Help your company grow by using the Market Research Centre

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With Brexit a reminder of the importance of diversifying and discovering exciting new export opportunities, Enterprise Ireland’s Market Research Centre can help.

Conducting the right market research is vital for businesses to maintain their competitive edge and enjoy successful export growth. According to a recent Enterprise Ireland survey, more than four out of five businesses plan to diversify into the Eurozone – a smart move given its potential export market value of €38bn alone.

Enterprise Ireland-supported companies can benefit from support in their plans to expand their reach. Here are five ways that our Market Research Centre can help.

 

1. Access world-class market research

Conducting market research before exporting into new markets can cost time, money and resources for which your business must budget. The Market Research Centre can help by providing access to up-to-date premium market research reports from some of the world’s leading market research publishers, such as Euromonitor International, Frost & Sullivan, and Mintel.

The Centre provides access to:

  • Country reports
  • Global company profiles
  • Industry sector reports
  • Trend forecasts.

The Centre is available free-of-charge to companies supported by Enterprise Ireland across the regional office network.

With some individual reports costing tens of thousands of euro, the potential value of using the service is immense.

 

2. Know your markets

When planning to export, the most important step is to learn as much about your new target market as possible. Accessing the latest research available through the Market Research Centre will help you to understand potential export regions and the competitors already operating there. Questions you should consider include:

  • What is the size of the market?
  • Who are the big players?
  • Is there a dominant brand in the market

       

      3. Know your channels

      When Abcon, an abrasives and industrial hose manufacturer from Co. Cavan wanted to increase exports to the Eurozone after the Brexit referendum, they needed to understand the markets that would help to grow the business.

      With a high volume of sales driven by internet searches, accurate information about the names of products in local languages proved essential to underpinning successful international digital marketing tactics.

      Lyn Sharkey, Sales and Marketing Director for Abcon, says that the Market Research Centre’s information specialists helped the company to obtain such information, in addition to lists of potential leads and trade events to attend – all of which would have been far more difficult to source alone.

       

      4. Insights about your customers

      Understanding the demographics of a market and the competitors already succeeding there is of little value unless you also understand your new potential customers, and how your offerings should be tweaked or positioned to best appeal to them.

      One of the most vital considerations for any company is: “what does your customer want, and how does it differ from what you’re already doing and delivering?”.

      When Irish Dog Foods, the Naas-based pet food manufacturer, was planning to enter the South Korean market, they asked these same questions. The company turned to the Market Research Centre to learn which customers it should sell to.

      “One of the things we learned during our market research is that there are practically no large dogs in Korea,” says Darren Keating, Marketing Manager of Irish Dog Foods. “That meant we specifically targeted the owners of small dogs. That information came from the Market Research Centre.”

       

      5. Guidance from information specialists

      The Market Research Centre’s information specialists have a wealth of experience and are available to guide you to the most relevant reports and databases for your needs, and to provide support before and during your visit.

      Sometimes the best support is reassurance from a specialist that you are heading in the right direction, allowing you to use your time efficiently.

       

      Contact Us

      Contact the Market Research Centre to discuss your research request and to arrange a visit to our centre in Dublin or to any of our eight regional office hubs.

      Phone: +353 (1) 727 2324

      Email: market.research@enterprise-ireland.com

      Opening Hours: Monday-Friday 9am-5pm

      Cubic Telecom is Helping Germany’s Biggest Carmakers to Drive Forward

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      “Enterprise Ireland is always extremely helpful in terms of providing meeting space and setting up partner meetings, finding out beforehand who we want to make contact with and enabling those briefings at the show.” Gerry McQuaid, CCO Cubic Telecom

      Overview:

      • Sector: IoT
      • Markets: APAC, China, Europe, USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Middle East
      • Supports: Trade Missions & Events, International Office Network

      Case Study: Cubic Telecom

      In an always-on world where consumers expect instant access to information and experiences, car manufacturers are clamouring to ensure that 24/7 connectivity is provided behind the wheel — and Dublin-based Cubic Telecom is supplying the solution.

      Cubic’s global connectivity platform PACE enables cars and other devices to automatically connect to high-speed local mobile networks around the world. The company is a fully licensed mobile services provider powering high-quality connectivity worldwide for global manufacturers, including six brands within Volkswagen Group, e.GO Electric Vehicles and Panasonic Automotive, among others.

      Not to mention, Cubic’s connected car solution supports 2.5 million cars in 93 markets globally, with capabilities across Europe, North America, Latin America, the Middle East, Russia, Africa and Asia-Pacific.

