Pictured at the launch of the conference are (l-r): Caroline McEnery, HR Suite; Jimmy Deenihan, TD, Minister for the Diaspora; Maria Walsh, Current Rose of Tralee; Julie Sinnamon, CEO of Enterprise Ireland

This year, for the first time, the Rose of Tralee Festival will provide the backdrop for the introduction of a new and important dimension - a celebration and recognition of the business ambitions and achievements of modern women of the Irish diaspora.

The one-day conference, which is being organised by Enterprise Ireland, is themed, “Bloom for Ireland” as it will aim to harness the power of the Irish female diaspora, to contribute to continued economic growth and prosperity in Ireland.

The conference will be opened by Minister for Justice, Frances Fitzgerald TD, and will be hosted by Minister for the Diaspora, Jimmy Deenihan TD.

Conference delegates will hear from Rose of Tralee Maria Walsh as well as some previous Roses, many of whom have successful careers in business both in Ireland and around the world. 2005 Rose of Tralee, Dr. Aoibhinn Ní Shúilleabháin who is a Doctor of Mathematics Education, will share her worklife experience and talk about the need to encourage more women into the STEM subjects (science, technology, engineering and maths).

Senior female figures from the Public Sector, the multinational sector, the media industry and the indigenous business sectors will share their insights on such themes as leadership with authenticity, achieving business scale and how diversity drives innovation.

The Conference represents an ideal opportunity to promote and showcase Ireland, and the Kingdom of Kerry in particular and to celebrate Irish business success. It represents a call on the Irish diaspora to use their influence to ‘open doors of opportunity’ for the Irish in their country of residence.

Conference online registration is now open. Please click here to register.

The Enterprise Ireland Seed and Venture Capital Programme 2014 Report published by Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, Richard Bruton TD, shows a continued upward trend in the level and value of activity by venture capital funds supported under Enterprise Ireland Seed and Venture Capital Programmes. In 2014, these Funds made 156 investments with an investment value of €62 million into 97 Irish-based companies. This level of investment represents an increase of €3m on the €59million invested into 94 Irish companies in 2013 under the schemes.

The overall capital under management through Enterprise Ireland’s Seed and Venture Capital Programme (2007-2012) has now reached over €700 million. Cumulatively over the lifetime of this scheme, 50% has been invested in the software sector and 35% in the life sciences sector, which closely reflects the sectors covered in Enterprise Irelands HPSU cohort.

A separate economic analysis shows that Irish companies in receipt of investment under this Programme employed over 2100 people in Ireland at the end of 2014. These companies recorded turnover of €257m of which €160m were exports.

Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation Richard Bruton TD said: “Venture capital funds provide critical funding, mentoring and access to networks to fast-growing companies and expanding established businesses. That is why we established the new €700 million Seed and Venture Capital Scheme 2013-2018, a significant achievement at a time of constrained budgets. This programme, part of our Action Plan for Jobs, will help support the next generation of Irish-based seed and venture funds.

Enterprise Ireland client companies delivered exports of €18.6billion and added over 19,000 jobs in 2014 and venture-backed companies contributed to these impressive results. The report we are publishing today shows that the seed and venture scheme supported by my Department through Enterprise Ireland continued to perform strongly in 2014. The value of investments in Irish companies increased by 5% to €62million, and the number of Irish companies increased to 97. If we can ensure that our seed and venture capital schemes continue to perform strongly over the coming years this will make a major contribution towards creating the jobs we need.”

   

The report is available for viewing and download here

Patrick Walsh of Dogpatch labs presents membership cards to Jobs Minister Richard Bruton and Taoiseach Enda Kenny.

Taoiseach Enda Kenny and Jobs Minister Richard Bruton launched the nationwide search to find Ireland’s Best Young Entrepreneur (IBYE), with a total investment fund of €2million available for young people throughout every county in Ireland.

Aimed at those aged between 18 and 30, the competition is an integral part of the Action Plan for Jobs and is supported by the Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation through Enterprise Ireland and the Local Enterprise Offices.

Launching the fund Taoiseach Enda Kenny and Jobs Minister Richard Bruton encouraged all young people with a startup or a business idea to apply through their Local Enterprise Office before 31st July. The competition is free to enter, and further information is available from LEOs nationwide as well as at www.ibye.ie

The first stage is a county-based competition leading to the naming of the Best Young Entrepreneur in each county. This will be followed by eight regional finals, with one young business-person being crowned Ireland’s Best Young Entrepreneur later in the year at the national finals in Google’s European HQ in Dublin before the end of the year.

Up to €50,000 will be awarded to 3 winners in each county. The winners at national level can then receive up to an additional €50,000 and over 400 young entrepreneurs will also win places at regional Business Bootcamps with mentoring supports, to further develop their business skills.

During last year’s highly successful inaugural competition, over 1,000 applications were received, 400 young entrepreneurs took part in Business Bootcamps and 93 young entrepreneurs throughout every county in Ireland won cash investments for their businesses. At the first-ever National Final last December at Google, Eamon Keane of Xpreso Software in South Dublin clinched the overall title of ‘Ireland’s Best Young Entrepreneur’ for his parcel delivery software company, ahead of runners-up from the tourism and food sectors.

The aim of the initiative is to support a culture of entrepreneurship among young people in Ireland, to promote entrepreneurship as a career choice, and to encourage Ireland’s young people to set up new businesses which will ultimately create jobs.

Part of the effort to attract applications from young people both in Ireland and abroad will be a comprehensive social media and marketing campaign.

The deadline to apply for this year’s Ireland’s Best Young Entrepreneur competition is Friday, July 31st and the full details are available through www.ibye.ie or by searching #IBYE on social media and YouTube.

