heis role in supporting knowledge-based enterprise ... · enterprise creation, growth and...

HEIs role in supporting knowledge-based

enterprise creation, growth and

sustainability: frameworks and experiences

in Ireland’s South East region

Memorial University of Newfoundland - Nov. 2019

Dr Eugene Crehan

Waterford Institute of Technology

Agenda

My background

Sources of Funding for Innovation Development

WIT Research Centres and Technology Gateways

Practical Examples and Outcomes

Key Success Factors

53 countries

34 currencies

19 time zones

Diverse cultures

Great people

Industry Experience

4

Enterprise Development at WIT

Co-founder/Co-Director CEDRE

New Frontiers Entrepreneur Development Programme

ArcLabs Advisory Board and Operations Board

South East Enterprise Platform Programme (SEEPP) PG Dip. Ent. Dev.

Female Entrepreneurs Ireland Wales (FEIW)

Start-up Gathering Waterford

Investor and member SEBAN

Int’l Entrepreneurship Educators Prog. (UK)

NCGE / IEEP Fellow

European Entrepreneurship Educators Programme Finland (3EP)

Enterprise Europe Network (Chamber rep)

Kinetic Labs (Steering Group)

Enterprise Start

Tourism Network Facilitator

Firmly committed to enhancing the quality of life of citizens of Waterford, the South-East

region and the nation. Enhance its ability to be an agent for social, cultural and economic

transformation in the South-East of Ireland

Action plan in 7 key areas:

enhance its learning environment and the quality of education for students;

open up the Institute to more students and different categories of students;

continue to expand its high quality research and innovation activity;

work closely with regional stakeholders to enhance quality of life of all citizens;

link effectively with international partners and bring more international students to the region;

develop management structures to fit a transformed, flexible organisation;

further build the Institute's financial sustainability;

WIT Strategic Priorities 2018-21

5

WIT Engagement with Regional Businesses

History of engaging with businesses to

augment innovation capacity and regional

competitiveness

Success in programmes and initiatives that

encourage and support entrepreneurship

Excellence in scientific research and

research delivered to businesses via centres

of excellence: Technology Gateways

Education

State Funding

& Policy

Research

Industry&

Public Authorities

ACCESS

CONNECTEDNESS

CULTUECULTURE

ENVIRONMENT

POLICY

Funding to Enhance Regional Innovation Development

European Union

Horizon 2020

WIT Open Innovation Eco-System

WIT

Tech Gateways

TSSG

PMBRC

SEAM

TT

ILO ArcLabs Incubation

EU Framework

SFI

HEA

Companies

Basic Research

Applied Research

CEDRE• New Frontiers / SEEPP )

• New- Start-ups

• External SMEs

• Research: innovation, regions

& entrepreneurship

•EU Frameworks FP 7-9

RIKON

Research and

Consultancy

for Business

Adapted from O’Gorman, CEDRE, (2008)

Centre for Enterprise Development and

Regional Economy (CEDRE)Business Formation, Development and Sustainability

Research

Regional Competitiveness

Regional Innovation Systems (RIS) and

development of Knowledge Innovation

Communities (KICs)

EU co-funded projects

CRIPREDE led to creation of Spirit of

Enterprise Forum in South East Ireland

eDIGIREGION provided significant inputs

to the South East Action Plan for Jobs

(SEAPJ)

Current project is supporting SMEs to

use high performance computers (HPCs)

Enterprise/ Entrepreneur Programmes

New Frontiers Entrepreneur

Development Programme

South East Enterprise Platform

Programme (SEEPP)

Post Graduate Dip. Enterprise

Development

Female Entrepreneurs Ireland Wales

(FEIW)

Prepare businesses to engage with

research centred to maximise

potential to embed innovation

New Frontiers

Entrepreneur Development Programme

Value

Risk

Low

High

Commercialisation Pathway

Business

Feasibility

Business

Development

Business

Commercialisation

Investment

Phase 12 mths

Phase 26 mths

Phase 33 mths

Intend establishing manufacturing or

internationally traded services business

Ambitious promoters with capability and

commitment to lead a sustainable business

Growth orientated, planning to achieve

Sales > €500,000 & >5 jobs in 3-5 years

Build innovation / technology based

business

Show evidence of a commercial demand

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z95Z0um5bPY

New Frontiers Performance

2011 – 2018

1

IPO

8 HPSU

14 CSF & 18 LEO

68 Phase 2 New Frontiers

198 New Frontiers

Phase 1

307 New Frontiers Applications Phase 1

505 Enquiries / Contacts

122

Jobs

Created

€4.8 M

Investment

(Private &

State, ex-IPO)

