Collaborate with Industry in Ireland

Working with companies, or clusters of companies, offers many benefits to researchers including:

  • Exposure to the challenges and business opportunities facing industry
  • Opportunity to transfer your technology into a company and see it in action in the marketplace
  • Access to funding for you and your research team
  • Practical experience and the opportunity to work on placement in companies for your students

Here is a brief introduction to our programmes which are designed to introduce you to companies and facilitate increased collaboration. Click on the links below to access more details on each programme;

 

Innovation Vouchers

Small companies spend their €5,000 vouchers in more than 40 registered knowledge providers in exchange for innovative solutions to small business challenges.

If you would like to work on an Innovation Voucher project to deliver a technical solution to a business challenge, you should find out who is the dedicated ‘Knowledge Provider contact’ in your institute and let them know you are interested. 

Full details of the Innovation Voucher initiative and the contact details for the registered knowledge providers contact in your institute are available on the Innovation Vouchers website.

 

Innovation Partnership Programme

This programme supports collaborative research projects between Irish Higher Education Institutes and companies. The financial support is provided to the college with a financial input also required from the partner company.

The proposal process and administration of the project is managed by the participating institute.   

Researchers participating in an Innovation Partnership will benefit from the opportunity to work with companies to solve real technical challenges and new product/service development. The Innovation Partnership Initiative also allows researchers to apply for a small grant to undertake a feasibility study that could lead to a full Innovation Partnership project. 

For more details on how to apply for support , go to Enterprise Ireland Innovation Partnership Initiative.

 

Disruptive Technologies Innovation Fund

The Department of Business, Enterprise & Innovation Disruptive Technologies Innovation Fund (DTIF) facilitates collaboration between Ireland’s research base and industry in support of the development and adoption of new disruptive technologies and applications, which will in turn help build new technologies for world markets and strengthen the competitiveness of the enterprise sector.

DTIF focuses on collaborative research partnerships between enterprises and allows for Research Performing Organisations (RPOs) including universities and other institutes to be involved.

Researchers participating in the fund will have the opportunity to work with companies on projects that develop and deploy disruptive technologies to deliver new solutions for the Irish economy. For more information, go to Disruptive Technologies Innovation Fund (DTIF).