      “Our focus spans wider than the Irish market,” reveals CCO Gerry McQuaid, who has been part of the Cubic Telecom team from its beginning in 2009. “Obviously we support the sale of our partners’ products in Ireland but we are focused on the global market and we have had that global focus from the start.”

      But scaling internationally requires more than identifying a global customer base and Gerry says Enterprise Ireland’s assistance has been critical in helping Cubic to forge strategic partnerships every step of the way.

       

      Powering global connections

      When Cubic Telecom made its first foray into the international market, it was with a SIM card that let travellers make low-cost phone calls from anywhere in the world without incurring huge roaming charges. But the company soon switched gears to focus on creating technology that would connect any device to the internet while abroad and in 2012 took part in a major trade mission to China, helmed by Enterprise Ireland and then Taoiseach Enda Kenny.

      “Enterprise Ireland helped to arrange private meetings in China with the Taoiseach which gave a fantastic boost to our fledging profile in China,” Gerry says, noting that the trip ultimately helped to cement our business relationships with Qualcomm, Lenovo and China Unicom.

      At the same time, demand for vehicle connectivity was on the rise. Automakers wanted to transform cars into infotainment centres on wheels and Cubic Telecom’s technology, which is embedded at the manufacturing stage, could enable standardised vehicles to offer connected services anywhere in the world.

      “We’ve always attended MWC and exhibited as part of Enterprise Ireland’s pavilion stand. That’s where we meet our customers, prospects, mobile operator partners, technology partners and important industry analysts every year,” Gerry says. “We are delighted with the support provided to us by Enterprise Ireland in regard to exhibition stand facilities and the arrangement of key meetings ahead of each event.”

      Cubic’s first auto contract was with German car giant Audi, which was looking to provide its drivers with a fully digital experience — something that traditional mobile operators were struggling to achieve.

      “We were delighted to partner with the leading automotive brand within Volkswagen Group and this partnership has been an intrinsic part of developing our business success in Germany,” Gerry says.

      As a result, Germany is one of Cubic’s biggest overseas markets.

      “It’s important to point out that we did not select Germany as a generic target market,” Gerry says. “Instead, we looked at the world’s biggest automotive manufacturers and decided which companies we wished to build a partnership with. This naturally led us to Germany, the home of some of the world’s top auto manufacturers. We were very careful to take the time to understand what is required to do business successfully with large prestigious German companies and we had excellent support from the Enterprise Ireland team in Germany.”

      Enterprise Ireland still works closely with Cubic Telecom to support its continued growth in other international markets.

      “As well as being part of Enterprise Ireland’s pavilion at MWC Barcelona annually, last year we participated with Enterprise Ireland in MWC Americas in Los Angeles for the first time. That proved to be a great success,” shares Elaine Murray, Cubic Telecom’s External Communications Manager, adding, “Enterprise Ireland is always extremely helpful in terms of providing meeting space and setting up partner meetings, finding out beforehand who we want to make contact with and enabling those briefings at the show.”

      Besides trade shows and networking opportunities, Cubic Telecom is often invited to sit on conference panels hosted by Enterprise Ireland, which Elaine describes as “integral” to the company’s exposure in foreign markets. Gerry agrees: “We’re always more than happy to participate because it’s a win-win situation.”

      Brazil, Brexit and beyond

      One of the next stops on Cubic’s path to world domination is Brazil, a notoriously tough nut for non-Brazilian car manufacturers to crack in terms of IoT connected device services.

      “We have received excellent advice from Enterprise Ireland to assist with setting up our local presence in Brazil,” Gerry says. “Like in Germany, we align ourselves with the markets that our customers have prioritised. As all of the world’s major automotive companies want to sell connected cars in Brazil, we prioritised establishing a unique locally compliant solution for global automotive and IoT companies there.”

      Speaking of complicated, while the UK is not a dominant market for Cubic, it is an important one for many of the company’s customers.

      “If you’re driving on the motorways in the UK, most of the cars are German-built cars, so Brexit does have a concern for us in terms of what’s going to happen to the ease of doing business but we’re not as exposed as other companies because we are used to dealing with complicated market conditions around the world,” Gerry says.

      His advice: Irish companies must reduce their dependence on the UK market, regardless of the Brexit outcome.

      “Any Irish company that’s trying to do business in overseas markets has a very valuable resource that is always there to help in Enterprise Ireland,”

      “Start by considering the needs of the customer you are selling to, what solution you are selling, who you need to sell it to and what markets those target customers are in. Then leverage the Enterprise Ireland regional offices to get introductions to the people in that market who you need to meet.”