Video from the launch of #IBYE Ireland's Best Young Entrepreneur: 

Rob Laffan, College Entrepreneur of the Year Award 2015 winner

Rob Laffan, a student from Limerick Institute of Technology, won the Enterprise Ireland Student Entrepreneur of the Year Award and was named ‘College Entrepreneur of the Year 2015’.

This year celebrates the 34th year of these prestigious awards which are co-sponsored by Invest Northern Ireland, Cruickshank Intellectual Property Attorneys, Intel and Grant Thornton and are open to all third level colleges across the island of Ireland.

The Student Entrepreneur Awards are part of a major drive aimed at encouraging students to start their own business as a career option. This year the Awards attracted submissions from over 500 third level students from colleges across Ireland.

The substantial prize fund includes €35,000 in cash prizes and €30,000 in consultancy fees which are available for winners to help them make a serious start at turning their idea into a commercial reality. In addition to winning the top prize, the winning team will also receive mentoring from Enterprise Ireland/Invest Northern Ireland to develop the commercial viability of their overall concept.

This year the winning projects are:

College Entrepreneur of the Year Award 2015 winner: ‘Tippy Talk’ – LIT – Rob Laffan
TippyTalk is a bespoke robust touch screen communication system that has been designed by the father of a non-verbal child with autism. TippyTalk allows the child to communicate her desires, feelings and needs to her parents through the transfer of pictures to text messages. TippyTalk allows for the child to send messages to her parents no matter where they are in the world. Not just limited to autism, TippyTalk can be adapted to cover other areas of non-verbal disabilities.

Cruickshank Intellectual Property Attorneys’ High Achieving Merit Award winner: ‘BlindSpot’ – University of Ulster – Joseph McKinney, Adam Jamison & Thomas McGlaughlin
BlindSpot offers a unique, 21st century virtual reality training tool which enables the user to immerse themselves in a virtual world. Using a VR headset, steering wheel, gears and pedals we are able to simulate the driving experience accurately with the ability to adjust steering resistance, vehicle height/ length and many other features to make the BlindSpot experience as real as possible. Using the media of Virtual reality we believe we can revolutionize driver training by allowing users to spend more time training providing a safe, risk-free training method that can be used in the workplace or at home. This product allows learner drivers to practice manoeuvers and drive in conditions that may be seasonal and alien to them, such as driving at night or in snow.

Grant Thornton Emerging Business Award winner: ‘The Wee Team’ - GMIT – Loraine Sotoparra & Laura Williams
Mr. Wee – a unique product that trains boys to lift the toilet seat. Our idea is a solution to a worldwide domestic problem! It is a device which forces boys to lift the toilet seat in order to urinate and can be used as a training device for younger boys. It is fixed to the toilet seat upper rim creating a barrier across the seat. The product can be bent back onto itself if the user wishes to be seated! It is easy to clean, safe and hygienic. It has 3 fitting sizes and can be customised with any graphics and text to target a broad audience. It’s a simple, affordable, effective product ready to go to market.

Intel ICT award winner: ‘BLAZER’ – Trinity College Dublin - Francis Yates, Joseph Lanzillotta & John O’Reilly
The BLAZER team are building a system that will save the honeybees. The problem they are facing is Varroa mite infestations leading to colony collapse disorder. This is truly a global problem. The BLAZER system will be easily installed to existing hives to provide the service of Varroa removal and prevention by using lasers to remove mites from bees as they enter and exit the hive. It will also monitor the number of mites being removed daily and provide the beekeeper with real time data analytics allowing them to better manage their hives. The team consists of two engineering student Francis Yates and John O'Reilly and one business student Joseph Lanzillotta.

Enterprise Ireland ‘Roots in Research Award’ winners: ‘SecuRetract’ – UCC - Conor O'Shea, Jan Kegel, Ruggero Loi & Prasanna Ramaswamy
The ‘SecuRetract’ team answers an important clinical need identified by a number of leading colorectal surgeons. ‘SecuRetract’ is a minimally invasive, disposable retractor for use in laparoscopic surgery with a number of advantages over competing technologies. This novel, patented retractor has the potential to ease surgical procedures as well as improving patient outcomes by alleviating a number of common complications currently experienced by the gold standard approach in laparoscopic retraction. With a rapidly growing global market, ‘SecuRetract’ is positioned to bring meaningful employment to Ireland with promising export and business growth potential.

For more information visit the Student Entrepreneur Awards website 

Robert Laffan talks about his award-winning idea: 

DIGIT Game Studios

DIGIT Game Studios, which employs 20 people at their Dublin studio, has launched a recruitment drive to grow this number to 60. The announcement of 40 new vacancies coincides with the company securing multi-million dollar investment from US mobile game publisher Scopely.

Founded in 2012 in Dublin, today DIGIT is Ireland’s largest game development studio. The company launched their first game, Kings of the Realm, in September 2014. An engaging fantasy strategy MMO with innovative 3D gameplay, Kings of the Realm is the world’s first cross-platform game.

“Content is the richest source of value in this industry and we are delighted to have significant opportunity to create a lot of it,” said Richard Barnwell, founder and CEO, Digit Game Studios.

“We are adding to our team to help us do just that. In addition to Kings of the Realm, we are scaling up our studio to launch an all-new title with iconic, world-leading AAA IP, that has a chance to be huge.”

LA-based touchscreen entertainment network Scopely lately revealed a strategic partnership with Digit Game Studios whereby the US-based firm will make a multi-million dollar investment in Ireland’s largest game developer as part of the multi-game publishing deal.

“Scopely is the partner of choice for the world’s leading free-to-play game developers,” said Tim O’Brien, Chief Revenue Officer, Scopely.

“We look to partner with the world’s leading mobile game developers of specific genres. Digit clearly has some bold ambitions and the development approach they have exhibited to date is impressive. They boast an accomplished and engaged international team that has managed to build a fresh gaming experience from the ground up. We believe they are emerging as a leader in mobile strategy games.”

