12 March 2023
By Elaine Murphy
elaine@TheCork.ie
Munster Technological University (MTU) recently held its Innovation Awards 2023 event at the Nexus Hall on its Bishopstown campus.
The awards are presented annually as part of Innovation and Enterprise Month at MTU in recognition of the work and effort that staff invest in their research, innovation and industry engagement collaborations.
Awards were presented in the following categories:
- Invention Disclosure Form (IDF) Awards – ‘Best Commercial and Best Technical IDF’
- Industry Research Collaboration Award
- Innovator Achievement Award
The entries were adjudicated upon by a panel of judges drawn from MTU, the University of Glasgow and the University of Limerick.
Researchers from CAPPA (Centre for Advanced Photonics and Process Analysis) received the Invention Disclosure Form award, with Best Commercial IDF going to Dr Taynara Oliveira, Dr Simone Iadanza and Dr William Whelan-Curtin for their invention “Spot-size converter based on graded Index (GRIN) lens” and Best Technical IDF going to Dr Ganga Chinna Rao Devarapu and Dr William Whelan-Curtin for their invention on “Comb laser based on a novel grating structure on SiN platform 2”.
The MTU Industry Research Collaboration award was presented to the PackLIMS team from Nimbus Research Centre and their industry partner, Cool Harbour, for their laboratory management system which automates and manages the quality control process in the bottle manufacturing industry. The PackLIMS team included the following members: Dr Alex Vakaloudis, Jamie Cotter, Jeremy Staunton, Sarah Hayes and Dylan Olney.
Professor Joseph Walsh, MTU, was presented with the Innovator Achievement Award by Professor Maggie Cusack, President of MTU, in recognition of his extensive track record of collaborative research with industry in the region. Speaking about his award, Professor Walsh said: “I am honoured to be the recipient of the inaugural Innovator Achievement Award at the MTU Innovation Awards 2023. My journey in research and innovation has been extremely rewarding and this award is a great recognition of this. I would like to thank my colleagues and family for all their support over the years.”
Josette O’Mullane, Innovation and Enterprise Manager at MTU, said: “MTU is one of the top performers across the sector in terms of collaborative research projects with industry and we are particularly proud of our track record of working with SMEs.
Prof. Joe Walsh, Head of School of STEM, Munster Technological University (MTU) and Director (IMaR) Research Centre and AgriTech Centre of Excellence, pictured after receiving the “Innovator Achievement Award” at the MTU Innovation Awards 2023.
Picture: Michael O’Sullivan /OSM PHOTO
Backrow L-R: AnnMarie Barrett, Hillary Cronin, Josette O’Mullane, Ronan Coleman, Kyra Dunne, MTU; Dr Declan Weldon, University of Glasgow. Front Row L-R: MTU Innovation 2023 Awardees: Dr Ganga Chinna Rao Devarapu, Dr Taynara Oliveira, Sarah Hayes, MTU; and Brian English and Derek O’Herlihy, Cool Harbour. Photo Darragh Kane
