of these new members is key to CRANN's strategy for 2012, which includes a strong commercialisation agenda, focused on moving CRANN's nanoscience research from laboratory to industry. Research underway at CRANN has potential application in the medical, pharmaceutical, materials, energy and technology industries. In the last year alone, CRANN has secured over €2.5 million in non-Exchequer funding from industry.
Welcoming the new members, Dr. Diarmuid O'Brien, Executive Director at CRANN said,
"CRANN has developed a strong industry engagement programme with over 120 companies including Intel, HP, Merck Millipore and Western Digital. It is crucial that we grow this programme and develop new links within Irish and European industry. Bringing new members of the calibre of Gina, Julie and Ludo on board sends a strong message that we are focused on commercialisation and partnering with national and multinational companies to develop the practical application of our research.
Our research has the potential to transform products and services in almost every industry, but particularly in Ireland's areas of strength including manufacturing, technology and energy. I look forward to working with our new Board members to develop relationships within these sectors into the year ahead."
Gina Quin, CEO Dublin Chamber of Commerce said, "I am delighted to join the board of one of Ireland's foremost scientific institutes, CRANN. Recognising the commercial potential of our scientific research is a priority for Ireland, and is something which I look forward to supporting in this role. "
Julie O'Neill, President IBEC said, "With 10% of Ireland's exports enabled by nanoscience, it is an area of crucial importance for Irish business. I am glad to represent IBEC on the CRANN board and to help maintain and develop links between Ireland's scientific and business communities into the future. "
Ludo Deferm, Executive VP and Head of Business Development of imec said, "CRANN is amongst the best nanoscience research institutes in the world and linking and engaging with international partners are key. I am glad to use my international experience and to help in this effort in joining the CRANN board. "
Membership of the Board of CRANN runs from January 2012 to January 2015.
The full list of board members is: Dr. Diarmuid O'Brien, Prof. John Boland, Prof. Clive Williams, Prof. David Grayson, Mr. Eamonn Sinnott Intel, Sir Keith O'Nions, Mr. Seán Dorgan former CEO IDA, Prof. Stefano Sanvito, Prof. James Lunney, Prof. Vinny Cahill, Mr. Ludo Deferm, Ms. Gina Quin and Ms. Julie O'Neill.
Gina Quin, B.A, M.B.A., CEO, Dublin Chamber of Commerce
Gina is the Chief Executive Officer of the Dublin Chamber of Commerce. The Dublin Chamber of Commerce speaks on behalf of Business in the Greater Dublin Region promoting a competitive and internationalised business environment and providing extensive networks for Business Development. The Chamber is a leader in the development of a strong vision for a successful and sustainable Dublin Region. Gina started her working career with Lansdowne Market Research as a qualitative researcher then working closely with marketing professionals in the fmcg sector. She then joined the Irish Trade Board where she worked with a variety of companies on export market development, in Europe and USA. Having completed her MBA, Gina joined the Rehab Group (1989), working in marketing and sales management before taking on the role of CEO of Gandon Enterprises, the Commercial division of the Rehab Group. Gina is a Board member of ESB Networks, the Investor Compensation Company Limited and a past recipient of the Alumni of the year award UCD Michael Smurfit Business School. She has recently joined the Advisory Board of the CRANN Institute and has successfully completed the Institute of Directors' (IOD) Chartered Director Certificate and Diploma.
Julie O'Neill, General Manager of Gilead Sciences in Ireland
Julie O'Neill is General Manager of Gilead Sciences in Ireland. Julie is also Vice President of Operations with the multinational biopharmaceutical company. Julie is the current President of IBEC, the Irish Business & Employers' Confederation. She is former chairperson of PharmaChemical Ireland, the IBEC pharmaceuticals industry sector. Julie is a Member of the Governing Body of University College Cork and a member of the Advisory Council for Sciences, Technology and Innovation, the Irish Governments high level advisory body on science technology and innovation. She also acts as a member of a number of research institute advisory boards, notably the Conway Institute (University College Dublin) and the CRANN Institute (Trinity College Dublin). Julie holds an MBA from the Smurfit School of Business, University College Dublin, and a BSc in Pharmacy from Trinity College Dublin."
Ludo Deferm, Executive VP and Head of Business Development of imec
Ludo Deferm received the Electrical Engineering Degree in Electronics and Mechanics in 1982 and the Ph. D. Degree in 1989 from the University of Leuven, Belgium. From 1982 to 1985, he was a research assistant at the University of Leuven, being responsible for the development of a 3 µm CMOS process for external customers. The main area was in the device physics for scaling CMOS processes. In 1985 he joined imec in Belgium. In October 1999 he was appointed Vice President of Business Development for imec, being responsible for business development worldwide, for the legal and IP/patent group and for the public relations and marketing communications activities. Within the scope of his responsibilities he is actively involved in the creation of new spin-off companies and in the expansion of imec. Since 2006 he is Executive Vice President and Head of Business Development of imec. He is currently member of the Board of Directors of the following companies: Fidimec, Soltech nv., Xenics nv., imec-nl, Holst, Trinean, RVO-Society, Caliopa, imec Taiwan, imec China and imec India.
About CRANN
The Centre for Research on Adaptive Nanostructures and Nanodevices (CRANN) is Trinity College Dublin's largest research institute and a Science Foundation Ireland (SFI) funded Centre for Science, Engineering and Technology (CSET). CRANN is focused on delivering world leading research and innovation – through extensive proactive collaborations with industry and through commercialisation of intellectual property. Since its foundation, CRANN has obtained €200M of competitive funding from Government, Industry, the European Union and Philanthropy. CRANN is comprised of a team of over 300 researchers, led by 18 Principal Investigators (PIs), each of whom is an internationally recognised expert in their field of research. It is interdisciplinary working in partnership with the Schools of Physics, Chemistry, Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Science, Medicine and Engineering based at Trinity College Dublin as well as the School of Chemistry at University College Cork.
Source: CRANN