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MAYNOOTHWORKS
Despite the challenging societal and economic conditions of the year, MaynoothWorks, its Business Incubation Centre (BIC), and client companies had a successful year in 2020: in part due to the agility of the team and their partners in adapting to the challenges and restrictions imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic. One such response was the ReThink ReDesign programme, a business support initiative in partnership with the Innovation Value Institute, which was designed to help Irish companies adapt to the twin stresses of COVID-19 and Brexit, by digitising their product or service offerings. The programme is free to eligible companies, and the pilot events run to date have been met with overwhelmingly positive feedback from attendees.
INDUSTRY PARTNERSHIPS
Avectas In April 2020, MU spin-out and BIC tenant Avectas closed a Series C investment round for €20M, taking total investment in the company to €40M. The funds raised in this latest equity round will be used to accelerate the clinical translation and commercial scale-up of Avectas’ proprietary cell engineering technology platform (Solupore®), alongside an expansion of its commercial, regulatory and technical organisation, with new hires in Ireland and the U.S. Avectas currently employs 29 people including 19 with doctorate degrees in Ireland, and these funds permit the creation of many more high-value jobs in the Maynooth region.
Dr Shirley O’Dea, Department of Biology
Founded in 2012 by Dr Michael Maguire and Dr Shirley O’Dea (both of Maynooth University), Avectas is a cell engineering technology business developing a novel delivery platform to enable the effective bulk production of novel cell therapy products via ex vivo bioprocess techniques. Cell and gene therapies offer the potential to transform the treatment of diseases, including cancer, for millions of patients worldwide – however, a major bottleneck is presented by the process development and production of these therapeutics. Avectas’ unique system presents a potential step-change in the way these exciting new treatments may be rolled out, offering hope to millions of patients worldwide. SwiftQueue A BIC tenant since 2018, SwiftQueue have had an extremely busy year. Through their successful cloud-based appointment coordination service, they have managed the Irish governments COVID-19 testing programme and have now moved across to delivering online appointment booking for vaccinations in Ireland and many NHS trusts in the UK. When you receive your vaccine later this year, it is likely to be SwiftQueue that have arranged it for you.
Hexafly, has collaborated with the Department of Biology in a programme coordinated by MaynoothWorks
Hexafly This is an award-winning Irish company pioneering the use of vertical farming to produce insects and insect-based products for inclusion in feeds and as plant nutrients. Hexafly cultures black soldier flies (Hermetic illucens) to produce animal food additives, fine chemical starting materials, and soil enhancers. They have collaborated extensively with MU’s Department of Biology in a programme coordinated by MaynoothWorks, to exploit our unique expertise in high-value antimicrobial peptide identification and isolation. There is an urgent global search underway for novel molecules with broad antimicrobial action, as increasing numbers of front-line antibiotics lose efficacy: it is hoped that this collaboration will generate the basis for a new class of medicines, from a truly sustainable source.
REGIONAL ENGAGEMENT
MaynoothWorks has engaged closely with Kildare County Council as they designed the region’s new enterprise centre, the Mid-East Region Innovation Think Space (MERITS) in Naas Co. Kildare. The new centre is being funded by Enterprise Ireland and will deliver close collaboration with MU for all its tenants. MERITS will support start-up and SMEs in Kildare, and rely on MU to provide research resources, innovation knowhow and talented graduates to help grow company capabilities.
MaynoothWorks assisted in the design of the MERITS space and will support delivery of innovation programmes through the newly developed Balance Innovation Model framework. It plans to extend this support approach to its other Mid-East Region Partners in Meath and Wicklow county enterprise offices.
The Mid‑East Region Innovation Think Space (MERITS) in Naas Co. Kildare
BUSINESS INCUBATION CENTRE NEWS
Despite the pressures of COVID-19 restrictions, the MaynoothWorks Business Incubation Centre (BIC) has remained open throughout the pandemic to allow its tenants (such as SwiftQueue) to continue their delivery of critical national infrastructure. Inevitably the change in working and business conditions led to a number of tenants opting to work from home or to furlough staff for the duration, but by adapting and implementing safety processes, the BIC has successfully maintained a safe level of occupancy throughout the pandemic.
In response to the changes in working conditions imposed by the year’s events, the BIC has developed its business model to better serve those who wish to work remotely – whether from home or from another country altogether. The new virtual membership programme allows companies to establish a bridgehead in Ireland and the EU, while providing entrepreneurs who would rather work from home with a registered business address and hub for university collaboration. BIC’s innovative new FlexiRoom provides industry-standard recording and digital environment generation, to allow companies to deliver sales meetings or investor briefings to remote stakeholders. Finally, BIC’s proprietary business evaluation and support tool, the Balanced Innovation Model developed by BIC Director Joe Moore, has undergone a major evolution into a cloud-based platform capable of providing scalable support to the expanding client base.
To know more about any of these services, please contact maynoothworks@mu.ie. Dr Duncan Casey took up the position of Director of MaynoothWorks in September 2020
Dr Duncan Casey took up the position of Director of MaynoothWorks in September 2020. Duncan started his first company during his PhD studies at Imperial College London. Since then, he has established a successful career as a multidisciplinary researcher, an entrepreneur, and then later at the interface between industry and the academic sector. With a foot in both camps, he played a significant role in the development of the technology SME ecosystem in Bristol and South West UK, from his role within the University of Bristol’s Centre for Functional Nanomaterials.
As Director of MaynoothWorks, he will focus on maximising the impact of Maynooth University’s leading research programmes upon the regional ecosystem: streamlining access for companies to the University’s bank of facilities, talent and expertise, while providing researchers with direct, industry-led challenges. He has a particular emphasis on developing the pipeline of talent and commercial experience amongst research students and early-career researchers, and has established a successful programme to support the entrepreneurs of today through training those of tomorrow.