ArcLabs Open Innovation Eco-System

ArcLabs

Environment

Dynamic Partnerships

Fostering Innovation

Supporting High

Quality Jobs

Strategic Regional

Initiatives

Supporting Enterprise

Public Private Academic

Collaboration

Current Clients

A hybrid Research/Consultancy centre of innovation in Business

Multidisciplinary team of social science researchers, engineers and technologists

Specialise in solving business problems and creating commercial opportunities through

research business strategy, innovation, design, operational excellence and technology

optimization

Assist businesses apply for funding and help them to embed innovation into processes

Research and Consultancy Centre

WIT Technology Gateways

WIT supporting Growth and Sustainability Through

Innovation Development and Dissemination

TSSG

SEAM

PMBRC

Telecommunication Software

and Systems Group (TSSG)

Expertise in key areas:

• Communications networks and mobile

• IoT, Machine Learning and AI

• AR/VR

• Molecular Comms

EXPERTISE

Completed over 250+ direct industry projects for start-ups in Ireland over the past 5

years and has spun out a number of leading international start-ups such as FeedHenry Ltd.

Undertake world class research and

innovation - This in turn creates economic

impact in Ireland by supporting EI and IDA

clients in creating and supporting start-ups.

FOCUS

IMPACT

BASIC RESEARCH

Science

APPLIED RESEARCH

TECHNOLOGY

ENGINEERING

INNOVATION

COMMERCIALISATION

EN T R EPR E N E U R S H I P

International Research Institute hosted by WIT. Founded in 1996 and led by Kevin Doolin and Dr. Sasitharan Balasubramaniam TSSG has more 80 staff and is 100% self funded.

Funding

raised from

Government &

Industry

Project Partners

across the world

(400+ research &

350+ Industrial)

Dedicated

team of

diverse

Research

Staff

Successfully

completed

projects

Spin out

companies

from

research

Peer

reviewed

publications

Industry

Projects

from

the TSSG

gateway

€90m+ 750+80+

500+150+

250

14+

Telecommunication Software

and Systems Group in Numbers

Precision Agriculture Centre of Excellence

Position Ireland and the South East to respond to global AgriTech and

smart farming opportunities.

Supported through EU Smart Agri Hubs Project www.smartagrihubs.eu

Connecting New Frontiers Participants

to the Eco-system

PMBRC Gateway in Numbers

Established 2009

800 m2 Research Labs

35 Researchers

15 Active Academic Staff

Annual Income ~ €2 m

Since 2009

Projects with >100 companies

29 Invention Disclosures

7 Patent Applications

5 Licence Agreements

1 spin out

Pharma Food Agri/Vet Med Device Engineering

Services and Industry Partners

Case Example: Innovation Partnership

with Teva Pharmaceuticals

Metered Dose Inhaler Dry Powder Inhaler

Critical Parameters

Particle size, shape, surface area,

Surface energy, drug-carrier interaction

Crystal form, amorphous content

Funding: 2 year Innovation Partnership

65% 35%

Design & Optimise

• Concept Development

• 3D CAD Modeling

• FEA & 3D Scanning

Build

• AM Metal Prototyping

• Heat Treatment

• Surface Finishing

Verification• Destructive & Non-

Destructive Testing

• Metrology

• Validation Testing

• Finished Part

South Eastern Applied Materials Research Ctr

Centre of Excellence in X-ray

Tomography (CT) Applications

Expertise in Finite Element

Analysis & Computational

Fluid Dynamics

Expertise in Failure Analysis

& Contaminant analysis

Actual and 3D Component overlaid

Stress analysis

Fluid Dynamics

Inspect

X-section

Analysis

• Catheter Balloon Rupture Investigations

• Examining the leak paths in the hubs of balloon

catheters

• Agricultural Machinery Cracked Blade investigations

• Design Verification of Asthmatic Inhalers

• Understanding the root cause for discolouration in

pharmaceutical tablets

Examples: Short Industrial Projects [1–2 weeks]

Mag. x 25

Mag. x 25 Mag. x 25

•Improving the cycle life of process control valves used in

solvent streams (18 month IPP project)

