Collaborative innovation is good for business, and Enterprise Ireland has the research to prove it. “Companies that engage in innovation outperform those that don’t,” says Enterprise Ireland Digital Technologies manager David Byrne. “Our research shows that Enterprise Ireland-supported companies that innovate have 4.7 times higher exports than those that don’t, and they create significantly more jobs. Also, companies that innovate are much more resilient than those that don’t.”
The export dimension is critically important, according to Enterprise Ireland senior development adviser Christian Stafford. “Collaborative innovation is a real accelerator of growth. Ireland is a small open economy, and companies need to export to grow and thrive. They need to be competitive in external markets and they need to push the boundaries. We provide supports to help them engage with the research ecosystem to access expertise, capability, talent and skills that they don’t have in-house.”
Part of that ecosystem is the Enterprise Ireland Technology Gateway network. Located in the technological universities and institutes of technology countrywide, the 17 gateways work with companies to help them develop and enhance products and processes. “They act as an extension of a company’s own R&D capability, or they can help a company establish an R&D capability,” says Byrne.
The nine technology centres supported by the agency operate at a different level of the TRL (technology readiness level) scale. They allow Irish companies and multinationals to collaborate on market-focused strategic R&D projects, with support from research institutions.
“They work on collaborative projects identified by industries or sectors as being strategically important,” Byrne adds.
Each centre specialises in a particular area such as AI, manufacturing, or construction. “Enhancing the productivity of the construction sector could help the industry respond to housing needs,” he continues. “Irish Manufacturing Research (IMR) in Mullingar is working with industry on 3D printing challenges among other things. It is also working with new technologies for traditional industries. In one case it developed new geometry for dies for plastic moulding. This enables faster processing times and can be shared across the entire polymer sector.”
The Dairy Process Technology Centre has developed new process improvements for the dairy industry, according to Stafford. “It was established as a result of the lifting of the milk quota system,” he says. “There was a dearth of expertise in the country to meet the challenges created by that change and the centre helped to fill the gap.”
The gateways are also focused on specific technology areas but work with individual companies on projects. “We have a no wrong door approach,” says Stafford. “If you go to your nearest Gateway but it is not focused on your area, you will be directed to the right one. We try to make the system as accessible as possible.”
That system also includes the Research Ireland and IDA Ireland-supported research and technology centres as well as Knowledge Transfer Ireland (KTI). “Supported by Enterprise Ireland, KTI takes knowledge, technology, intellectual property and expertise from the third-level sector and transfers it to industry,” he continues. “It hosts a national portal that industry can use to search for expertise and technology.”
Enterprise Ireland’s Innovation Voucher scheme helps companies to get started. “We have some programmes to oil the wheels of collaboration at a very early stage,” says Stafford. “A company can get up to three €10,000 vouchers which can be used to fund collaborative research projects. It’s a nice way for companies to test the waters in terms of working with academic or other research partners. They get a €10,000 credit note which they can take to a knowledge provider like a Technology Gateway who will work with them on the problem they need to solve. It’s a first toe in the water and helps companies build relationships and demystify what’s involved in working with an academic partner. They can go back for more after that.”
He describes the process as being akin to a staircase. “Companies can Start with an Innovation Voucher for a small-scale collaboration. If that is successful, they can go the next mile and get support through the Innovation Partnership Programme. This provides funding of up to 80 per cent for projects worth between €200,000 and €400,000. The programme has been very successful over the years and been a catalyst for collaboration. It provides companies with access to expertise, talent and skills.”
The overall aim is to maximise the number of companies engaging in collaborative innovation. “We are making it easier for them to utilise the resources of the research ecosystem,” says Byrne. “A significant number of companies are doing things that they don’t consider to be R&D, but innovation isn’t all about white coats in the lab. It covers most product or process development or improvement activities and we want to help companies with that.”