Michael Carey, CEO of East Coast Bakehouse with Daragh Monahan, Commercial Director and  Alison Crowzer, Marketing and Innovation Director. 

A total of 100 jobs will be created as part of a €15 million investment in a new biscuit company in Drogheda, Co Louth.

The manufacturing facility will be based in a production unit "the size of a football pitch" at the Donore Road Business Park.

The domestic biscuit industry is worth €170 million, and the UK market is valued at over €2 billion. The East Coast Bakehouse will produce its own new brand and will also manufacture retail private label, serving both the domestic and export markets.

The founders of the new business are CEO, Michael Carey, Marketing & Innovation Director, Alison Cowzer, Commercial Director, Daragh Monahan, Operations Director, James Yarr and Chief Financial Officer, Gerry Murphy. This group were the management team that successfully established the Jacob Fruitfield Group before it was sold in 2011 to Valeo Foods.

Commenting at the launch, CEO, East Coast Bakehouse, Michael Carey said: “Every week over €3 million worth of biscuits is purchased and enjoyed by Irish consumers, almost all are currently imported. We aim to provide a new commercially competitive local Irish source of biscuits. There is also a great opportunity to provide high quality biscuits to UK retailers.”

“We carefully evaluated a number of locations for our facility before selecting Drogheda, and our location on Ireland’s east coast will play a key role in the future of our company. We have worked very closely with Enterprise Ireland on this project and we have been encouraged by local support so far for the development of this facility.”

“We are very pleased to be launching this new venture. Our management team combined has over 60 years experience in the sector and our drive to bake better biscuits, using select ingredients in a sustainable manner will become key to our business’ success in the coming years”, he concluded.

Jobs Minister Richard Bruton and Business and Employment Minister Ged Nash both attended the formal announcement.

This project is supported by the Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation through Enterprise Ireland.

Receiving the Prix d’Elite award at the Global Seafood Expo on behalf of the Irish Atlantic Seafood Company were Colin Ross and James Grimes

A line of shellfish butter products created by the Irish Atlantic Seafood Company (IASC) won the Prix d’Elite award at the Seafood Expo Global in Brussels, the first one for an Irish company.

Designed to enhance the flavour of fish dishes, the award winning product branded as ‘Something Fishy’ combines shellfish protein with Irish butter, seaweed and seasoning to produce an ‘umami’ or ‘savoury delicious taste’.

The product was developed and tested at BIM's Seafood Development Centre in Co Cork which provides expertise and support to help seafood companies bring their fish products to market.

IASC has applied for a patent on the process of producing the butter and is the only company to produce the product globally.

Brussels Seafood Expo Global is the world’s largest seafood trade event, visited by more than 25,000 buyers, suppliers, media and other seafood professionals from 150 countries.

The product was also recognised at the World Food Innovation Awards held in London in March, when the shellfish butter won the award for best new condiment.

Having started trading in 2013, Love Irish Food member IASC currently employs six people at its facility in Grange Industrial Estate, Ballycurreen in Co Cork.

The company is planning to expand its current distribution from Ireland and the UK this year, into the US, Europe and Asia, and is in the process of filling its first order for Malaysia currently.

It expects to launch a further 20 products over the next three to five years, in retail, food service and B2B channels.

Trade mission to the Czech Republic and Poland Infographic 

44 Irish companies and organizations took part in the Enterprise Ireland Trade Mission to Poland and the Czech Republic which generated over €30 million in potential sales contacts.

This was the largest trade mission to the Central European region in over a decade and testament to the growing market opportunities for Irish companies in the region, which saw Enterprise Ireland clients exporting to Poland and Czech increases sales by 25% in 2014. Over the course of the four day trip (May 18-22) over 200 B2B introductions were generated, with facilities provided for follow-up face to face meetings.

A key element of the Polish leg of the Trade Mission was a seminar on Energy Efficiency and Remote Sensing opened by the Minister for Business and Employment Ged Nash TD. It attracted an audience of over 100 pre-selected attendees and provided a platform for Enterprise Ireland clients such a Fijowave, Cylon, Device Smart, SELC, Nualight and Wattics to present their case studies and views of the evolving market to Polish companies who are at the cutting edge of implementing such technologies in Poland.

Minister Nash also visited the Servier/Anpharm factory in Warsaw, which produces pharmaceuticals and medicines, and provided an opportunity for a number of clients to meet with plant management and progress sales of production products and services.

The highlight of the Warsaw leg of the Mission was an official dinner for the companies and their clients in the Westin Hotel as which over 110 people attended. The strength of the Polish diaspora in Ireland was also strongly on display at the dinner, with many of the Irish companies represented by Polish employees based in Ireland, a sure sign that Irish companies are more and more using in-house resources to develop their exports in the growing markets on Central Europe.

In the Czech Republic, Minister Nash witnessed signing of several contracts and agreements of Irish companies including PPI Adhesive Products, Realtime Technologies, PM Group and Bookassist with local Czech and international businesses. Realtime Technologies’ seminar for electronics industry attracted interest of over 80 technical and quality managers from around the Czech Republic.

The trade mission attracted substantial media attention on the Czech Republic, with Minister Nash being interviewed live for a major Czech national TV business program, and newspapers publishing interviews and articles about Ireland and its economic success.

Similar to Warsaw, over 100 people attended the trade dinner in Prague for Irish companies and their Czech buyers and business partners. For many Irish companies the Czech Republic serves as a gateway to central Europe and buyers from neighbouring Slovakia and Hungary used this momentum to meet their Irish suppliers. The mission demonstrated a close “Team Ireland” co-operation between Enterprise Ireland and Irish embassies and Bord Bia in Central European region with Bord Bia representatives and Irish food and drink companies joining events in both cities.

