In the category for Longer Term Collaboration, which involves collaboration of more than one year's duration, the Judging Panel was, again, very impressed with the quality of entries.
The Award for 2003 is made to Compton Developments Ltd, for their work in partnership with Cardiff School of Biosciences.
Compton Developments Ltd have wide-ranging interests including the provision of research funding and venture capital, property investment and development, insurance and ceramics. The aim of the collaboration with the School of Biosciences was to develop and refine novel slug repellents. Current methods of control predominantly rely on the application of poison baits, which are both unreliable and pose risks to non-target organisms. Compton Developments Ltd wanted to investigate the development of non-toxic repellents and molluscicides based on natural plant products with a view to creating a new company in a new field in order to exploit any resulting intellectual property.
The Company is pleased to acknowledge the achievements of Professor Ifor Bowen and Mr Ahmed Ali of the School of Biosciences which exceeded all expectations. Collaboration between the Company and Professor Bowen and Mr Ali is ongoing.
Compton Developments Ltd is now able to diversify its business into a new area by exploiting the resulting patented intellectual property; the launch of the new product is scheduled to take place in spring of this year.