The prizes were awarded on December 14 at a ceremony presided over by the Minister of Industry and Employment.
The public voted for the best project among the three finalists selected by the jury for the award for the best technology-based innovative business project: AsturBíos, Indwitech Solutions and ADN Mobile Solutions.
The event, which was attended by more than 150 people, was attended by the Minister of Industry and Employment, Graciano Torre. The president of the CEEI, Víctor M. González Marroquín, and the director of the CEEI Asturias, Eva Pando, were in charge of delivering the distinctions.
The best technology-based innovative business project was announced at a ceremony in which the public was in charge of choosing, with their votes, the favorite among the three finalist projects: AsturBíos, Indwitech Solutions and ADN Mobile Solutions .
The CEEI awards recognize initiatives to transfer knowledge to the market in the form of new products and services, either through the creation of new technology-based companies or the protection of research results by SMEs and individuals individual. The essential objective of the CEEI is to support business initiatives arising from the results of scientific and technological research and increase the competitiveness of small and medium-sized innovative Asturian companies.
The winners:
V Award for the Best Technology-Based Innovative Business Project
ASTURBIOS. Project for the production of biocides of biotechnological origin
AsturBios is a company project with signs of starting up in the short term, whose activity will be the research, development, production and marketing of additives of microbial origin with a biocidal function. The compounds, with natural antimicrobial property, would seek to replace some of those currently on the market and that have been classified as harmful to human health due to their carcinogenic effects. The antimicrobial compounds from which they start, produced by microorganisms that the promoters have identified in an exotic source, have a potential antibacterial and antifungal action that has been proven by various scientific investigations, and qualifies them to be approved by the current European regulation of Biocides.
The company would initially launch two products on the market that would be aimed at the paint and printing ink industry: an antimicrobial additive that, mixed with water-based paints or inks and ecological paints, and applied to homes and industrial buildings, will provide a protection system against pathogenic microorganisms that alter health (digestive and respiratory problems) and degrade or alter the constitution and presence of surfaces or objects; the other, an anti-macro and microbial additive applied to boat paints as antifouling that will prevent and reduce the development of biofouling organisms (algae, barnacles, crustaceans, etc.) below the waterline.
The innovation of the products lies in the use of antimicrobial products of natural origin, the production methods, their low toxicity and applicability. The products will be presented as an ecological alternative to current chemical synthesis products, whose harmful effect on living beings and the environment is recognized by various scientific publications. They will be developed with optimized industrial biotechnology techniques, improving their production by designing new processes.
The jury singled out AsturBios for the long professional career of the members of the promoter team in prestigious research groups at the University of Oviedo, the field to which the project is directed, biotechnology, and its great projection for the future, whose development will undoubtedly result in the quality and well-being of the whole society, as well as for its commitment to the growth of the project using collaboration mechanisms with mature and consolidated companies to which it will offer the possibility of modernizing its products
IV Patent and Utility Model Contest
Awarded:
Entrechem, for its patent Glycosylated Indolocarbazoles, its procedure and its uses
This patent refers to rebeccamycin and staurosporine derivatives obtained by fermentation of recombinant bacterial strains. The invention also relates to the procedures used to obtain the recombinant strains and the production of rebeccamycin and staurosporine derivatives. Finally, the invention likewise relates to bacterial strains useful for the production of rebeccamycin derivatives. and staurosporine. It is a wide coverage patent whose importance lies in the novelty of the product but, not least, the support for a drug molecule development program.
Innovative aspects and advantages
Rebeccamycin and staurosporine derivatives are applicable in the field of human health, specifically to manufacture drugs useful in the treatment of tumor, neurological and inflammatory diseases.