      Read more on the supports available to help your business diversify into new markets or speak to your Development Advisor today.

       

      Horizon 2020: Supporting transformation in the agri-food sector

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      “There were multiple challenges, including a substantial amount of EU politics at the start with many partners wanting to take the lead, but we were determined to keep DEMETER rooted in Ireland.”

      Kevin Doolin, Co-ordinator of the DEMETER project and Director of Innovation at Telecommunications Software & Systems Group

      Overview:

      • TSSG, part of the Waterford Institute of Technology, is leading a project that aims to transform Europe’s agri-food sector through the rapid adoption of advanced Internet of Things technologies, data science and smart farming.
      • The DEMETER project is being significantly funded by the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme.
      • With 60 partners, 18 countries and 20 pilots, DEMETER is one of the largest Horizon 2020 projects coordinated by an Irish entity and is expected to have significant impact across the agri-tech sector in Europe, and beyond.

      The European Union has identified smart farming as a key component in supporting sustainable agriculture and food production, protecting natural resources and boosting food safety. At the heart of this is the need for new technology and standards to achieve full supply chain interoperability.

      This is the subject of DEMETER, a large-scale, €17.7m Horizon 2020 project involving 60 partners across 18 countries, 6,000 farmers and 38,000 devices.

      At the helm of DEMETER is Kevin Doolin, Director of Innovation at Telecommunications Software & Systems Group (TSSG), an internationally recognised centre of excellence for ICT research and innovation and part of the Waterford Institute of Technology.

      “The situation now is that you have various different elements in the agri supply chain – machinery, warehouses, trucks, sensors and so on – but none of these systems talk to each other so it’s impossible to get a holistic view from farm to fork,” explains Doolin.

      “With DEMETER we’re trying to connect those elements, so we’re developing new industry standards, writing software for platforms and building interfaces.”

      DEMETER’s goal is nothing less than the digital transformation of Europe’s agri-food sector and it includes a series of 20 pilot programmes that aim to demonstrate the impact of the technology.

      A key deliverable is the DEMETER Dashboard. “This will give farmers an instant update on the status of their farm. It’s a precision support system that provides information to assist decision making, and increase productivity and efficiency,” says Doolin.

       

       

      The Horizon 2020 process

      The first step in the Horizon 2020 process is building the consortium, which Doolin did using his extensive network of contacts and the opportunities afforded by networking events run by the Commission.

      “It’s important to identify a core set of partners that you can rely on to help write the proposal. Within DEMETER there are about 10 partners that did most of the heavy lifting on that, and then we drew on expertise from the other partners when required.

      “We also engaged quite heavily with Enterprise Ireland’s National Contact Points who were able to introduce us to additional partners. And the EI financial support we got to write the proposal was really important.”

      As a highly experienced Horizon 2020 co-ordinator, Doolin was aware of the challenges a project of this size, one of the largest ever coordinated by an Irish entity, presents.

      “There were multiple challenges, including a substantial amount of EU politics at the start with many partners wanting to take the lead, but we were determined to keep DEMETER rooted in Ireland,” says Doolin.

      Co-ordinating 60 partners is an ongoing challenge but one that is mitigated, says Doolin, by having good work package leaders.

      “Each Horizon 2020 project is structured into a number of work packages with specific roles. If you have a good team of work package leaders you can leverage them very heavily to co-ordinate the overall effort.”

      Moreover, the challenges are offset by the benefits.

      “Horizon 2020 enables us to engage in large-scale work, with a substantial group of partners from across the agri supply chain. We have access to technology providers, research and academic experts, real works users and policy makers,” says Doolin.

       

      Walk before you run 

      Involvement in a Horizon 2020 project can be as a partner organisation or as co-ordinator. Doolin strongly recommends starting as a partner.

      “I estimate the level of work involved in being a participant versus co-ordinating to be about 1:10, so I think the best place for institutions to start is by partnering on a proposal and maybe taking a work package leader role where you’re involved in writing the proposal. After you’ve done a few projects you can go down the route of co-ordination, starting with a small project.”

      Doolin also advises engaging early with Enterprise Ireland to find out the project topics that are coming up in the next Horizon round of funding, and starting to build the consortium before the Commission launches the call for proposals.

      “After the call you’ve only three months to write the proposal, which isn’t a lot of time,” he says.

