Dublin, Ireland, 9th April 2025 – The National Institute for Bioprocessing Research and Training (NIBRT) is pleased to share that Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment, Peter Burke, today announced funding of €17 million for two projects (‘Can-Vas’ and ‘LOTUS’) under Call 7 of the Disruptive Technologies Innovation Fund (DTIF). The announcement took place at the NIBRT facility in Dublin.
NIBRT is proud to be a partner in the newly funded €10.7 million ‘Can-Vas’ project, led by HAON Life Sciences. This pioneering initiative will support a first-of-its-kind clinical trial using placental cell therapy to treat infants with brain injury, while also helping to expand the pipeline of cell and gene therapies for rare and severely debilitating diseases. The project brings together a multidisciplinary team that includes HAON Life Sciences (lead), HiTech Health, University College Cork’s INFANT Research Centre, and NIBRT – each contributing complementary expertise in development, manufacturing, clinical research, and regulatory science.
About the Can-Vas Project
The Can-Vas platform is advancing a promising new cell therapy, known as Can-Vas-001, aimed at treating devastating brain injuries in newborns and beyond. The investigational therapy combines two types of healing cells derived from the placenta and has already shown encouraging results in large animal studies of early brain injury. The initial focus is on Hypoxic Ischemic Encephalopathy (HIE), a rare and devastating condition that occurs when a baby’s brain does not receive enough oxygen around the time of birth. HIE is the leading cause of infant death and long-term disability, including many cases of cerebral palsy.
The Can-Vas programme is being driven by a collaborative team of experts from across science, medicine and advanced manufacturing. The project is led by HAON Life Sciences and includes the National Institute for Bioprocessing Research and Training (NIBRT) who will lead analytical development, Hi-Tech Health who will support clinical manufacturing of Can-Vas-001 and University College Cork’s INFANT Research Centre, which brings world-class expertise in newborn brain injury and will guide the clinical development of the therapy for HIE.
As part of the Can-Vas consortium, NIBRT’s advanced biomanufacturing programme, CONCEPT, will develop a suite of analytical tests to ensure the quality, consistency, and safety of the Can-Vas-001 cell therapy. These tests will inform release assays to confirm key characteristics such as identity, purity, potency, and how the therapy works. This work, led by Dr. Clair Gallagher, is critical to supporting stepwise advancement towards clinical studies and supporting development of potentially life-changing treatment to patients. The CONCEPT research team brings together senior experts in stem cell characterisation, comparability studies and development of advanced therapies.
Commenting on the award Darrin Morrisey, NIBRT CEO, said “We are delighted to see the Can-Vas project funded under the DTIF-7 call. The project demonstrates the clear value to the Irish government of investing in NIBRT as an institute and in the CONCEPT advanced medicines development facility. This exciting project brings together companies, research institutions, clinicians and leading Irish researchers – including our own Professor Jonathan Bones – working to bring an innovative cell therapy closer to fruition. We see our work on Can-Vas as being an important staging post towards potential new biopharma horizons for the country, built upon Ireland’s history and strength in biologics manufacturing”.
Announcing today’s projects, the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment, Peter Burke said:
I am delighted to announce awards of over €17 million to two exciting and hugely innovative projects under Call 7 of the Disruptive Technologies Innovation Fund. These two projects demonstrate the importance of the fund in leveraging emerging technologies for the well-being of our citizens. The technology in these projects will provide life-changing solutions for patients undergoing cancer treatment and for new and expectant parents where the safety and well-being of their unborn child is paramount. By funding these projects, the Government is maintaining its commitment to investing in cutting-edge technologies, with consequent benefits for the health care sector and other national research priority areas.
Since the Fund launch in 2018, my Department has awarded over €393 million in funding to 107 collaborative DTIF projects. Importantly, the fund is giving enterprises and research institutions opportunities to engage and connect with some of the brightest minds in Ireland, to conceive ideas, build relationships and foster knowledge-sharing for the benefit of all.
