UCL Awards for Enterprise 2009
On
the 14th May 2009, UCL Advances hosted the second annual UCL Awards for
Enterprise at the UCL Bloomsbury Theatre, where a new generation of
entrepreneurs and innovators were honoured for their considerable
achievements.
The awards are unique among UK universities as an event that celebrates a complete cross-section of enterprise activities on one night.
The awards ceremony and reception highlighted many of the most notable entrepreneurial and commercial activities that have taken place within UCL during the last year whilst also bringing together academics with businesses and investors.
Cengiz
Tarhan, Managing Director of UCL Business PLC, won the inaugural
Lifetime Achievement Award for his outstanding contribution to the
development of UCL businesses and subsidiaries.
Professor Mike Spyer, UCL Vice-Provost (Enterprise), comments; “Throughout his time at the University, Cengiz has done more to develop commercial activity at UCL than any other person currently here – and we’re delighted to be able to recognise that achievement.”
GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) won the Enterprise Partner of the Year Award 2009, an award given to the business that has most effectively engaged with UCL, for its work with UCL’s Institute of Ophthalmology.
GSK
and UCL’s Institute of Ophthalmology (IoO) have entered into a three
year strategic collaboration to investigate new compounds to treat
potentially sight-threatening disorders.
Professor Philip Luthert, Director of IoO, said “This exciting and innovative partnership aligns perfectly with our goal to harness academic excellence for the benefit of patients. This is a new model for university collaboration with pharmaceutical companies and has enormously exciting commercial and retail potential.”
Tim Barnes, Executive Director of UCL Advances, commented; “The Awards for Enterprise is a fantastic means of celebrating all that our innovative and entrepreneurial academics and students have achieved, not just in the UK – but also globally. In fact, as a UCL department, we’re such strong believers in the powers of entrepreneurship that we even made sure that the delivery of the Awards for Enterprise event was carried out by young and entrepreneurial companies – from the stage crew to the caterers and the designers of the event posters – we really are practicing what we preach!”
Professor Malcolm Grant, President and Provost, UCL, commented; "Innovation and entrepreneurship are integral to universities. Since UCL’s inception it has been unafraid to foster new, and sometimes radical, ideas. It is this spirit that has led to the many achievements of UCL’s academics, students and alumni. Entrepreneurship involves risk and UCL is unique among UK institutions in its understanding of this."
Further winners from the 2009 Awards are:
UCL Business Award 2009
Best spin-out company from UCL
Prof Rajiv Jalan, Division of Medicine
For the transaction around his technology - L-Ornithine Phenylacetate.
A novel treatment for hepatic encephalopathy.
UCL Consultants Award 2009
Best consulting project by a UCL academic into business
Mr Spencer Chainey, UCL Jill Dando Institute of Crime Science
The winner’s work has a growing reputational value in his field, and
other spin-offs feed directly into the work of the Jill Dando Institute
(JDI). The JDI now manages the National Community Safety Information
Sharing Systems Network for the Home Office and, his work has led on to
other consultancy work for the JDI with clients such as the NE
Strategic Intelligence Assessment.
London Entrepreneurs’ Challenge Awards
Winners of the UCL annual student business plan competition
London Entrepreneurs’ Challenge 2009 Winner (£5,000)
Gearch
Saving trees by searching the net. The first green search engine on the internet. www.gearch.com
London Entrepreneurs’ Challenge 2009 Runner-Up (UG) (£3,000)
Alive and Giving
An
innovative fundraising website that acts as a charity comparison site
for prospective donors and provides a marketing solution and payment
provider for UK charities.
London Entrepreneurs’ Challenge 2009 Runner-Up (PG/Staff) (£3,000)
FreeLens
A
photographers and publishers exchange based on geographically matching
photographers and assignments via a job bidding process.
London Entrepreneurs’ Challenge 2009 Provost’s Prize (£2,000)
Alive and Giving
An
innovative fundraising website that acts as a charity comparison site
for prospective donors and provides a marketing solution and payment
provider for UK charities.
London Entrepreneurs’ Challenge 2009 Innovation Central Bursary (£3,500)
Anatomatic
Aimed at modernizing the technique of teaching anatomy through the use of digitally animated video sequences.
UCL Advances Entrepreneurial Spirit Award 2009
The member of UCL that has done most to drive the entrepreneurship agenda
Professor Anthony Finkelstein, UCL Computer Science
For consistently demonstrating an appreciation of and support for the
role of enterprise and entrepreneurship in the Dept of Computer Science
and beyond. A major product of his achievements is that the department
is bettered both academically and in its engagement with business,
which represents greater opportunity for students and faculty.
UCL Enterprise Partner of the Year Award 2009
For the business that has most effectively engaged with UCL
GlaxoSmithKline
As above
UCL Bright Ideas Awards 2009
Start-up funding for promising businesses emerging from UCL
Alive and Giving Ltd - UG (undergraduate)
An
innovative fundraising website that acts as a charity comparison site
for prospective donors and provides a marketing solution and payment
provider for UK charities.
GetMyCloset - UG (undergraduate)
An online platform for users to exchange, borrow, sell and buy second
hand clothes whilst recreating the ambiance of high street shopping via
virtual boutiques.
NPComplete – PG (postgraduate)
An algorithm web service that can be seamlessly integrated into any
existing software requiring access to optimisation algorithms UCL.
Knowledge Transfer Partnership Award 2009
For the KTP project of the last year that showed most potential.
The winning partnership was the engagement between UCL and the Camden Primary Care Trust. The project aim was to develop a geodemographic database of health and well-being in Camden and to use this to ensure that health services were provided by the PCT according to need. It was awarded a Grade A by the assessment panel. The academic concerned was Professor Paul Longley, the KTP Associates were Pablo Mateos and Kate Jones, and the PCT supervisor was Natasha Roberts.
Lifetime Achievement Award 2009
Cengiz Tarhan, MD, UCL Business PLC
For his outstanding contribution to the development of UCL businesses and subsidiaries.
