What is a Competence Centre?
Who can apply?
What are the expected impacts?
How will participating companies benefit?
How can participating researchers benefit?
What is the overall process/timescale?
What is entailed in preparing a Detailed Description of Needs?
How can researchers providers participate?
What happens if an Expression of Interest is unsuccessful?
What is the funding mechanism?
What is different about Competence Centres compared to other programmes provided by Enterprise Ireland, IDA Ireland and Science Foundation Ireland?
How is this Governance achieved?
How is Intellectual Property treated?

What is a Competence Centre?

Competence Centres are collaborative entities established and led by industry and resourced by highly-qualified researchers associated with research institutions who are empowered to undertake market focussed strategic research for the benefit of industry.

The objective of the Competence Centre initiative is to achieve competitive advantage for industry in Ireland by accessing the innovative capacity of the research community.

These industry-led collaborative research entities are the 'new hope' for Ireland Inc.  Not only will the companies participating in these centres benefit from the shared intellectual property and research produced, but Ireland's economy will benefit in terms of knowledge generated and retained in this country, knowledge that currently is generated overseas.

Who can apply?

Any group of companies with common research interests that are active R&D performers or that have committed to increase their performance in R&D or that has a clear strategic plan to engage in R&D should consider becoming part of a Competence Centre.

What are the expected impacts?

Core impacts that are expected to come from Competence Centres (due to a change of this significance in the level and nature of the interaction between companies and researchers) include:

• Evolution of companies and commercialisation of products and processes.
• Increased company expenditure and involvement in R&D, including the leveraging other R&D funding streams.
• Exports, spin offs, patents and licences.
• Additional less tangible impacts are expected in the two-way transfer of knowledge between the markets and academia and training of researchers, transferring to industry with improved skills and networks.

How will participating companies benefit?

• Opportunities to engage in higher-risk, longer term research into market problems that, once solved, can offer a competitive edge;
• Direct input into the strategic direction of the centre's research;
• Access to intellectual property and early influence on its exploitation;
• Chance to recruit highly-skilled graduates;
• Networking with senior and influential researchers that could lead to involvement in EU, State and other R&D initiatives.

How can participating researchers benefit?

• Dynamic interaction with industry ensuring relevance of your research.
• Longer term funding mechanism allowing time to bring research to fruition, easing of continuity issues.
• Possibility to become involved directly in industry through spin out, IP exploitation etc.
• Access to larger streams of funding to develop research infrastructure by leveraging of other research schemes.

What is the overall process/timescale?

Expressions of Interest are invited from groups of companies.  They will be required to outline their common research interest and likely impact of a competence centre on their business area.

The Agencies (Enterprise Ireland & IDA Ireland) encourage interested groups of companies to consult with them on aspects of Competence Centres, including, what they are, what they are intended to achieve and what is the best approach to submitting an Expression of Interest.

The Expression of Interest call will close initially on 11th May '07 (at Close of Business), and they will be assessed by an evaluation panel established by the Agencies with a further call in approximately 6 months time.  The Agencies will prioritise those groups whose Expressions of Interest indicate the highest potential impact.

It is proposed that in the order of five centres will be funded in the first call and accordingly five Expressions of Interest will be selected.  Depending on the companies involved and the nature of the proposal, one of the Agencies will act as the main contact point for the group, with the support of the other Agency as required.  The Agencies will co-operate closely with these groups to develop their Detailed Description of Needs.  This may involve the Agencies providing external facilitators or consultants as deemed necessary to make progress to that point, as the process is known to be extremely involved and requires intensive effort to bring to resolution.  Each individual proposition will be examined in terms of expected impacts and potential for success.  Once the Agencies are convinced of the merits of the individual propositions they can then proceed to the next stage.

It is anticipated that some of the Expressions of Interest may lend themselves to the merging of groups or proactive redirection towards other more appropriate initiatives and the Agencies will endeavour to assist in this from an early stage.  Consideration will be given to support some industry groups through the Industry Led Research Networks Programme as a preparatory stage.

A set of criteria for assessing the Detailed Description of Needs will be developed and published at an early stage of this process.

What is entailed in preparing a Detailed Description of Needs?

The Detailed Description of Needs will be likely to include some of the following:

• numbers of companies involved;
• commercial and economic impacts;
• research and training plans;
• description of structure;
• chair and director;
• location;
• IPR agreement;
• business plan.

This Detailed Description of Needs, if assessed as being of sufficient strength and priority by the Agencies, can then be published as an invitation to research providers to participate.

How can researchers providers participate?

Participation will be invited from non-profit research organisations and third level institutions and these will be evaluated by external and independent evaluators against the Detailed Description of Needs.  Successful participants will then, with the active assistance of the Agencies, be engaged in negotiation with the group of companies in order to form a Competence Centre Consortium.  The intended outcome is that these negotiations will lead to the establishment of a Competence Centre, with the attendant legal and contractual documentation in place.

What happens if an Expression of Interest is unsuccessful?

Groups that are not prioritised at the initial round of the Expression of Interest stage will continue to be engaged by the Agencies, albeit in a less intensive manner.  A second, and possibly subsequent rounds, of Expression of Interest calls will be launched, giving more time to groups that have not sufficiently developed their thoughts and requirements to a stage where the potential impact is clear to the Agencies.

What is the funding mechanism?

The requirements of each Competence Centre will be different, but as a guide a successful centre would operate with State funding of the order of €2M per year over a 5 year period.  Continued funding would depend upon a range of metrics such as increasing industry research funding, growing the numbers of companies involved, licences and the revenue from them and spin-offs, new products and processes leading to increased export sales.

What is different about Competence Centres compared to other programmes provided by Enterprise Ireland, IDA Ireland and Science Foundation Ireland?

Competence Centres share many features with other initiatives, however, they are structured uniquely in that they are industry led and governed, whilst operating in the longer term research area.  They are intended to be physical entities, with critical mass of researchers and infrastructure.  In addition the research direction can be re-focused to take advantage of market opportunities as they arise.

How is this Governance achieved?

A board is formed, with an industry chair, and industry leadership, which is empowered to function as a board by a legal agreement.  This may involve a consortium agreement with a number of companies and research providers, or the formation of a separate non-profit legal entity depending on the needs of the companies involved.

How is Intellectual Property treated?

Intellectual Property Rights will need to be dealt with by a formal agreement between the parties, which allows companies to join a centre over time.  This is recognised as a process that will require considerable effort and time to complete, and must, therefore, be dealt with prior to completion of a Competence Centre Contract.

Exploitation will be by prior agreements made in the Consortium, and subject to approval by the relevant State Agency (Enterprise Ireland or IDA Ireland).

The general position for Agency funded research work is set out in 'Funding Agency Requirements and Guidelines for Managing Research Generated Intellectual Property', copy available on request from Enterprise Ireland or IDA Ireland.

If you have any other queries, please contact the Programme Manager .