      “It’s also important to tell Enterprise Ireland what proposals you’re writing or you can end up in a situation where different entities in Ireland are writing competing proposals when in fact we should be collaborating. Enterprise Ireland is the mechanism for bridging that gap.”

      Within the DEMETER project €1m of funding has been reserved to be given out to new partners who want to join the programme.

      “We’ll be issuing our own mini-calls for proposals starting on September 16, inviting SMEs and farmers and so on to come up with a small project idea that will test elements of DEMETER in different scenarios.

      “These open call projects are something that I think industry in Ireland needs to take advantage of. It’s a really good way for companies to get into Horizon 2020 and get quite a bit of funding to do just one trial of the technology.”

      For advice or further information about applying for Horizon 2020 support please contact HorizonSupport@enterprise-ireland.com or consult www.horizoneurope.ie

       

      Québec Offers Potential for Irish Business, Exports

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      Home to nearly a quarter of the Canadian population, the Quebec province includes one of North America’s largest, most vibrant, and perhaps overlooked markets. With world-class universities, a talented workforce, an abundance of natural resources and the lowest operations and energy costs in North America, Quebec attracts a diverse range of tech companies and start-ups to its historical, inviting cities.

      A common understanding is that “selling and exporting to Canada, overlooking the province of Quebec would be similar to promoting your products in the U.S. but disregarding California, New York, and Florida, which together constitute a similar percentage of the overall population.” Additionally, The Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) between Canada and Europe means the timing is right to invest more in partnerships with Canada, as benefits for Ireland and Québec based companies include tariff free trade, easier access to procurement opportunities, and much more.

      With a populace of more than 4.2 million, Montréal, Québec’s main metropolis, attracts tourists, companies and investors from all around the world. This French-speaking province boasts a high standard of living and a highly-educated workforce that fully embraces cutting-edge technology. Quebec holds excellent potential for Irish business, especially in shared strength areas such as transportation, aerospace, AI, data centers, life sciences, digital media and agriculture.

       

      Artificial Intelligence

      In Montréal alone, there are eleven universities, sixty colleges, and the highest number of post-secondary students in Canada, so it’s no surprise that the city offers the world’s largest concentration of academic researchers in deep learning. Canada is home to several AI pioneers and their research has attracted a vibrant, international community of data scientists. Not only has this created a diverse talent pool, it has sparked significant investment in bridging the gap between research labs and industry.

       

      Data Centres

      Attracted by the lowest energy costs in all of North America, the Quebec province draws many large-power customers, including data centers and other tech-based enterprises. Affordable energy benefits most everyone in the province, with Natural Resources Canada noting that in Québec, the residential rates are nearly 1.5 times lower than Toronto and four times lower than New York.

       

      Aerospace

      Many are surprised to learn that the Canadian province of Quebec is home to the world’s third-largest hub for the aerospace industry. Many large players, including Bombardier, Pratt & Whitney, Rolls-Royce Canada, CAE, Bell Helicopter, Safran, Lockheed Martin, and Thales, and a long list of suppliers and sub-contractors contribute to this critical and vibrant business sector.

       

      Transportation

      Canada has a booming smart transportation hub with over 1,000 companies in the industry. Drawn to the region by low energy and operations costs as well as the workforce talent, many hybrid vehicles and specialized electric vehicles are now manufactured in Québec, including city buses (Nova Bus); Class 7 trucks (Paccar Open); mining vehicles by (SCP 89’s Minautor); modular industrial vehicles by (Kargo), and small trains and transportation shuttles from (Wattman Trains & Trams), to name a few.

       

      Gaming & Entertainment

      Since the 1980s, Quebec has brought creativity and innovation to the gaming and entertainment industries. Today, Quebec is recognized as one of the world’s top five video game production cities after Tokyo, London, San Francisco and Austin. There were more than 11,000 people employed in Quebec’s video game industry in 2017. Additionally, Quebec is home to the largest Visual Effects (VFX) and animation hubs in Canada and is regarded as a world leader in VFX development.

       

      Life Sciences

      Québec’s pool of skilled research personnel positions the region among the world’s best for life science innovation. Built upon an environment of collaboration between companies and research centers, Quebec is the sixth-largest life sciences and health technologies hubs in North America. More than 130 companies in the biotechnology industry employ 4,700 people in the greater Montreal area.

      Agriculture & Fresh Water

      With an abundance of natural resources, including more than half a million lakes and 4,500 rivers supplying fresh water throughout the province, Quebec supports a robust and thriving agribusiness. With nearly 8,000 dairy farms, Quebec’s dairy industry is the largest in Canada. And the region’s farmers produce nearly 90% of the world’s maple syrup.

