Creativity - IDA Ireland

More documents

Recommendations

Info

» SMART IRELAND Gene ‘We are investing in R&D and hope to have a second test product available by the end of this year’ Genie 44 INNOVATION IRELAND REVIEW Issue 2 Spring/Summer 2011
SMART IRELAND » Operating within the intensely competitive global thoroughbred industry, Irish company Equinome has stolen a march with a product that helps maximise the genetic potential of top horses. Jim Aughney talks to the woman behind the science, DR EMMELINE HILL W HEN I ARRIVE AT UNIVERSITY COLLEGE DUBLIN (UCD) TO INTERVIEW DR EMMELINE HILL, SHE IS HAVING HER PHOTOGRAPH TAKEN FOR THIS AR- TICLE ABOUT HER COMPANY EQUINOME. Photographer Angela wonders about using props and I ask Hill if we might use the award she has won. “Which one?” she asks without a trace of bravado. It’s a fair response. In 2004 Hill received Ireland’s most prestigious award for young scientists – the Science Foundation of Ireland (SFI) President of Ireland Young Researcher Award. In 2010 she was named the Image Entrepreneur of the Year, and in January her company Equinome was shortlisted for the Irish Times/Inter- TradeIreland 2011 Innovation Awards. Yet the company employs a mere six people for now, including Hill and managing director Donal Ryan. The key to Equinome’s success to date, and its ability to catch the eye of award judges, is based on the fact that its product is truly unique worldwide. Equinome operates in the intensely competitive world of the global thoroughbred industry, which produces 100,000 expensive foals each year. For the past 300 years, thoroughbred horses have been bred to maximise their speed and stamina. Throughout those three centuries, Weatherbys The General Stud Book has been the means of recording the most successful horses. The General Stud Book and the breeder’s experience and ‘eye’ have been the only tools used for selecting which horses to breed. THE SPEED GENE TEST Equinome has developed the Speed Gene Test as a further third tool for breeders, trainers, owners and bloodstock agents to assist them in maximising the genetic potential of thoroughbred horses. The test, which is carried out in the labs at NovaUCD, can be used to predict the optimum racing distance for an individual thoroughbred. It does this by analysing the DNA sequence of a gene related to muscle mass development. Equinome was established in 2009 as a result of groundbreaking research led by Hill in UCD’s School of Agriculture, Food Science and Veterinary Medicine, in partnerhip with Irish racehorse trainer Jim Bolger. In 2007 the genetic blueprint for the horse was unravelled Issue 2 Spring/Summer 2011 INNOVATION IRELAND REVIEW 45
Page 1: INNOVATION IRELAND REVIEW IN ASSOCI
Page 4 and 5: » CREATIVE ECONOMY Mother of Inven
Page 6 and 7: » CREATIVE ECONOMY ‘Brainstormin
Page 8 and 9: » IN BRIEF In brief NDPTOUPATHLONE
Page 10 and 11: » IN BRIEF FIVE RESEARCH PROJECTS
Page 12 and 13: » IN BRIEF AMGEN TO BUY PFIZER’S
Page 14 and 15: » IINDUSTRY FOCUS ‘In certain ar
Page 16 and 17: » IINDUSTRY FOCUS ‘This is a rea
Page 18 and 19: » LIFE SCIENCES Award-winning univ
Page 20 and 21: » COMPETITIVE LANDSCAPE ‘In many
Page 22 and 23: » COMPETITIVE LANDSCAPE by the fac
Page 24 and 25: » THE IRISH MIND A passionate Euro
Page 26 and 27: » THE IRISH MIND ‘Inawayyou can
Page 28 and 29: » RESEARCH Tyndall National Instit
Page 30 and 31: » RESEARCH That Tyndall has been s
Page 32 and 33: » INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY Renowned i
Page 34 and 35: » INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY Mark 1 eye
Page 36 and 37: » FREEZEFRAME » MICRO NAZCA By Ja
Page 38 and 39: » FREEZEFRAME » CONCRETE CHRYSALI
Page 40 and 41: » FREEZEFRAME » REACHING FOR HEAV
Page 42 and 43: » FREEZEFRAME » CLIMATE CHANGE -
Page 46 and 47: » SMART IRELAND for the first time
Page 48 and 49: » DIGITAL WORLD ‘The cloud is a
Page 50 and 51: » DIGITAL WORLD we put in place a
Page 52 and 53: » DIGITAL WORLD Bell Labs' Dr Fran
Page 54 and 55: » DIGITAL WORLD ‘It makes you pr
Page 56 and 57: » MANAGEMENT INNOVATION ‘Part of
Page 58 and 59: » MANAGEMENT INNOVATION TACKLING T
Page 60 and 61: » INTERVIEW Gearing up for sustain
Page 62 and 63: » INTERVIEW In his role, Wienholt
Page 64 and 65: » INTERVIEW DIFFERENT STROKES Whil
Page 66 and 67: » ARTS & CULTURE ‘Being able to
Page 68 and 69: » ARTS & CULTURE MEDIA IMPACT Down
Page 70 and 71: » ARTS & CULTURE ENGAGEMENT FROM T
Page 72 and 73: » IRELAND INDIA LINKS INDIA is now
Page 74 and 75: » IRELAND INDIA LINKS The IIBA is
Page 76 and 77: » INDIA IRELAND LINKS A little lux
Page 78: » INDIA IRELAND LINKS with,” exp

Creativity - IDA Ireland

You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles

Delete template?

Save as template?