• Improving production yields of contact lenses: the influence of

external environment on lens material behaviour (24 mths IPP

Project)

•Micro Laser Sintering of Implants and Industrial Components

[SEAM + MNC+ Irish SME+ LEO] (€1m IPP Project)

•Material identification, selection and characterisation of low

weight-high quality PC peripherals

Examples: Longer Industrial Projects [12–24 mths]

Outcomes of Business

Engagement

Macro Level Outcomes - Ireland

Department of Business, Enterprise and Innovation

R&D performing companies that received Enterprise Ireland in-company R&D support had

36% more exports

23% more sales, and

28% more employees, outperforming other EI client companies in these areas.

European Innovation Scoreboard: identified Ireland as a “Strong Innovator” at 10th place in the EU in 2019. Ireland ranks first for Sales impacts and Employment impacts of innovation

Global Innovation Index (GII) ranked Ireland the 12th most innovative country in the world

Index places Ireland first for knowledge diffusion, second for high-tech and medium high-tech output and third for knowledge impact.

Enterprise Ireland Funding to Support

Innovation and R&D in Waterford and Carlow

Institutes of Technology

RDI Supports

Enterprise Ireland

Waterford Institute of

Technology

Institute of Technology

Carlow

Sept 2014 – Sept 2019

Innovation Vouchers 2.7 1.1

Innovation Partnerships 3.0 0.278

Research Commercialisation 4.3 0.178

Technology Gateways 3.8 0.511

New Frontier Programme 1.5 1.4

Capital Equipment 0.463 0.271

Total €15.57M €3.74M

Source Enterprise Ireland Oct. 2019

WIT – Business Engagement in NumbersIn the last 5 years WIT

Worked with 400 companies in Ireland and globally

Technology Transfer Office (TTO) has recorded 654 research agreements with industry,

averaging 130/year

Research agreements categorised KTI<€25k, €25k-€500k, >€500k.

WIT successful in all categories, meeting its Knowledge Transfer Ireland target metrics

The 5-year total for industrial collaborations with the Institute is €9,943,578 (or

~€2m/year).

1-to-1 research contracts and collaborators in larger projects involving Irish and Global

partners

In the past 10 years

800 Innovation Voucher projects with SMEs > Some led to Innovation Partnerships

Leading MNCs located in the South East region are on record as saying that the key

reason they located here was the quality of WIT graduates and WIT research

Key Success Factors

WIT’s mission to support economic development and development

of industry in the region

Proactive engagement by WIT with regional businesses and other

stakeholders is key to success, e.g., Research showcase events.

People + Commitment

Well developed protocols and procedures - easy to deal with WIT.

Pathways for a company to work with WIT at its different stages of

development

Funding available at each stage

Knowledge Transfer Ireland established as single contact point for

companies interested in finding, connecting and engaging with the

Irish research base.

Thank you for inviting us to

join you.

Eugene Crehan

ecrehan@wit.ie @eugenecrehan

New Frontiers Success Stories

Immersive VR Education

42 employees (Waterford)

Dublin and London Stock Exchanges in

March 2018 at valuation of €21M.

1st IPO for an Irish tech firm on the

Irish Stock Exchange’s Enterprise

Securities Market (ESM) since inception

in 2005, 1st New Frontiers participant

on Stock Exchange and

1st technology firm in the southeast

ever to list on the Irish Stock

Exchange.

Taoglas (330 employees

in Ireland, US, EU) are

pioneers in miniaturised

antennae and are active

in the autonomous

driving sector with

annual turnover of €60-

65 million.

Sonru (60 people)

service international

customers such as

Nestlé, H&M, Rolls

Royce, DHL, UBS

bank, Westpac Bank

and CERN.

NearForm (40

people Tramore &

110 remote) are

leaders in Node JS

making Waterford

the 5th largest Node

JS centre globally.

Hybrid Energy

Solutions

17 employees

Accumulated

over 40 million

operating hours

of hybrid

generation on

more than 2000

sites

Scurri in Wexford 34

employees. Help

eCommerce

Merchants to

optimise, shipping

and delivery.

Customers include:

eBay, Gusto,

Gymshark and Ocado

StitcherAds

32 employees

(Waterford and

Austin Tx)

Help brand

companies to

manage Facebook

advertising

campaigns.

Thank you

Eugene Crehan

ecrehan@wit.ie @eugenecrehan