Because of large concentration of multinational companies, Central Europe is especially popular among Irish suppliers of products and services to industry. Over 60 direct flights connect Ireland with this region every week. Poland, the Czech Republic, Hungary and Slovakia are preferred locations for Irish companies that followed their customers and invested on the continent. Proximity, European law, similar business culture and constant need of innovation and changing supply channels are attracting more and more Irish companies to this region every year.

Pictured (l-r) are: Nico Duvenage, Head of MATA (part of the Safomar Group), Minister for Foreign Affairs & Trade, Charlie Flanagan T.D., Shai Shalem, CEO, Safomar Holdings Ltd., Brian Joyce, Executive Chair & Director, College Ireland (CIAS), Aidan Fox, Managing Director, College Ireland and Julie Sinnamon, CEO, Enterprise Ireland

Contracts worth €12 million for Irish companies are among the initial results of the trade mission to South Africa, led by Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, Charlie Flanagan, TD.

Dozens of leads for Irish exporting companies have been created or progressed during the 4-day mission in which 34 Irish companies from all over Ireland participated in over 200 one-to-one meetings with South African companies targeting export opportunities across the technology, telecommunications, aviation, engineering, energy, food and financial services sectors.

Among the deals announced by Irish companies during the mission were:

College Ireland Aviation Services (CIAS) based in Leixlip, Co. Kildare, and Mega Aviation Training Academy (MATA) signed a significant agreement to form a partnership for the delivery of world class aviation training and academic programmes in Southern Africa. CIAS, originally an Irish Aviation Authority initiative, but now a standalone company, acts with over 20 Irish aviation companies and universities to provide a single solution in the areas of aviation training and education. The agreement will initially mean the provision of aircraft maintenance training to EASA (European Aviation Safety Agency Training) in Southern Africa but will expand to include elements of pilot training, cabin crew training, airline operations airport operations training, and under-graduate, post-graduate and Masters Programmes.

AuBren, Portlaoise, announced the introduction of its DAQs brand of precision air handling systems into Africa as an extension of the successful Voltas SUNWIND range. Targeted at public and private medical facility clients, the systems will be manufactured and supplied for Voltas Technologies, a leading South African provider of innovative integrated solutions for commercial HVAC projects. AuBren has worked extensively with Voltas Technologies to carefully localise the DAQS products to meet the commercial and technical needs of African markets.

FTI Treasury Systems, based in Dublin’s International Financial Services Centre, announced details of their partnership with Andisa Capital, South Africa whereby Andisa has taken a 30% equity stake in FTI’s South African subsidiary, Fikon Treasury. FTI brings its treasury software and Andisa brings its treasury expertise and knowledge of the South African market to this new venture. FTI’s treasury system is already used by a number of large companies in South Africa, including South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC), LandBank, and the South African Post Office, for their treasury management. Fikon Treasury has recently been selected as ‘preferred bidder’ for a 5 year contract to provide treasury systems to a large South African company and expects to conclude negotiations very shortly. In addition Andisa has adopted the system for their treasury management business and have started to roll out the treasury system to its corporate clients.

Amawele has received indirect Irish Aid funding through the grant support (2013, €34,740 and 2014, €30,000) from the WorldWise Global Schools consortium which is funded through the development education budget.

Enterprise Ireland Team at New Zealand’s National Fieldays showcase

For the ninth year running, Enterprise Ireland hosted an Ireland’s Stand at New Zealand’s National Fieldays, the largest agricultural exhibition in the Southern Hemisphere. Seventeen Irish companies exhibited at the event which is the ultimate launch platform for businesses to showcase their cutting edge technology and innovative agri solutions.

Irish agri exporters to New Zealand reported a very strong performance in a difficult trading year with sales secured at the event in excess of $1m and a further $5m in sales pipelines developed.

Commenting on the success of the Irish companies at the event, Mary Kinnane, Enterprise Ireland Director for Australia and New Zealand, said “Enterprise Ireland is very proud of the relationship that has developed between Irish exporting companies and Fieldays, making it an unmissable event for agri-exporters to New Zealand. Kiwi farmers attending Fieldays have recognised the value and efficiency improvement that Irish-made machinery and technology can offer.”

“Fieldays also provides a great opportunity for new and innovative Irish companies to launch their products onto the New Zealand market. One such company, ProDig, is looking to penetrate the New Zealand market with their Shear Genius product, and has partnered with Kiwi distributors Giltrap Agrizone,” added Kinnane.

Fieldays Chief Executive Officer Mr. Jon Calder said “We are delighted to have welcomed seventeen Irish companies to Fieldays this year and we are very proud of the relationship that Fieldays has developed with Ireland over the past 9 years. It is great to see the wider mix of capability arising out of Ireland across the arable, grain milling, dairy and beef sectors. This diversity of product on offer from Ireland supports Fieldays' endeavour to showcase the best of what New Zealand and the global market has to offer. We look forward to continuing to build on these strong links going forward.”

New Zealand’s National Agricultural Fieldays was held in Mystery Creek from 10-13 June. The exhibition attracted in excess of 126,000 visitors, including delegates from 38 different countries. The current exhibition and demonstration space covers 88 hectares and boasts over 1,000 exhibitors.

Pictured at the launch of ARCH, the new Connected Health Technology Centre were Michael O’Shea, ARCH Centre Director, Andrew Collins, VU 2 VU one of the 15 participating companies and Richard Bruton T.D. Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation

Healthcare services in Ireland could be transformed as a result of research conducted at the new Connected Health Technology Centre launched recently by Richard Bruton T.D. Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation. The €5 million Applied Research for Connected Health (ARCH) Technology Centre is funded by the Department of Jobs through Enterprise Ireland and is also supported by IDA Ireland.

ARCH is hosted at University College Dublin (UCD) where researchers from clinical, engineering, technology, policy and economic fields - with input from University of Limerick (UL) and almost all Higher Education Institutes in the country with connected health research capabilities - will collaborate to deliver on the connected health research agenda defined by its industry steering group.

