NovaUCD to Help Commercialise Research

University College Dublin is to give 12 candidates from various faculties the chance to see their academic research ideas turned into a profitable business.

The college’s innovation and technology transfer unit NovaUCD launched its annual Campus Company Development Programme on Monday, which offers candidates support and advice in commercialising the output of their academic research.

Fledgling companies currently participating in the program are active in areas such as chemical engineering, medical science and veterinary medicine. Participants attend fortnightly workshops and can benefit from one-to-one contact with a network of financial, marketing and management consultants that aid researchers in producing a viable business model for their research.

NovaUCD director Dr. Pat Frain believes that business incubation programmes are vital to Ireland’s continued economic prosperity. "Ireland can no longer compete with the low-wage countries in traditional manufacturing areas," he said. "Our companies can therefore make a real contribution to the national economy by helping the development of an indigenous high-tech sector."

Dr. Frain also welcomed the EUR30 million of funding for research and development promised by the Government’s Strategy for Science Technology and Innovation last year. "A lot of the technology transfer units used to be one-man bands," he commented, "but there has been a real growth in support for research in the last 10 years."

NovaUCD supports several ’spin-out’ companies which originated as doctoral research projects in the university’s faculties. Among the success stories in recent years has been BiancaMed, which secured EUR2.5 million of investment in December from DFJ ePlanet Ventures and ResMed. The company was spun-out from the Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering and has developed a range of health monitoring devices, including a highly sensitive wireless motion sensor that can monitor heart rate and breathing without being in contact with the patient’s body.

Mobile technology firm Changing Worlds was spun-out from the Department of Computer Science and maintains R&D facilities on UCD campus. The company employs 90 people in the development of personalisation solutions for mobile phones. Network operators O2 and Vodafone are among its major clients.

The company development programme, which was also run by NovaUCD’s predecessor the University Industry Programme, has been active for 12 years now. In that time it has assisted over 125 companies to develop their business. The NovaUCD innovation and technology transfer unit was founded in 2003 with support from Enterprise Ireland and six private sponsors.

BBC to launch iPlayer on-demand service | Google files strong response to Viacom lawsuit

The Irish Times reports that Telindus, the technology services subsidiary of Belgian telco Belgacom, is to create 20 new jobs in Dublin and Belfast.

The paper also notes that London-listed electrical goods retailer DSG International is planning a franchise deal to expand its Currys business in Ireland, with the conclusion of a franchise arrangement with Donegal firm McEwan Electrical. DSG also owns Dixons and PC World.

The Irish Examiner says that the IE Domain Registry has awarded its Annual Achievement Award to web hosting firm Hosting365. The annual award recognises dot-ie (.ie) re-sellers who have made a significant contribution to growth in domains.

The Financial Times reports that the BBC has been given the go-ahead to launch its iPlayer on-demand service in November, paving the way for a transformation of the market for internet video in the UK. The BBC Trust, the body established in January to regulate the state-funded broadcaster, said its first "public value test" had concluded the internet download service would "create significant public value with limited market impact." So-called ’series stacking’ — allowing the iPlayer software to record all episodes of a series — will be limited to 15 percent of all on-demand content.

The Wall Street Journal says that Google has filed a confrontational official response to Viacom’s USD1 billion copyright infringement suit against Google’s YouTube video-sharing site. In a document Google planned to file late on Monday, the company denied all allegations of misconduct made by Viacom in its lawsuit, which alleged that YouTube wilfully infringed on Viacom’s copyrights and profited from the illegal conduct of YouTube users. Google re-stated its contention that it is protected from liability under the so-called safe-harbour clauses of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act of 1998. The company removes videos when copyright holders ask, in line with procedures described in the DMCA, it said.

The paper also reports that the US Supreme Court has made it harder to get new patents and to defend existing ones, giving new force to the law that denies patents to inventions deemed "obvious." In a unanimous decision, the justices sided with critics who argue that lower-court rulings have given patent holders more power than Congress intended, potentially stifling innovation. The ruling comes amid a sharp debate over how to maintain the US’s competitive edge while protecting those who labour to design cutting-edge inventions.