       

      Mining

      One-fifth of Canada’s mining output comes from Québec. The providence is the largest producer of zinc and the second-largest producer of gold and iron in Canada. More than 15 different metals and 13 minerals are mined and produced in Quebec, including lithium and apatite. Québec is one of the rare producers of niobium, titanium dioxide, cobalt and platinum in the world.

       

      Parlez-vous Français?

      While you may have spent time in parts of Europe where most of the population is comfortable in English despite it not being their native language, this is not the case in Quebec. Only 43% of Quebecers are bilingual, and while younger generations and the business community tend to be more comfortable in English, you will encounter many Quebecers who speak little to no English. Fortunately, Quebecers are exceptionally good-natured and welcoming, and if your French is not strong, they will do their best to communicate.

      In all, Quebec is a dynamic, growing market that has adapted to the demands of the 21st century exceptionally well. Canada’s commitment to talent development, strong support for innovation, and low business costs make it a good match for all that Irish business has to offer. Taking the time to understand this market and build a business plan and market strategy which resonates Quebecers will be well rewarded.

       

      Enterprise Ireland’s top tips for entering the Singaporean market

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      Singapore, the gateway to SE Asia, is the regional business hub for ASEAN and the wider Asia Pacific region, providing stability and highly educated workforce, making it the perfect location to create a base.

      If you are considering doing business in Singapore, please be sure to explore our top tips to enter the market below and also be sure to reach out to our team in Singapore

      • Singapore’s English dominated business environment and business-friendly legal and tax systems give Irish companies at every stage of development the opportunity to establish a business presence in Singapore at relatively low risk.
      • Singapore’s highly-educated workforce, political stability, excellent air transport links, developed infrastructure, transparency in business operations and Western business practices mean that many companies adopt a “hub and spoke” approach, using Singapore as a base from which to access opportunities in neighbouring markets.
      • Singapore’s business language is English and it is spoken throughout the island among all ethnic groups.
      • Singapore has the highest per capita spend on healthcare in ASEAN, which averages 4% of GDP, and this is expected to increase annually as the Government seeks to invest in quality healthcare infrastructure and services making it an attractive market for medical device and life science companies.
      • Singapore is seeing increased activity in the Life science sector. There are opportunities for client companies currently selling into the pharma and medical device supply chain in Ireland as many of the same global multinationals also have strong presences in Singapore e.g. Roche, Pfizer, GSK.
      • Singapore is a top-three global financial centre and therefore a key market for companies involved in financial services and fintech. Key activities include FX, wealth management, commodities trading, hedge funds & treasury.
      • There are over 210 banks and approx 1200 Financial Institutions registered in Singapore. Notable changes in the financial sector include the liberalisation of the banking market with the awarding of five digital banking licences in December 2020; the launch of the Variable Capital Company as an entity for new investment funds in Singapore, and the embrace of fintech and automation by the sector in enhancing competitiveness and innovation.
      • Punctuality is a sign of respect in Singapore. It is best to inform your Singaporean counterpart if you will be late.
      • Modesty and humility are key values in Singapore, therefore it is important not to “oversell” during initial meetings with Singaporean counterparts.
      • The decision-making process in Singapore is done collectively and up through the hierarchy, and therefore it may take more time than you are used to.
      • Over 200 Irish firms are already active in this market thanks to EI assistance, contact the local MA here.

      For more be sure to check out our Going Global Guide 

      If you would like to know what to prepare ahead of your first MA call, click the graphic below

      Key questions to ask at your Dutch Market Advisor meeting

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      This is an open discussion between you and one of our trusted Market Advisers, to discuss your business and the export opportunities that lie for you in the region. Below are some suggestions of questions to ask your MA, to learn more about the Dutch market, and the supports we can offer you.

      • What resources do you need? Enterprise Ireland can help entrepreneurs and businesses to scale and reach their potential, let it be from funding support, market insights, or finding the right contacts through international networks. Ask your MA what they can do to help you scale your business and enter the market prepared, confident and supported.
      • What are the opportunities in the market for your business? Ask your MA which opportunities lie within your sector, and how best to leverage these growth opportunities for your business.
      • What should the next steps be? Discuss forming a plan towards global exporting – have an open discussion and together plan objectives, goals and discuss what time frames to expect. Next steps may include further market research and discovery, funding applications or buyer introductions.

      Set up a call with our team in Amsterdam and be sure to check out our Going Global Guide.

      Enterprise Ireland’s top tips for entering the Dutch market can be viewed by clicking the graphic below.