Connected Health is the utilisation of “connecting” technologies i.e. communication systems – broadband, wireless, mobile phone, fixed phone lines - and medical devices and treatments for healthcare applications. In addition, technologies relating to sensors, alarm systems, vital sign monitoring devices, health informatics and data management systems are also fundamental to the development of connected health solutions.

Explaining the need for a connected health approach to delivering clinical services, Michael O’Shea, ARCH Centre Director said: “Every country in the world is facing infinite demand for healthcare services from finite resources, spiralling costs caused by the invention of new drugs, medical equipment and procedures, higher patient expectations and an ageing population (by 2051, close to 40% of the EU’s population will be older than 65). Combined with shortages of health professionals, the scale of the challenge is daunting.

“Advances in technology, such as those being developed through ARCH, are enabling a shift towards personalised healthcare and information-based health services which will improve patient experiences and reduce the cost of delivering healthcare.”

During the initial research phase, the team at ARCH under the direction of UCD’s Professor Brian Caulfield, UCD School of Public Health, Physiotherapy and Population Science, focused on caring for patients with dementia. The ARCH model will now be applied to a broader range of clinical conditions as determined by industry and healthcare needs such as diabetes and heart disease.

ARCH is headquartered at NexusUCD, the Industry Partnership Centre at UCD, and there are currently 15 industry partners steering the ARCH research programme including; ADA Security Systems, Boston Scientific, Hermitage Medical Clinic, ICON, OpenHealth, Novartis, Relate Care, S3 Group, Swiftqueue, Theya Lingerie, Two Ten Health, Vitalograph, Philips, Resmed and Vu2Vu; all actively involved in the connected health sector.

NexusUCD - The Industry Partnership Centre at University College Dublin (video):

Launching Knowledge Transfer Ireland’s annual report are (l-r): Dr. Alison Campbell, Director KTI, Tom Boland, CEO Higher Education Authority and Richard Bruton T.D. Minister for Enterprise, Jobs and Innovation.

There was a 46% increase in the number of companies in Ireland engaging with State-funded research performing organisations (RPOs) to access research to grow their business in 2014 according to figures published in the Knowledge Transfer Ireland Annual Report and Annual Knowledge Transfer Survey.

The increased levels of engagement led to 2,337 agreements between companies and State-funded RPOs.

The report also shows that 27 new spin-out companies were created based on intellectual property and knowledge from Irish RPOs. Over the same period the number of IP-based transactions between RPOs and industry, including licences, options and assignments, increased by 21% to 168.

Amongst these were a licence from UCC to Alimentary Health which led to the creation of a new precision biotic product called Alflorex and a new cheese product was developed at Teagasc Moorepark in collaboration with Tipperary Co-Op and Ornua under the Kerrygold brand.

“The increasing levels of engagement between industry and research organisations is most encouraging and reflects the efforts of the entire technology transfer system in Ireland which we must remember is still quite young,” said Dr. Alison Campbell, KTI Director.

“Since the State began investing in a technology transfer infrastructure in 2007 there has been a relentless focus on ensuring that companies are aware of the valuable resources and intellectual property emerging from Irish RPOs which can contribute to their growth plans. These results prove that the effort is paying off.”

KTI was launched in May 2014 and is operated in partnership between Enterprise Ireland and the Irish Universities Association. Amongst its activities is the operation of a unique resource for industry, the KTI web portal (http://www.knowledgetransferireland.com/), which provides companies with easy access to the resources available to them from State-funded research.

KTI’s annual report incorporates results from its Annual Knowledge Transfer Survey (AKTS) which tracks business engagement and commercialisation activity between business and Ireland’s State-funded RPOs for 2014 and which may be downloaded from the KTI website.

Ireland has climbed one place, to eighth position, in the 2015 Innovation Union Scoreboard of the 28 EU member states.

Minister for Skills, Research and Innovation, Damien English TD welcomed the improved ranking and said: “This is the second year in a row in which Ireland’s ranking has improved, up from 9th in 2014 and 10th in 2013. In particular, I am pleased to see Ireland is ranked first on two specific dimensions: Innovators; and Economic Effects which shows that our strategy of accelerating the economic and societal returns on our public investment in research and innovation is paying off.”

“In June 2013 Government set a range of system level targets in the context of implementation of research prioritisation and one of those targets was to move to 8th place in the Innovation Union Scoreboard by 2017 – as a result of a range of policy measures targeting our investment at areas of greatest economic and societal return, encouraging greater collaboration between academia and industry and enhancing the commercialisation of research we have met our target ahead of schedule”, continued the Minister. ”

Of the eight dimensions that make up the European Commission’s Innovation Union Scoreboard, Ireland is ranked first in two of them: Innovators; and Economic Effects. The Innovators dimension measures how innovative firms are, while the Economic Effects captures economic success stemming from innovation in terms of employment, revenue and exports.

“The strengthening of our Innovation performance is bolstering our capacity to compete under HORIZON 2020 – the EU Framework Programme for Research and Innovation – and I am very pleased with the results for the first 9 months of the programme which show that we are on track to exceed our target for success in the first year.”

Ireland’s researchers and companies have been successful in winning €97 Million of funding in the first 9 months of Horizon 2020.

Ireland has traditionally performed well in areas such as ICT and research fellowships and researcher mobility across all disciplines (Marie Curie Actions). In these areas, Ireland’s researchers have been awarded over €24 Million and €13 Million respectively. Ireland has also been very successful in the Agri-food (€11 Million) and Health (€10 Million) areas.

Ireland’s success in competing for European Research Council (ERC) grants under Horizon 2020 has significantly exceeded our performance in previous programmes. The ERC’s prestigious grants support frontier research across all fields, on the basis of scientific excellence. The funding to ERC grantees in Horizon 2020 so far is over €19 Million.