The same paper notes that AMD says that newly released e-mails and internal memos demonstrate how chip rival Intel used anti-competitive practices against AMD in the Japanese microprocessor market. AMD has accused Intel of improper tactics in selling the chips that serve as the brains for computers, in antitrust lawsuits in the US and Japan. AMD says computer makers in Japan accepted Intel’s demands to limit or exclude other microprocessors from their machines because of concerns of being cut off from chip supplies, technical information and financial support. Intel denies the allegations and "plans to conduct a vigorous defence", said Chuck Mulloy, an Intel spokesman.

Sony Brings Its Vision To Life

Imagination served as lead agency on Sony’s recent Media Experience event in Rhodes, which showcased the brand’s ‘Sony United’ positioning to 400 press and 200 staff.

Sony Media Experience (SME) 2007 took place from 27-29 March at the Sofitel Capsis Rhodes Hotel and Convention Centre and shared the vision of the Sony Consumer Electronics Europe division. The theme was ‘High Definition’.

“We wanted it to be an event like no other, and that was definitely what Imagination delivered. We’ve had uniformly positive feedback from the 400 European media that attended and we’re already starting to see the impact of SME 07 across a variety of media titles. ­Creatively and logistically it was a very challenging event to stage, so it’s great to see all that hard work being rewarded,” said Sony Communications Europe general manager Maria Heavey.

Each Sony workshop offered an individual experiential section for attendees to explore the product range. Experiences included filming dancing dragons with Handycam camcorders, editing HD footage on VAIO laptops and using Cyber-shot cameras to shoot aerial performers. Between workshops the HD Hub offered an informal exhibition and relaxation area.

Two parties were held during the event, one themed around the Walkman and the other around Blu-ray. At the Walkman party attendees danced to Norman Jay and watched as the Funk Stylerz performed a dance-off. The Blu-ray party closed a street in Rhodes Old Town and guests were entertained by numerous performers.

More than 70 production staff worked on the event environment, deploying 40 different acts across multiple workshop and performance spaces. Imagination worked with agencies Freud, Fallon and BCD on the event.

Morocco Trek & Community Project 2007

An Epic adventure in the High Atlas Mountains!

We are offering you the chance to join us on a 3 day trek through the high Atlas Mountains, followed by 2 days working on a community development project in Marrakech.

The trip offers those involved the opportunity to experience the beauty of another country, while helping the local people and raising funds for a worthy Irish Charity. It promises to be one of discovery, learning and fun all in a week an unforgettable week.

About Fighting Blindness…

Fighting Blindness is investigating every avenue where a realistic chance of finding a therapy or cure for blindness exists. Currently we fund research projects in 6 leading centres around Ireland. We are committed to finding treatments and cures for all forms of blindness through the funding and promotion of Irish research. We rely on fundraising events and both corporate and personal donations to ensure the future development of these vital projects on which so many Irish families rely. Fighting Blindness is totally committed to finding treatments and cures for all forms of blindness and related sensory loss through the promotion of research, to supporting those who are affected by degenerative blinding conditions and to providing information to all interested parties.

Why not take part in this unique challenge.

For more information, call 01 709 3050 or email info@fightingblindness.ie / sue.ryan@fightingblindness.ie / www.fightingblindness.ie

Pepsi’s new ads and packaging make use of celebrities like Ronaldinho, Beckham and Lampard in a more subtle way

The Lampard packaging, which is being prepared for the British market, is one of dozens of new can and bottle designs coming from Pepsi as it seeks to connect with the "Second Life generation" — young consumers who may be fiercely loyal to certain video games or portable music players, but relatively indifferent when it comes to choosing a mass-market soda brand.
Under a new branding strategy, Pepsi is introducing new can and bottle designs every few weeks, planning to sell 20 or more different ones annually in every market.
For a mainstream consumer brand to vary its packaging so often is a striking departure from marketing convention, which says that brands should strive for consistency.
Health-conscious consumers are cutting back on purchases of sugary, fizzy beverages, particularly in developed markets.
Beverage volume rose 7 percent internationally, led by markets like Brazil, China, Argentina and the Middle East.

“Shuffle” the new Pepsi Football commercial