University College Dublin has presented Professor Kevin O’Connor (pictured) with the NovaUCD 2016 Innovation Award.

O’Connor is a professor at the UCD School of Biomolecular and Biomedical Science and a principal investigator at the UCD Earth Institute.

His interests include research into the development of biodegradable polymers; methods of improving the recycling of plastic and other materials i.e. upcycling; the transformation of waste products and industrial side streams into value added products.

Prof. O’Connor, who has secured over €16 million in research funding over the years, is the lead principal investigator in the UCD Biocatalysis Group, which has a focus on the synthesis of bio-degradable polymers as well as small bioactive molecules.

His research output to date includes the publication of over 85 international peer review articles and 150 international conference papers.  His intellectual property portfolio currently consists of 11 invention disclosures, the filing of nine priority patent applications and six licence agreements.

In Association with

He is also the co-founder and CEO of Bioplastech, a UCD spinout company which he established in 2009 with Dr Ramesh Babu, from Trinity College Dublin and Italian entrepreneur, Enrico Altieri.

Bioplastech uses a patented manufacturing technology process to convert waste materials into biodegradable polymers.

The company secured investment of €280,000 from two Spanish companies in 2012. After booking a net profit of €80,000 in 2015, the company’s net worth was €131,000.