You can download the full Innovation Union Scoreboard 2015 report here: 

Minister Ged Nash TD, pictured at the Fresh Talent exhibition at Dublin Castle with (l-r) Stephen Hughes, Manager, Enterprise Ireland and Karen Hennessy, Chief Executive of Irish Design 2015

Enterprise Ireland is to deliver the €250,000 fund to support the creation of design-based start-ups as part of the Irish Design 2015 (ID2015) programme.

The announcement of the new fund was made by Minister for Business and Employment, Ged Nash TD at the official opening of the Fresh Talent exhibition in Dublin Castle.

The Competitive Start Fund – Design will provide up to €50,000 in equity support to individual companies in manufacturing or internationally traded services that are design-led or utilise design as a strategic competitive advantage.

Announcing the fund Minister Nash said: “Design impacts right across product development in sectors such as medical devices, electrical devices and food, and is also driving the emerging creative sectors such as graphics, film and animation, web interface and ICT design, where exports and job creation are expected to outperform the norm.

“Design is the missing link in Ireland’s innovation agenda. I am satisfied that the fantastic response to ID2015 programmes and events to date will redress that deficit by promoting the work of talented Irish designers on the international stage, strengthening the capability of the Irish design sector and promoting collaboration between the Irish design sector and the wider business sector.

“I believe that we are well on the way to achieving the objectives of creating new design companies, achieving additional exports of design-based products and services and creating 1800 design-based jobs across the regions of Ireland.”

Halfway through its term, ID2015 highlights include over 300 designers, studios and companies being showcased nationally and 40 companies being supported through ID2015’s International Trade Fund, in association with Enterprise Ireland and other agencies, to participate in 50 other international trade events.

“Central to the planning and delivery of our programme is collaboration with public and private partners, both here in Ireland and abroad, in order to ensure a legacy from this year,” said Karen Hennessy, chief executive of ID2015.

“With continued support and investment in design and working with our partners, particularly Enterprise Ireland and the Local Enterprise Office network, ID2015 has the potential to act as a catalyst for significant change in Ireland’s competitiveness in the global marketplace and in creating employment opportunities over the years to come.”

Full details of the Competitive Start Fund - Design are available on the Enterprise Ireland website. 

Pictured (l-r) are: Kevin Sherry, Divisional Manager High Potential Start Ups, Enterprise Ireland Minister for Business and Employment Ged Nash T.D., Bill Liao (Chair of Judging panel) SOS Ventures and Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation Richard Bruton T.D.

This week saw the announcement of a new €500,000 Competitive Start Fund aimed at encouraging entrepreneurs outside Ireland to locate their start-up businesses here. The Fund which provide up to €50,000 in equity support for 10 successful applicants to start their own businesses in internationally focused manufacturing or internationally traded services.

The new Fund is part of Enterprise Ireland’s strategy for increasing the number and quality of High Potential Start-Up Companies (HPSUs) that have the potential to employ more than 10 persons and achieve €1 million in export sales within 3 years. Targeting start-ups and early stage companies that have the capability to succeed in global markets, the objective is to attract international entrepreneurs and members of the Irish diaspora to start, scale and succeed from Ireland, ultimately creating jobs in Ireland.

Applications are welcome from individuals and early-stage companies of all nationalities. All applicants must undertake to register as an Irish company prior to Enterprise Ireland investment. The majority of the management team/promoters must also undertake to be based in Ireland for at least one year post investment. Full details on the eligibility criteria is available on the Enterprise Ireland website: www.enterprise-ireland.com/csfoverseas

The new Competitive Start Fund will coincide with the Startup Gathering. A major initiative of the Government’s Action Plan for Jobs, Startup Gathering 2015 is a national week of events taking place across Ireland from the 5th to 10th October, which sets out to champion startups in Ireland and raise the profile of Ireland's startup sector to international entrepreneurs.

Making the announcement Minister Bruton said: “As I have repeatedly said, we have great entrepreneurs and start-up businesses in Ireland - we just don’t have enough of them. That is why we are specifically targeting international talent as part of our Action Plan for Jobs. As well as attracting international entrepreneurs to Ireland, this fund will also help attract back those talented Irish graduates who have gained international experience and who would now like to return to Ireland to start a business. This initiative will make a real contribution to creating more new businesses and jobs in Ireland”.

Applications for the Fund will be made online and the 20 best applicants will be invited to Ireland to pitch competitively for the 10 available investments. The evaluation of projects is timed to coincide with the Startup Gathering 2015 taking place from 5th-10th October planned to be one of the world’s biggest national start-up events. Funding up to a maximum of €1,000 will be paid to the 20 finalists to enable them travel to Ireland and experience the Startup Gathering which has events planned across 5 days, 5 cities and 5 industries, promoting entrepreneurship, innovation and Ireland’s start-up ecosystem.

The website for online applications will open on Wednesday 26th August and close on Wednesday 9th September 2015

Pictured at the Blue Insurance job announcement are (front) Kevin Sherry, Enterprise Ireland and Ciaran Mulligan, MD Blue Insurance; (back) Minister Simon Harris, Minister Leo Varardkar and Minister Gerald Nash (Photo: Paul Sherwood)

Blue Insurance, one of Ireland’s leading niche insurance providers announced the creation of 100 new jobs over the next 18 - 24 months as part of the company’s expansion into the personal lines and international insurance market.

The company will be employing staff across numerous departments including Call Centre Customer Services, IT developers, Junior Management, and Administrative levels in their Dublin office. This expansion will see their employment numbers rise from 45 to 145 employees. 

Blue Insurance Limited, an Enterprise Ireland supported company, formed in October 2003, has 160,000 existing Irish customers and over 200,000 UK customers across its 14 brands with familiar names such as Multitrip.com, gadgetinsurance.com, carhireexcess.com and petinsurance.ie.

