25k Award Previous Winners
WINNER 2007
SOPHIA Search Ltd has developed a unique core technology heralding a new paradigm in search technology for enterprises.
The SOPHIA technology automatically analyses a body of unstructured information such as web pages or documents, and discovers important themes that exist in it. The information is then organised around these themes creating coherent clusters of topically similar content. When a user searches using SOPHIA they are presented with the particular themes that are relevant to their query, thus allowing them to focus on the ones that meet their exact information needs. When the user identifies a useful theme many topically similar and highly relevant documents can be obtained at once, thus saving the user time. Cleverly, SOPHIA automatically discovers and presents additional relevant content to the user that does not even contain any terms used by the user in their query (for example it may contain semantically similar terminology to that used by the user). This reduces the expectation on the user to formulate high quality queries. It should also be noted that no domain knowledge is required at any time by SOPHIA.
WINNER 2006
Rewop was set up by five MEng Queen’s University undergraduates studying Electrical and Electronic Engineering brought together to solve problems within the power industry. Our first product, the ARC, is the future of fault locating tools on overhead power lines. Its innovative sferic detection method coupled with its DSP algorithms provides the most accurate tool available for fault locating improving fault restoration times emphatically, meaning it will rapidly become a mainstay on power systems worldwide.
The ARC utilizes advanced Digital Signal Processing to detect emissions given off by High Voltage Faults. It then uses the GSM system to pass the fault information to the electricity distributor. The unique algorithm developed by Rewop combines the information from three sensors to instantly pinpoint the fault location.
WINNER 2005
Infor-MED who created 'DI@l-log' is a diabetes management telecommunications service solution, which monitors and tracks Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM) patients from home using intelligent spoken dialogue technologies (SDT). The system relays important patient data directly to the clinic through conversations with patients over the telephone, and alerts doctors of abnormal patient readings. The system affords increased patient-provider communication, in addition to decision support and review of patient’s health data in-between hospital visits. The current, and often illegible paper logbook used by patients to document home monitored health data has been deemed ineffective in detecting complications and impractical for the growing number of patients requiring regular support and communication with the point-of-care.
WINNER 2004
A ’smart bandage,’ invented by students from the University of Ulster, wrapped-up top prize in the 2004, Investment Belfast £25K Awards.
The bandage - invented by PhD students Gillian McCullough Peter O’Hare and Dr Eric McAdams - contains miniature electrodes that transmit real-time information on how complex wounds, like burns, pressure sores and skin grafts, are healing.
Collecting their £10,000 first prize, the team said that their company, Impedimap Technologies, now plans to develop the bandage for commercial production.
WINNER 2003
The creation of a revolutionary new water purification system has secured a team of students from the University of Ulster the top prize in the 2003 £20K Award for New Entrepreneurs competition.
The Photopure team of Trudy McMurray, Dr Anthony Byrne and Dr Patrick Dunlop, have produced a novel photocatalytic water purification system following ten years of research at the University of Ulster, Jordanstown. The environmentally friendly technology was created to "provide wholesome, safe drinking water at a reasonable cost". It doesn't require the use of replaceable filters and completely removes microbiological hazards, tastes and odours and organic pollutants.
The success of commercial water coolers and the high sales of bottled water have prompted manufacturers to look at the untapped market of water coolers for the home. Therefore, Photopure's creation has an excellent chance of major commercial success. The winning team collected a cheque for £10,000.
WINNER 2002
A student invention that could revolutionise disaster area and battlefield surgery has scooped a top prize for entrepreneurs.
The Queen’s University student founders of Medevice Ltd were named as Northern Ireland’s top university entrepreneurs at Investment Belfast’s ‘£20K Awards’ for New Entrepreneurs, when they walked away with the top prize.
Medevice Ltd is developing the world’s first power-independent medical pump. Called, “Chronoflow” the pump uses revolutionary form of clockwork technology making it completely portable and ideally suited to disaster and battlefield medicine.
Founders of the winning Medevice team are all Mechanical Engineering students from Queen’s University: Dermot Leonard, Declan Kelly, Darwin McCullough and Andrew Scott.
The winning team picked up a cheque for £10,000 and two runner-up teams were also awarded prizes of £1,500 each at the £20K Gala Dinner. Alpha Non-Destructive Testing Ltd is from Queen’s University working on a range of non-destructive test instruments for the construction industry, while X Technologies, from University of Ulster, has developed a computer interface to allow eye muscle movement to direct the cursor on a computer screen.
WINNER 2001
Horizons Ltd were named as Northern Ireland's top university entrepreneurs at the presentation ceremony for investment Belfast's £10k award for new entrepreneurs, announced before a capacity audience at Belfast's city hall.
This year's winners, Horizons Ltd, are developing a product that will pinpoint the location of a fault in an underground electricity cable. The product, known as the "Thunderstick" works by a completely new and unique method and means that we are likely to spend less time without electricity!
Members of the Horizons winning team; electrical and electronic engineering students from Queens University were Peter Hung, Rory Mullen, Helen Patton, Jonathan Rodgers, Ciara Sands and Ciaran Toal.
WINNER 2000
Winning team Proboscis brings together two students from different disciplines at the University of Ulster to create world beating technology. David Mariotti is a post graduate student at the School of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering and Mario Ascencao, a post graduate student at the School of Management.
Research has shown that a relationship exists between several diseases and the composition of respiratory gases. Proboscis has developed medical devices which allow disease diagnosis through analysis of a patient's breath. In effect an artificial nose has been created which can be used in a range of diagnostic situations:
- Medical diagnostics e.g. disease diagnosis
- Environmental monitoring e.g. Stack emissions
- Product Inspection e.g. cheese rancity, fish freshness
A management team has been drawn together and a production company will be established shortly in Northern Ireland.