INNOVATION
MANAGER, WHOSE ROLE IS TO CONNECT THE COMPANY WITH THE EXPERTISE THEY NEED’
as a very successful way of helping companies that haven’t done research and innovation to get involved. Te institutes will be able to identify the correct expertise you need and help you define the projects you want to do and the outputs you want to achieve,” explains Duggan. Following that, she says, EI also provides larger innovation
partnership projects (Innovation Partnership Programme) to help firms deliver some type of commercialisable intellectual property. Another programme that the institutes are heavily involved in is the EU-funded Research for the Benefit of SMEs. Explains Duggan: “Researchers in the institutes have part-
nered with Irish and European companies to develop projects. All of those projects are focused on helping small businesses grow and develop. Tat programme tends to start out with background intellectual property, so you have a piece of res- earch that has arrived at a certain point. Ten the challenge is to find companies that have particular needs so the res- earch goes forward to arrive at a point where it is ready for commercialisation.” Also funded by EI, Applied Research Enhancement (ARE)
Centres are located in each of the ITs. Tese dedicated research centres have specialist expertise cutting across ICT and soft- ware, bio-life sciences and pharmaceuticals and bio-medical devices and materials. “Teir purpose is to work with industry on industry research and development initiatives,” says Duggan.
INCUBATION SPACE Companies can use incubation centres at each IT, availing of desk space and tangible supports such as research expertise and professional development, to help grow their product or service. Te length of time that companies incubate varies, depend-
ing on their pace of growth, but Duggan says it can range from anything between two and five years. “As companies grow and as they arrive at a point where they
are becoming more self-sufficient, they would move out.” Te ITs also offer lab space for firms. Duggan points to IT
Carlow which helped a knowledge-based company carry out some lab work (see opposite panel on IBC Associates). Finally Duggan says the ITs are very interested in talking
to companies that haven’t invested in research and innovation before but who would like to do so now. “Innovation Vouchers have been really good at assisting
companies to become involved in research and innovation,” she affirms. As a first port of call, companies interested in engaging with
an IT on research or to get help with the commercialisation of new ideas and research can contact Orna Duggan at IOTI. Email:
Orna.Duggan@ioti.ie
30 OWNER MANAGER VOL 4 ISSUE 1 2011
OF THE MANAGEMENT TEAM, THE EXTERNAL SERVICES MANAGER OR INDUSTRY LIAISON
‘EACH INSTITUTE HAS A DEDICATED MEMBER
Dr Guiomar Garcia Cabellos, IBC Associates IBC ASSOCIATES
IBC Associates is a start-up company based in the Enterprise and Research Incubation Centre at the Institute of Technology, Carlow (IT Carlow). Te company develops systems aimed at improving the bio-degradation of fats, oils and grease (FOGs) during wastewater disposal. EnviroCORE is a strategic research centre based at IT
Carlow. It carries out research in microbial technologies for waste treatment. It also opens up its laboratory facili- ties to partner companies and provides technical support and mentoring in microbiology. IBC Associates planned to develop a system to
improve the viability of bacteria that biodegrade FOGs during the pre-treatment of wastewater. Although it had extensive experience in microbiology, the firm required the use of laboratory facilities to carry out microbio- logical analysis. Using the lab facilities and equipment at EnviroCORE, as well as leveraging its scientific expertise, IBC Associates developed a novel gel-based matrix that promotes bacterial viability during the pre- treatment of FOGs. Te company says the product has potential benefits in
wastewater treatment systems, waste disposal in restau- rants and in septic tanks. It anticipates that it will bring this product to market in the near future. “I personally don’t think that I could have brought my business to where it is today without the help of IT Carlow. Tanks to all of this support my idea has become a product which people now want to buy,” explains Dr Guiomar Garcia Cabellos, research director, IBC Associates.
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