At the launch, Ciaran Mulligan, Managing Director of Blue Insurance spoke of the company’s expansion, “We are delighted to announce 100 new jobs which will facilitate our rapid growth and expansions plans in the insurance market over the coming years. These new jobs will help our existing business, our new unique personal lines products and will drive further International expansion in the UK, Australian, UAE and US Markets”.

Mulligan added, “The new jobs will assist us with our commitment to deliver value, quality and innovation to all our customer for many years to come. We strongly believe that innovative Irish owned companies such as Blue Insurances can make an important contribution towards achieving the goals set out in the Government’s IFS2020 strategy as recently announced by Minister of State Harris. We are delighted to be supported by Enterprise Ireland in this jobs announcement”.

Blue Insurance recently launched a unique and exclusive 2 year Car and Home Insurance product which will transform the Car and Home Insurance market in Ireland. The company also specialises in niche insurance products such as Travel, Gadget, Pet, Wedding, Breakdown, Bicycle and Car Hire Excess Insurance.

The company has won many prestigious awards over the years including ‘Best Travel Insurance Provider’ by the Travel Trade and Best Travel Insurance Product by the Irish Travel Media. Both Ciaran Mulligan and Rowan Devereux who originally founded the company were Finalists in the EY Entrepreneur of the Year in 2011 and winners of the 2012 Travel Industry Entrepreneur of the Year. Blue Insurance has also won the ‘Deloitte Best Managed Company’s Award’ for the past three years running.

The Enterprise Ireland Annual Report 2014, officially published last week, is packed not just with data and figures but also with many case studies of Irish business success stories.

Irish exporters achieved record exports of €18.6bn – an increase of almost 10% on 2013 figures – and the highest export sales in the history of the agency. Exports now account for 51% of total sales by companies supported by Enterprise Ireland, compared with 42% in 2004.

Growth was recorded in exports to all international regions and across all sectors. The top-five exporting countries are the UK, US, France, Germany and the Netherlands. Exports to these countries together accounted for just over €11bn or 61% of export sales in 2014.

Greatest wins in 2014 came from the Software sector with exports up by 19% to €1.3bn, followed by the Construction (up 14% to €2.35bn) and Life Sciences manufacturing sectors (up 11% to €3bn).

Demand for Irish goods showed greatest growth in the Latin America and Asia Pacific regions - up 42% and 25% respectively. The UK market grew by 9% to a record €6.8bn, while the US and Canadian market increased by 16% to €2.34bn.

Responding to evolving growth opportunities and to clients’ export strategies, Enterprise Ireland opened new overseas offices in Abu Dhabi, UAE, and in Perth, Australia.  

2014 was a year of record employment levels in Enterprise Ireland client companies, with total direct employment of 180,072. Of these 156,202 were full time jobs while 23,870 were other jobs. This represents the highest level of total employment and full time employment in the history of the agency.

Companies supported by Enterprise Ireland now, directly and indirectly, account for more than 300,000 jobs in the Irish economy – equating to 16% of Ireland’s total workforce. Their total spend in the Irish economy reached €22.9bn in 2014.

“These results are reflected in the record jobs performance by Enterprise Ireland clients in 2014 when our clients reported the highest net job gains in the history of the agency, and further validate Enterprise Ireland’s investment in indigenous industry. Enterprise Ireland is very proud of the companies we work with and their outstanding achievement in continuing to increase export sales,” commented Julie Sinnamon, CEO of Enterprise Ireland.

To help them achieve such success, Enterprise Ireland partnered with some great Irish companies, like, for example: Samco, Botany Weaving, Cartoon Saloon, Embo Medical, Pharmapod, AltraTech, Version1, Ribworld, East Coast Bakehouse, vStream, Vistamed, Takumi, Combilift, to name just a few. 

This Annual Report for 2014 is also an account of the first year of Enterprise Ireland three-year strategy: ‘Driving Enterprise, Delivering Jobs’. The strategy is built on four pillars: 1) Driving Entrepreneurship 2) Fostering Innovation 3) Developing International Scale and 4) Building Future Competitive Advantage.

“Going forward, into the second year of our strategy, the key priority is to build more Irish companies of scale because fast-growing companies create more jobs,” said Julie Sinnamon.

“Our sights are on 2020 and an Ireland where Irish companies are a powerhouse of economic growth and prosperity in towns and villages throughout Ireland,” Enterprise Ireland CEO added. 

The Annual Report and Accounts can be accessed on Enterprise Ireland website: www.enterprise-ireland.com/annualreport2014

The full strategy document can be read here

Pictured are Jobs Minister Richard Bruton, Justice Minister Frances Fitzgerald and Liam Donegan, General Manager, Fox and Geese.

Irish Distillers announced a €17 million expansion and 30 new jobs at an event to mark 50 years of bottling at its Fox and Geese facility in Clondalkin, Dublin. The investment will increase the bottling capacity at the site from 5 million 9-litre cases to 7.5 million cases, or 120 million bottles, of Jameson per year by 2017.

Speaking at the event, Anna Malmhake, CEO of Irish Distillers said: “Today marks a landmark moment in the history of Fox and Geese as we celebrate 50 years of bottling here and an expansion which will increase bottling capacity at the site by 60%. This is part of a wider investment programme which saw €200 million expansion of our distillery in Midleton and our maturation facility in Dungourney, Co Cork.

“Irish Distillers’ portfolio of brands has been growing by double-digits for the last twenty years and we are continuously investing in our operations to keep pace with demand. Our long-term vision is for Irish whiskey to regain its place as the biggest whiskey category in the world. Investing in critical infrastructure such as the Fox and Geese bottling facility will enable us to realise that vision.”

