Ostoform and the EIC Accelerator: A Pouch That Keeps Skin Dry

Ostoform, an Irish company led by its founder Kevin Kelleher, makes products for people with a stoma, an opening created in surgery that empties into a pouch. Its patented FlowAssist design adds a non-absorbent spout to the usual hydrocolloid adhesive, so that output is directed into the pouch instead of eroding the adhesive and the skin. After developing a FlowAssist seal with an earlier EU grant, it asked the EIC to fund a full pouch, because "the ostomy pouch market is larger than the seal market", according to CORDIS.

The European Innovation Council granted €2,499,901 towards a €3.57 million project in 2023 and 2024. The final report says a new manufacturing method allowing three-dimensional designs was developed, a FlowAssist pouch was "developed to regulatory approval" and bench tests showed it lasts longer than industry-standard products. It said the pouch would be sold in the US in 2024 with reimbursement codes assigned, and that "a clinical study will take place". In the US, Ostoform won purchasing contracts with Vizient and Premier. Its CEO told the Business Post the first product is "on market in eight countries". Revenue is not published.

Where Ostoform Stands Now

Ostoform's website now sells a FlowAssist 2-piece pouch alongside the seal. The Vizient Innovative Technology contract, awarded in 2024, followed a recommendation by hospital experts on one of Vizient's councils, and in February 2025 Premier gave FlowAssist a "Breakthrough Technology" designation. Kelleher said sales were building in the US and Europe, that it would expand to South America in early 2026, and that Ostoform was raising a €2.1 million round qualifying for Ireland's EIIS tax relief.

The Technology: A Spout in the Seal

The project says standard hydrocolloid adhesive absorbs stoma output and breaks down, leading to leaks and skin complications. FlowAssist's non-absorbent spout sits below the stoma and channels output into the pouch. Ostoform says the technology has been supported by five peer-reviewed clinical studies. For the pouch, the report cites bench testing only; the clinical study it announced has not been published.

What the EIC Project Promised, and What CORDIS Shows

The pouch project built on an earlier EIC grant. At the 9 January 2019 cut-off of the EIC SME Instrument Phase 2, part of the Horizon 2020 EIC pilot, Ostoform was selected for OSTOFORM, which ran from 1 April 2019 to 31 October 2021 with an EU contribution of €1,285,060.88 towards a total cost of €1,835,801.25, to run patient trials of the seal and set up a full manufacturing line. The final report says a multi-site clinical investigation was completed, a high-volume manufacturing line was set up and the seal went on sale in the Netherlands, Denmark and the US, with reimbursement in each. Ostoform announced the trial's publication in Advances in Skin & Wound Care in March 2021 and a US distribution agreement with Medline in May 2021.

The project promised the FlowAssist pouch and wider availability of the technology. The pouch reached regulatory approval and is on sale, and the report said the seal would be on sale in countries including the Czech Republic, Germany, France and Spain before the project ended. A clinical study of the pouch and its European launch are described as future steps and are not documented as done. CORDIS lists the project as closed.

1. FlowAssist pouchDeliveredRegulatory approval.
2. New manufacturing methodDelivered3D designs.
3. Pouch clinical studyNot publishedAnnounced as future.
4. US market accessDeliveredVizient, Premier.

The Money

Ostoform raised €1.1 million in 2018 and €3 million in 2021, led by BGF, and says it received about €6 million in grants from EU Horizon programmes and Ireland's Disruptive Technologies Innovation Fund. It described the EIC award as "€2.5M in non-dilutive grant funding". Its revenue is not published.

What Cannot Be Checked

Why Europe Should Care

The EIC grant helped a small Irish company extend a patented idea from a niche accessory into the larger pouch market, and to reach US hospital buyers. It is a modest, practical medtech story; the scale it reaches depends on sales that are not yet visible.

The Verdict

Ostoform and the EIC have not been asked for comment for this article. It is based entirely on public records and published statements, linked throughout.