Increase your R&D capacity in Applied IoT
Increase your R&D capacity with the Applied IoT Cluster and a €5,000 Enterprise Ireland Innovation Voucher
Are you a start-up in the process of developing a prototype (MVP) of your product, an SME that requires additional R&D supports for improvements to an existing process or simply have a problem that you would like a solution to? The Enterprise Ireland Technology Gateway Network and its three clusters, in conjunction with Enterprise Ireland’s €5,000 Innovation Voucher scheme, can help.
Innovation timeline
As Albert Einstein once said, “The true sign of intelligence is not knowledge but imagination.”
Indeed, our imaginations do drive innovation and given the rapid advancements in technology over recent years, it has never been so critical for companies to stay abreast, or more preferably ahead, of the innovation curve. Instrumental in staying ahead of the competition is applying your innovative ideas in a timely manner and getting them to the market place as quickly as possible. Not having an internal team that actively promotes and participates in R&D activities can slow down a company’s time to market with a new idea. The Technology Gateway Clusters are available to assist with greatly reducing this time to market by providing the necessary resources and equipment to develop new and innovative near-to market solutions in a timely manner.
What is the Innovation Voucher programme?
The Innovation Voucher scheme funded by Enterprise Ireland invites limited companies, registered in Ireland, to apply for a €5,000 voucher that can be utilised with a registered Knowledge Provider. Companies can engage with any of our 15 Gateways to gain academic support in research, development or innovation. Innovation Vouchers are valid for 12 months from the date of issue and can be used throughout the Enterprise Ireland Technology Gateway network. Staff at the Technology Gateways are available to assist you with the voucher application process if required. Recent reports show that every €1 of investment made by Enterprise Ireland has contributed to a €4.72 increase in Irish EVA (Economic Value Added), whilst each €1 of funding invested by Enterprise Ireland in Innovation Vouchers delivered €11.83 net additional sales at the company side.
Technology Gateway Clusters
To enhance the delivery of research and innovation for Irish SMEs, the Technology Gateways have developed three unique clusters in the areas of Applied Internet of Things (Applied IoT), Engineering, Materials and Design (EMD Ireland), and Food and Beverage Technologies (Irish Food Tech). Each cluster consists of relevant specialised gateways and a dedicated support office, which can assist you with any questions you may have about the Technology Gateway network or the next Innovation Voucher call.
Applied IoT Cluster
The Applied IoT Technology Gateway Cluster is a consortium of five Technology Gateways, COMAND, IMaR, Nimbus, TSSG and WiSAR. It provides companies looking for specialist technical capabilities for Internet of Things (IoT) research and development with access to over 250 full-time engineers and researchers. The Applied IoT cluster engages with a wide variety of sectors from agriculture to retail, buildings to transportation and energy to security and can provide you with the appropriate R&D tools and resources you may require. The cluster works with companies of all sizes including, start-ups, HPSUs, SMEs and multinationals.
How can the Applied IoT cluster and an Innovation Voucher help your company?
We continue to nourish and strengthen our already close connections with industry and this is visible in our results. As each IoT project is different, the assistance provided is tailored to meet its specific needs. On time and within budget, delivery of projects is ensured by dedicated cluster teams who provide a wide variety of support and assistance ranging from MVP development, business model development, process optimisation, customer interface, technical specification, new service development and technology audits.
Innovation Vouchers are often the initial step for engagement between a company and a Gateway, with many progressing onto larger Enterprise Ireland Innovation Partnership projects. Here are some case studies from Irish companies – Smart Factory, TownApps and Fusion Payments – who share their experience of collaborating with the Applied IoT cluster Gateways.
Innovation Voucher case studies
The Smart Factory & Nimbus partnership
Smart Factory approached the Nimbus Technology Gateway to implement an IoT platform to collect, store and visualise data coming from a factory setting and control devices through the OPC-UA protocol. The platform needed to be flexible to accommodate future deployments, provision redundancy and high availability. An additional project provides for visual assistance by illuminating relevant inventory containers during component packaging procedures.
“The work being delivered by the Nimbus Technology Gateway is pivotal to Smart Factory’s Industry 4.0 services offering. The team have been very innovative and the whole experience to date has certainly been worthwhile, amazing value and rewarding. We are currently planning further projects with the Nimbus Technology Gateway for 2019 and beyond.”
Brendan Sheppard – CEO, Smart Factory Solutions
The TownApps & COMAND partnership
The final project resulted in a complete system for the configuration, build, and deployment of multiple mobile apps with an associated cloud-based website, database, and application functionality from a single template with minimal owner involvement. Online apps can now be produced from a single code-base in combination with a unique city configuration, reducing delivery time, maintenance time, and creating greater end-customer features.
“Townapps inherited an old platform to publish our original apps. This platform was built on unstable technology and wouldn’t allow us to scale our business internationally in a cost-effective, secure, flexible and future-proof way. Our clients wanted a host of new offerings including live trails and other critical user engagement techniques. We engaged the team at COMAND with the assistance of an Innovation Partnership to travel the journey with us and give us the necessary software development expertise and advice. The end result is a very balanced solution to roll out our much improved apps in faster time. There are now very few limitations on the many new commercial opportunities that we can bolt into our existing platform as and when these opportunities arise.”
Joe Connaughton – CEO, TownApps
The Fusion Payments & TSSG partnership
For the new wave of digital banking apps, the route to market has largely been to build a core, prepaid card-based account, integrating some budgeting and financial management – there has been little from an aggregation perspective. Fusion Payments wanted to be the only bank app that clients will ever need, with mobile features enabling customers to manage the breadth of their financial lives in the palm of their hand.
The company’s approach is to start with aggregation, which will provide genuine integrated analysis and insight. Fusion will be a virtual banking dashboard where customers can do all their day-to-day bank errands, across any account in any bank, with a layer of real insight to help them get more out of their money.
“We have been really impressed with the TSSG team and the level of research that they have put in and their obvious technical experience. Very professional, proactive and great to work with.”
Richard Hartnett – Director, Fusion Payments
Further information
For more information visit the Applied IoT page and follow them on Twitter for all the latest news and events.