      Why patents will help Neurent Medical crack the US market

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      Innovation runs through Irish medtech firms like writing in a stick of rock. It’s in their DNA.

      Innovation creates disruption, market advantage and growth – but unless firms take steps to protect the fruits of their R&D, their intellectual property (IP) is vulnerable – and so, too, the advantages it creates.

      If you are a small, VC funded, medical device company with disruptive technology that will unlock a US $2 billion market opportunity, an IP strategy from the get-go is almost as important as the product itself.

       

      Neurent Medical recognised need for IP strategy from the start

      Neurent Medical, a Galway-based medtech start-up, is developing a novel office-based device solution for the acute allergic and chronic conditions of rhinitis. It is a market currently served by vested pharmaceutical solutions or lengthy and costly surgical intervention.

      “With the size of the market that we have and how disruptive our technology is, we’re anticipating fast followers will emerge and try to move into our space,” says David Townley, Neurent Medical’s co-founder and CTO.

      “In our case, It isn’t just traditional medical devices that we’re disrupting; there is also a disruptive pharma interest. So, because of that we’ve gone a little deeper into IP strategy and IP establishment than other medical device companies at the same stage of development, because we have a pretty significant market to address.”

      The firm is aiming to address the tension that arises between its IP strategy and its market strategy, while at the same time working on what to patent – and when. Not only that but it also has to determine how long to keep its R&D protected internally as a trade secret and when to roll it out to file patents.

      Maintaining a trade secret may give a technological competitive edge but a firm risks having its future market landscape inhibited by a rival showing up who patents in the area first, said Townley.

       

      The race for first to file

      It is particularly relevant for Neurent Medical because their target launch market, the US, has changed its patent designation from first to invent to first to file, effectively creating a race.

      “Historically we were all religious about our lab notebooks and documenting our ideas and our inventions. Signing, dating, countersigning, and so forth. It showed we had a definitive point of proof of origin and date of establishment,” said Townley.

      “So when filing a patent, this record keeping was useful in demonstrating inventive origin; It was all about who was first to invent and first to invent used to win.

      “But in the last couple of years, the US PTO has converted their approach and transitioned to a first-to-file provision – so now it’s a race to the patent office and whoever gets there first wins, even if you came up with an idea first.”

      This has spawned a culture of patent trolling as firms attempt to file and fill areas with patents, many without merit, but costly to unpick for an SME with a genuine innovation.

      “It can be double edged because what the first-to-file provision has done is provide absolute clarity on what the disclosures are and simultaneously has established a sense of urgency to file because previously, if you were first to invent you could log and continue developing your innovation internally until it was robust. Then once it’s at a point of readiness you go to the USPTO. Now, because of the first-to-file provision, there’s a higher sense of urgency in getting your content into the USPTO, which creates genuine pressure, particularly for SMEs to file quickly” said Townley.

       

      Aligning market strategy with IP strategy

      This creates an even greater necessity to correctly align a firm’s market strategy with its IP strategy, he added.

      This is why Townley and the senior management team at Neurent spent a serious amount of time and money at the very start of the company’s journey sourcing the best patent attorney advice for their firm. It led them to California and to one of the world’s leading medical device incubators, The Foundry, where they asked them the simple question: Who do YOU use?

      “We knew we were novel and had created a world-leading technology and wanted the best attorneys reviewing our IP strategy and working with us on our positioning. When one of the biggest incubators in the world says this is their go-to guy, then it makes sense. An early robust review is important; there are a lot of dangers out there,” said Townley.

      Getting the advice and using Enterprise Ireland’s IP Start programme has seen the firm develop a patent strategy that deals in multiple patent clusters that weave together to establish a robust portfolio, according to Townley, which offers greater protection in the market area.

      “Our IP strategy is of fundamental strategic importance to us because it enables us to knit and grow our core technologies, R&D, and marketing with our commercial strategy and informs how we develop, deepen and expand our target markets,” he added.

      It has helped Neurent Medical grow and develop its roadmap and its latest round of funding raised €9.3 million, led by Fountain Healthcare Partners; including funds from Enterprise Ireland, which Townley in part attributes to having a sound IP strategy in place.

      “It’s absolutely fundamental. In fact, what you’ll see from the medtech investment community is that a poor IP strategy or a poor IP position; is simply a hard stop. Although it’s difficult to raise investment exclusively off the back of IP; it’s almost impossible to raise anything without it. That’s how critical this is.”

