What is a Competence Centre?
Who can apply?
What are the expected impacts?
How will participating companies benefit?
How can participating researchers benefit?
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.
Back to Top
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.
How can researchers providers participate?
Participation is 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. Expression of Interest calls may 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.
Back to Top
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).
If you have any other queries, please contact the Programme Manager .