The Fox and Geese bottling site was first home to bottling of Powers Irish Whiskey, which relocated from Drury Street in 1965. Irish Distillers was formed in 1966 and became part of global spirits company Pernod Ricard in 1988, which repatriated bottling of Jameson Irish whiskey to the Dublin facility. Last year the facility bottled over 60 million bottles of Irish whiskey.

Irish Distillers has been supported by the Department of Jobs through Enterprise Ireland.

Welcoming the announcement, Michael Cantwell, Head of Enterprise Ireland’s Food Division said: “Supporting innovation is at the heart of Enterprise Ireland’s strategy and we are delighted to work with Irish Distillers right across the country as they build their global business from Ireland”.

Minister Richard Bruton with Con Snr, Mike and Robert Stack, at Tricel, Killarney (L-R: Robert Stack, Con  (Snr.) Stack, Minister Richard Bruton and Mike Stack)

Manufacturing and engineering group Tricel is to create 100 new jobs over the next 18 months. 40 of these jobs will be based in the company’s headquarters in Killarney and be worth an extra €2.4m to the local economy.

The new jobs, including graduate positions, will bolster the existing workforce of 250 based in Ireland, UK and France over the next 18 months and will strengthen operations in management, engineering, R&D, product development, marketing and manufacturing.

Tricel is a European leader in the development and manufacture of advanced and specialised composite products from water storage tanks and wastewater treatment systems to construction and building products as well as specialist moulding and filler products for the manufacturing and automotive industries.

Tricel, originally known as Killarney Plastics, was founded in Killarney in 1973.

The Group consists of seven trading companies across Ireland, UK and France with the main manufacturing hub and group headquarters based in Killarney. The Group established its first base in the UK in 1993 and in France in 2011.

"Our main success and expansion was actually fuelled by the recession in Ireland which had a detrimental effect on our Irish market which forced us to increase focus on our existing UK market and also on further export markets,” said Tricel Managing Director Mike Stack.

“We bucked the trend and backed ourselves by making a multimillion euro investment in R&D and plant and machinery within this period.

“Amongst our biggest business achievements during this time was the fact in 2007 we exported 5pc of our turnover and were highly dependent on the Irish construction market. By 2013 our exports had increased to 70pc of our turnover. This investment has led to continuous process and design improvements which have ensured our current and future success.”

The current expansion project is supported by the Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation through Enterprise Ireland.

Pictured (L-R) are: iSite Founder Dave Muldoon and Ergo Chief Executive John Purdy

Ergo has acquired leading Customer Relationship Management (CRM) specialist and IT resource provider iSite for an undisclosed sum, consolidating its position as one of Ireland’s leading IT services companies and providing building blocks for a new phase of growth.

The acquisition will see Ergo grow its revenue by 30 per cent in the next year and increase employee numbers from 200 to 330. On top of this, Ergo plans to create 120 extra jobs within two years through additional growth. A new spin-off firm, Ergo Resourcing Ltd, will be launched, headed up by former CEO of iSite Dave Muldoon, and targeted to become a €20m turnover company within the next three years.

The acquisition fulfils two strategic ambitions for Ergo: to expand its Microsoft Dynamics CRM practice, and to provide more resources to companies looking to outsource IT positions in the face of ongoing skills shortages.

The acquisition comes at a time when the 2015 release of Microsoft Dynamics CRM is expected to become a significant addition to Office 365, the Microsoft suite of cloud-based applications. Ergo has been a leading player in the success of Office 365, responsible for around 60 per cent of the seats sold on the island.

John Purdy, who won the prestigious EY Industry Entrepreneur of The Year 2014 award, is focused on aligning Ergo services to the modern needs of modern businesses. “At a time when companies are emerging out of recession, the demands are on Chief Information Officers to deliver more value. Complementing IT skills with companies like Ergo will be part of that agenda, along with a move to more managed services and cloud solutions like Office 365,” he said.

Ergo is also focused on expanding its business outside of Ireland. The firm already provides Managed Print and Managed Services for clients in the UK and its FlowForma workflow product has a growing footprint in the UK public sector. “Nearly 100 per cent of our revenue was generated in Ireland in 2008; that has now fallen to 70 per cent and it’s a trend we are looking to accelerate over the coming years,” said Purdy.

The Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, Richard Bruton TD announced that up to €65m is being made available for co-investment in seed funds, and issued an open competitive call to fund managers to signal their interest in establishing funds. 

The funding has been provided by the Department of Jobs through Enterprise Ireland.

The €65m is the second competitive call under the Seed & Venture Capital Scheme (2013 – 2018). The launch of this call is a key action under the Action Plan for Jobs programme to support Irish start-ups and complements the other funding initiatives that have been established by Government. In 2014, Enterprise Ireland client companies created 19,705 new jobs. Start-ups that are supported now will underpin increased job creation in the future.

Enterprise Ireland is inviting expressions of interests from funds to meet the venture capital demand from high potential Irish start-ups. Funds that can demonstrate an ability to raise capital and support company growth are invited to make a submission under this call.

Enterprise Ireland is interested in funds that will invest in areas that reflect its key strategic sectors including; food, software, fintech, general ICT, services, cleantech and lifeSciences. Given the importance and challenges faced by companies spinning out from third level institutions, funds in this space are sought.

“A functioning and competitive venture capital market is essential to our companies if they are to start and scale successfully,” said Julie Sinnamon, CEO of Enterprise Ireland.

“The existing Seed Funds have been hugely effective in increasing the amount of funding available to our start-ups and have helped create a vibrant and dynamic portfolio of high growth companies. Through the existing seed funds, which are in receipt of considerable investment from the Irish banking sector, we have seen significant investment in high potential start-ups.

“The next generation of Seed Funds targeted for establishment under this initiative will create a new platform to support commercialisation of ideas, company establishment and most importantly job creation” Sinnamon added.

Further details are available at: www.enterprise-ireland.com/svcapital