       

      Read how Enterprise Ireland can support your R&D ambitions with our range of Innovation supports.

      Firefly puts best foot forward with Agile R&D funding

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      “Without the Agile Innovation Fund, we just wouldn’t have had the capital to get the ball rolling on our R&D project. The funding has been central to streamlining our in-house processes and developing the app.”

      Conor Lynch, Marketing and Sales Lead, Firefly Orthoses

      Key Takeouts:

      • Firefly needed to streamline in-house processes and systems and invest in the development of new technology that would increase the speed and range of products they could supply.
      • Firefly recognised that support could help improve efficiencies and turnaround times by digitizing processes with the development of a bespoke solution.
      • Support from Enterprise Ireland’s Agile Innovation Fund is helping Firefly to reduce its reliance on third-party contract manufacturers, allowing the company to grow their margins while delivering faster turnaround times to customers.

      Case Study: Firefly Orthoses

      While success is what all companies strive for, it can also present challenges for a growing business. That was the case for Sligo company Firefly Orthoses, who, after 16 years had grown to employ over 20 people, designing, manufacturing and supplying custom-made foot orthoses. Its range of mostly UK customers included podiatrists, the NHS, sports clubs such as Liverpool FC and Chelsea FC, and British military Regional Rehabilitation Units.

      Firefly was founded by podiatrist Martin McGeough in 2003. Martin has close to 30 years’ experience in clinical biomechanics and orthotic therapy. During his career, he has provided podiatric advice to a number of Premier League football teams, in addition to lecturing in podiatry at Trinity College Dublin and mentoring podiatrists internationally.

      Firefly needed to invest time and resources to improve their internal ordering processes. The company also wanted to develop new technology that would increase the speed and range of products they could supply.

       

      Agile innovation allowed Firefly Orthoses to leverage the potential of 3D printing technology

      Conor Lynch, Marketing and Sales Lead at Firefly Orthoses, explains: “The company had grown since it was founded around 2007 and we were solving in-house problems as they came along. We had a lot of short-term fixes building on top of one another. Our in-house order processing system was becoming quite complicated and we were working off multiple spreadsheets to record and document all our order processes. As staff numbers increased, these systems became almost unmanageable, so we needed a software solution to streamline all our in-house processes and systems.

      “We also wanted to harness the development of 3D printing technology for our customers, including creating an iPad app for our podiatrist customers to make it easier for them to scan and submit measurements and order products.

      “Currently, our customers capture their patient’s data, the shape of the foot, by creating a plaster of Paris cast or using a foam box. The podiatrist would then send the cast of the patient’s foot or the foam box with the impression of the foot and we would manufacture the products from that model.

      “Our products are already an exact match for the anatomy of each client, but there is tremendous scope for improving efficiencies and turnaround times by digitizing the whole process. We knew there were solutions out there and we also knew that we needed to research and develop a bespoke solution for our own needs.”

       

      Support from Enterprise Ireland’s Agile Innovation Fund

      Firefly looked at various grant schemes from different organisations before deciding to apply to Enterprise Ireland’s Agile Innovation Fund for support for their R&D programme in January 2018.

      The Agile Innovation Fund offers up to 50% funding to a maximum of €150,000 in grant aid for projects with a total cost of up to €300,000. Firefly was approved for 45% funding shortly after applying in January 2018. However, the quick turnaround of their application wasn’t they only advantage of Agile.

      “Enterprise Ireland was able to tell us what was and wasn’t going to work in terms of the criteria for funding the project,” Conor explains. “We knew what we wanted to achieve, we knew what goals we wanted to arrive at, but we weren’t quite sure of the steps that we needed to take to get there, so having that support during the application process was really helpful.

      “Agile gave us a huge amount of control over how we wanted to spend the grant. We were able to hire a software developer and a research and development manager to lead the project. It made the pathway towards achieving our goals much clearer.

      Firefly is now beta testing their app and 3D printing prototypes. The final step will be bringing their products to full 3D printer manufacturing and the company is in discussions with large industrial 3D printing operations throughout Europe to find the most suitable partner.

      Firefly’s customer base is 90% in the UK and 7% in Ireland, with the remainder being occasional orders from places like Sweden or Spain. However, many of Firefly’s products have an extended turnaround time because they come from third-party contract manufacturers in Canada and the US. Conor says that this will change by moving to 3D printing, with significant benefits for both Firefly and its customers.