There is currently a great need for new antitumor agents, with improved activity, fewer undesirable side effects and greater selectivity, compared to drugs currently in use. Traditionally, the pharmaceutical industry has developed new drugs through two fundamental routes: (1) search for new natural products, and (2) synthesis and/or chemical modification of certain compounds. These methods are still useful, but they often require very significant investments of resources (time, money, energy), since it is usually necessary to analyze thousands of products to find a promising new compound. The development of recombinant DNA technology has opened up an interesting field of research for the generation of new bioactive compounds by manipulating genes involved in the biosynthesis of antitumor agents, mainly from bacteria of the actinomycetes group. These techniques can also be used to improve the production of already known natural compounds, since natural strains usually produce low concentrations of the metabolite of interest.
The jury awarded Entrechem for being the origin of the invention resulting from the collaboration between several prestigious lines of research at the University of Oviedo, which gave rise to one of the first examples of spin-offs in our region. For the ambitious commitment that the biotechnological business model based on said patent constitutes for this region and the extraordinary repercussion in improving the well-being of the whole society that its development would suppose and for the height and scientific excellence that this patent constitutes at a national and international level. international
Accessit:
Industrial and Naval Gaskets for their patent “Eco-Gasket” Gasket
The patented product, “Eco-Gasket”, is a mixed-type gasket model that combines expanded mineral graphite and expanded PTFE. This joint has high mechanical resistance and low permeability, as well as great resistance to chemical products. In addition, its layered configuration achieves optimal sealing, which makes it ideal for gas and liquid pipes subjected to high pressures and temperatures.
Innovative aspects and advantages
This gasket is ideal for steam/gas lines in all types of industries, it is an alternative to spiral-wound metal gaskets, it can be made to measure and according to standards, and it allows gas emissions to be minimized. It also has excellent mechanical resistance to tightening, high resistance to breakage due to stress of the bolts of the flanged joints and unbeatable sealing thanks to the low permeability of PTFE. and low permeability to hazardous chemicals, gases, and liquids. Allows universal use except fluorinated gases and molten alkaline materials. pH from 0 to 14 at a temperature between -200 ºC to 300 ºC, under pressure conditions up to 50 bar (Certified by SGS) and with gas permeability DIN 3535/6 < 0.01 cm3/min.
The jury decided to award second prize to Juntas Industriales y Navales because, being a mature company with a long history and experience, it has made clear its clear commitment to R&D&i and innovation. For having found a cooperation model through which cooperation with a technology center has been sought, taking advantage of the resources made available to it and, finally, for its commitment to internationalization.
Twelve technology-based business projects and eight patents or utility models competed in this edition. The jury, made up of representatives from CEEI Asturias, CDTI, Ficyt, University of Oviedo, IDEPA, FADE, Mapfre, Cajastur, Banco Herrero, Prodintec Foundation, CTIC Foundation Soft Computing Foundation and ITMA Foundation, especially highlighted the high level of the projects presented. In the case of innovative technology-based projects, they valued the applicants’ experience in the development area; its scientific, technological and business competence; the degree of innovation, development and differentiation of the product, process or service; knowledge of the market and its competition, as well as the integration of its proposal in it. They also assessed the technical, economic and financial feasibility of the project, the volume of employment and investments generated and the communication skills of the promoters in the presentation of their projects.
In the case of the patent and utility model contest, the jury valued the transfer of knowledge made or potential for its application to commercial, business and social purposes. It especially considered public-private collaboration in research and the transfer of its results to other SMEs. The scientific-technological content of the problem posed and the solution provided to it, as well as the research quality and continuity of the person, inventor group or SME were, together with the existence of an international extension request, aspects also considered.
V Award for the Best Technology-Based Innovative Business Project
This award, sponsored by IDEPA, MAPFRE, Cajastur and Banco Herrero, is endowed with 12,000 euros and aims to promote the appearance and support the maturation and start-up of the best projects of Innovative Technology-Based Companies (EIBTs), in order for Asturias to decisively develop a new business fabric with greater added value and qualified employment.
IV Asturias Patent and Utility Model Contest.
Sponsored by IDEPA, the PRODINTEC Foundation and the Garrigues company, this call rewards initiatives to protect research results through invention patents and utility models, to the extent that they serve as driving elements and contribute to the development of new initiatives business. It is endowed with 5,000 euros.
