An Athlone-based company has been shortlisted this week for a European award.
OxyMem, a spin-out company from UCD was set up just last year in the Blyry Business Park and already employs 20 people.
The company has developed a technology for wastewater aeration which results in a four-fold energy saving.
“For 100 years the cornerstone of global wastewater treatment has been ‘forced’ or ‘bubble’ aeration. OxyMem’s solution does not rely on this highly inefficient method, instead it uses gas permeable membranes capable of delivering oxygen directly to the bacteria,” said spokesman Micéal Whelan.
It is one of just nine companies established by academic entrepreneurs, to be shortlisted for the sixth annual Academic Enterprise Awards, which are the only pan-European awards dedicated to companies emerging from universities and public research institutes.
OxyMem is the sole Irish spin-out shortlisted for the awards, which are run by Science|Business magazine which is based in Brussels.
OxyMem was co-founded by academic entrepreneurs Professor Eoin Casey and Dr Eoin Syron as spin-out from UCD’s School of Chemical and Bioprocess Engineering.
OxyMem currently employs 20 people and is in the process of closing a funding round and plans to increase staff numbers to 35 within the next year.
