Enterprise Ireland
Annual Report and Accounts 2004
Annual Report and Accounts 2004
Sustainable business growth and economic development are driven by innovation and the creation of sophisticated products and services. Encouraging such pioneering activities is a central part of Enterprise Ireland’s strategy.
Ireland needs to foster this culture of innovation in order to stay competitive against the low cost countries that have emerged in world markets.
In line with the EU’s Lisbon Agenda and the recent report to the Inter Departmental Committee on Science, Technology & Innovation entitled Building Ireland’s Knowledge Economy, Enterprise Ireland has re-structured its approach to intensify its support in the area of R&D and innovation.
Our activities under Research and Innovation fall under: In-company Research and Development; Applications-Driven Research; and International Science and Technology.
Enterprise Ireland continues to support companies to develop new innovative products and services through our Technology, Automation and Productivity Unit. In 2004, approximately €50 million was invested in companies to support in-company R&D activities. €20 million was approved to support 54 projects in Enterprise Ireland client companies through the R&D Initiatives Scheme (formerly known as the R&D Capability Scheme). In addition, the Research, Technology and Innovation (RTI) Scheme approved over €30 million in funding to 154 R&D projects within companies in Ireland.
A tns/MRBI survey of RTI recipients carried out in early 2004 of almost 100 companies showed that over 85% of companies introduced new products and two-thirds recruited new R&D staff as a result of RTI investment. More than 60% of recipients also cited benefits relating to: the strategic planning of new product development; application prioritisation and costing; idea generation; and technology road mapping.
This excellent impact of RTI spend was also reinforced by case study reviews conducted by independent consultants. Many companies found that their involvement in the RTI scheme led to: improved resource allocation to R&D; enhanced staff knowledge and expertise; better R&D procedures and management; and greater interaction between different company departments.
R&D Awareness Campaign: In 2004, Enterprise Ireland continued to hold briefing seminars followed up by three day one-to-one strategy sessions with selected consultants for companies throughout Ireland. A total of 160 participants from all over Ireland attended these briefing seminars.
Innovation Management Initiative: This initiative provides training on all aspects of innovation and R&D management, with courses that range from introductory level through to more advanced targeted tuition, paying close attention to the needs of technical and marketing staff in SMEs. This is in line with Forfás’ recent ‘Innovate Market Sell’ report. In 2004, a total of 238 company personnel from a variety of sectors including food, consumer packaged goods and healthcare participated.
Technology Transfer Service: Complementary to in-company R&D, our Technology Transfer service assists companies to acquire useful technologies from international sources through licence or joint venture agreements. A key source for such technologies is the Innovation Relay Network across Europe, managed here by Enterprise Ireland. In 2004, 20 international and five national agreements were facilitated by this service. These included the licensing-in of technologies for engineering, fishing and confectionery industries, as well as the licensing out of technologies in medical signal processing and food packaging industries.
