Cracking Innovation: UCL Eastman biomaterials team win sustainability business pitch prize

David Chau (Biomaterials and Tissue Engineering at UCL Eastman Dental Institute) and his team have won the Audience Choice Award at the UCL School of Management SustainTech Pitching 2024 Competition based on their research into the development of biological membranes. 

In collaboration with SustainTech consulting company Tecno International and led by UCL School of Management’s Paolo Taticchi and Pierre-Jean Hanard, the UCL SustainTech Pitching Competition is looking for aspiring and existing entrepreneurs seeking to help the planet and its people.

Dr Chau and his team pitched ReOvum - transforming waste eggshells into sustainable wound dressings and eco-friendly alternatives to plastic packaging, which could pioneer a new wave of waste repurposing. The UCL Eastman Biomaterials and Tissue Engineering team scooped one of three winning prizes that included a £1k cash prize and 12 months of Business and Technical Mentorship with SustainTech consulting company, Tecno International, with a feasibility assessment of ReOvum.

Speaking of the prize, Professor Mark Emberton (Dean, UCL Faculty of Medical Sciences) said: “This is a great idea - a clever way of recycling discarded food to benefit clinical care.”

Further information

• UCL School of Management Hosts 2023 Sustaintech Competition Pitch Day
• Dr David Chau academic profile
• UCL Eastman Biomaterials and Tissue Engineering 
• Tecno International