Two Mayo firms through to final of greatest new Irish innovations

THE search for the most innovative business in Ireland is one step closer following the announcement of The Irish Times Innovation Awards 2019.

This year two Mayo firms - Showergem and PEL Waste Reduction Equipment - are among the 15 finalists from established companies and start-ups which have been nominated.

For the awards, three finalists are nominated in five different categories with the category winners going forward to compete for the overall Innovation of the Year Award. The winners will be announced at a high-profile awards ceremony at the RDS in Dublin on November 5.

Each category winner will receive a communications package worth €10,000 while the overall Innovation of the Year will win a unique communications package worth in excess of €150,000 and a scholarship for two executive development courses from UCD Smurfit School commencing in 2020.

 

The Mayo innovators

Showergem, which is based in Clerhaun in Westport, has been nominated in the Manufacturing and Design category for developing a shower caddy which can be attached to tiles using a transparent glue designed for wet environments.

According to the company, its product doesn’t require suction cups or drilling and is rustproof. It recently got backing from three investors during an appearance on the BBC show Dragons' Den, while it also featured on RTÉ’s Late Late Show.

Showergem will be up against PEL Waste Reduction Equipment, based in Balla, which has also been nominated in the Manufacturing and Design category. The firm has been nominated for its innovative solar-powered compacting litter bin.

The device incorporates an on-board solar powered motorised compaction system which increases its capacity by up to 10 times the volume of a standard street bin. It also offers real time monitoring which enables operators to focus their litter collection resources on only those bins which require servicing.

Firms from the west have a strong track record in The Irish Times Innovation Awards and three Galway firms, Atlantic Therapeutic, Chameleon and Glasport Bio, have also been nominated this year.

The aim of the awards, which are now in their tenth year, is to showcase and reward excellence in innovation across a range of products and services. Sponsors include Science Foundation Ireland, KPMG, Skillnet Ireland, Enterprise Ireland and UCD Michael Smurfit Graduate Business School.

Michael McAleer, Innovation Editor at The Irish Times, said the calibre of this year's entries was exceptionally high and that it would be a real challenge for the judging panel, chaired by Dr. Chris Horn, co-founder of IONA Technologies, to pick the winners.

For more information, go to http://www.irishtimes.com/innovationawards.