James Lawless, Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science added:
“It is great to see projects with a strong potential to deliver impactful health care solutions becoming recipients of the Disruptive Technologies Innovation Fund. We are now financing 404 project partners from our enterprise and research sectors which are bringing forward novel and innovative ideas that will not only benefit our health services but focus on tackling wider sectoral and economic challenges associated with demands emerging around developments with Artificial Intelligence, sustainability and digitalisation. What makes this Fund unique is its ability to foster collaborative research that builds strong relationships that will benefit our citizens, our economy and generating high quality jobs for our graduates.”
The projects announced today bring the total number awarded to 107. This is no small feat. It underscores the critical role of disruptive technologies, on a national scale, and recognises the Government’s continued commitment to advancing and supporting the development of these transformative and lifechanging technologies.
Kevin Sherry, interim CEO, Enterprise Ireland said:
“Enterprise Ireland is proud to support the Disruptive Technologies Innovation Fund, which continues to drive impactful collaborations between Ireland’s leading enterprises and research institutions. These newly funded projects exemplify the power of innovation in addressing critical healthcare challenges, from advancing cancer treatment solutions to pioneering life-saving therapies for newborns. By investing in cutting-edge technologies, we are strengthening Ireland’s position as a global leader in innovation, fostering high-value job creation, and delivering real-world benefits for patients and society. We look forward to seeing these transformative projects progress and make a lasting impact.”
DTIF Call 7 remains open for project applications which can be submitted at any time up to the closing date of 30 April 2025.
Ends
About NIBRT
The National Institute for Bioprocessing Research and Training (NIBRT) is a global centre of excellence for training and research in biopharmaceutical manufacturing. NIBRT is located in a world class facility in Dublin, Ireland. This facility is purpose built to closely replicate a modern bioprocessing plant with state-of-the-art equipment and enables NIBRT to offer the highest quality training and research solutions. NIBRT’s mission is to support the growth and development of all aspects of the biopharmaceutical manufacturing industry. www.nibrt.ie
NIBRT is at the forefront of biopharmaceutical innovation, tackling the biggest challenges in next-generation medicine production. Our research spans cell and gene therapies, RNA-based medicines, and advanced protein biologics, driving fundamental discoveries that redefine biopharmaceutical manufacturing. NIBRT is also home to CONCEPT our Core Facility for Early-Stage Biotherapy Development. CONCEPT provides an advanced research environment to accelerate the development of next-generation biotherapies, offering specialised infrastructure and expertise to support early-stage process development, high-throughput screening, and characterisation of novel therapeutics. Through CONCEPT, NIBRT is enabling innovation in cell and gene therapy, protein-based biopharmaceuticals, and emerging biotherapeutic modalities. For more information, please visit https://concept-nibrt.ie/
About DTIF
The Disruptive Technologies Innovation Fund (DTIF) is a €500 million challenge-based fund established under Project Ireland 2040. The objective of DTIF is invest in the development and deployment of disruptive technologies and applications on a commercial basis, driving collaboration between Ireland’s research base and industry to foster economic growth and innovation.
It is managed by the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment and administered by Enterprise Ireland.
About HIE
Hypoxic Ischemic Encephalopathy (HIE), a devastating rare disease occurring when a baby’s brain does not receive enough oxygen or blood flow just before or shortly after birth. It is a leading cause of infant mortality and long-term neurologic disability including accounting for a fifth of all cerebral palsy cases.
It is estimated one to three in every 1,000 births in Europe and the United States will be impacted by HIE resulting in 30,000 babies affected in these regions, each year. The incidence is far higher in low incomes countries with an estimate 1 million babies affected annually.
Media Contact:
Name: Emer Norton
Title: NIBRT Marketing and Communications Manager
Email: emer.norton@nibrt.ie
Phone: +353 1 215 8100
Picture left to right: Dr Darrin Morrissey (CEO, NIBRT), Dr Fiona Killard Lynch (CSO & Director of Research and Innovation, NIBRT), Peter Burke (Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment)
CONCEPT Lab, NIBRT Facility Dublin