      He comments: “Agile funding is helping us achieve the goal of producing our own products and reducing our reliance on third-party contract manufacturers. This will allow us to grow our margins, while our customers will benefit from faster turnaround times. Before the end of the year we would hope to be printing products for customers

      “Over time, we also intend to develop novel design features within our product range that are not currently achievable using traditional manufacturing processes.

      “Without the Agile Innovation Fund, we just wouldn’t have had the capital to get the ball rolling on our R&D project. The funding has been central to streamlining our in-house processes and developing the app.”

       

      Learn how the Agile Innovation Fund can support your R&D ambitions.

      Pestle & Mortar CEO Sonia Deasy

      Read how Irish skincare company Pestle & Mortar is perfecting sales around the world

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      Kildare woman Sonia Deasy and her husband Padraic have always had global ambition in business. Unfortunately, their first enterprise, a highly successful photographic studio, couldn’t deliver it.

      “No matter how much we did, we knew we couldn’t scale it,” says Sonia.

      Photography did, however, provide the inspiration for a business that could scale. In 2010, while attending a trade conference in the US, Sonia watched other photographers at work.

      “We were always photographing normal people but at these events, other photographers were photographing models and they’d bring along make-up artists. I’d see them prepping their skin before the shoot. I noticed that a lot of models don’t have good skin. They’re up late and work really long hours.”

      The make-up artists were using a product that seemed to have a transformative effect.  On further investigation, she discovered it contained a super ingredient, hyaluronic acid.

      Though HA is common now, at the time it was almost unknown in Ireland. Where it was available, it cost hundreds of euro.

      Deasy reckoned there was enough of a gap in the market to make it worth her while to develop her own product, initially working with a laboratory in Taiwan, a contact she got through her brother.Pestle & Mortar product range

      After three years in development, in 2014 she had a product ready to bring to market. She called the brand Pestle & Mortar, a nod to her heritage. Deasy’s parents are Indian and a family member was a ‘medicine man’, whose work crushing herbs inspired the name. It also captured both the best of what is natural with the innovation of science.

      She and Padraic built an e-commerce website for what would be, she fully expected, an online only business.

       

      Pestle & Mortar goes global

      An early slot on a TV magazine show resulted in immediate sales however and calls from Brown Thomas and Arnotts followed. A subsequent stand taken at a cosmetics trade show at the RDS sold out and attracted 120 more retail stockists nationwide.

      But it was an appearance on US shopping channel QVC that provided the business with its biggest fillip. It was the channel’s first Irish skincare brand and Pestle & Mortar sold out in just seven minutes. “It was monumental,” she says.

      That led to its first international retail order, to supply Bloomingdale’s throughout the US. Today, Deasy regularly appears on QVC in London, helping to grow UK sales too.

      Pestle & Mortar HQ in KildareWith the help of Local Enterprise Office Kildare, the business took on new staff and, in 2017, the couple closed the photography studio completely to concentrate on Pestle & Mortar.

      Within 18 months, it had launched a second product. Today, it has an entire range, some of which were developed and manufactured in Germany but most of which are made in Ireland. “Because we are Irish-based, we felt we should have products that are made in Ireland and which use Irish ingredients. We are very proud of that,” she says.

      Pestle & Mortar was the overall winner of the LEO National Enterprise Awards in 2019 but by the time it received the award it had already attained Enterprise Ireland High Performance Start-Up status.

      In 2018, the company had revenues of €3 million, which Deasy predicts will double by the end of 2019. Some 30% of its revenues are generated online, with the rest coming via distributors and wholesale customers worldwide.

      With Enterprise Ireland’s help, Deasy spent much of 2018 and 2019 developing its international distributor networks. “My commercial team was out in Indonesia, Dubai and China,” says Deasy, who today employs 27 staff.

      The business moved from its original base, a 1500 sq ft converted photographic studio, into a new 10,000 sq ft facility in Kildare, giving it space to grow. She invested €500,000 in the fit out alone, to create a showroom fit for a worldwide brand.

       

      Get support for market discovery

      “Ireland has just 4.5 million people, our ambition is to think global,” says Deasy, who retains public relations agencies in London and New York to support the brand in those markets. Every three months she travels to both to meet with bloggers and influencers. “It’s all personal, it’s all hands on,” she says.

      Enterprise Ireland facilitates this. “We wanted to transition from the LEO to Enterprise Ireland as soon as possible because we knew we could really use Enterprise Ireland’s resources. Thanks to its Market Discovery Fund, my commercial team has been out to its China office six times, which provides us with both contacts and office space,” she says.

      “Distribution is key for us and Enterprise Ireland’s team helps us with contacts. If you choose the wrong distributor it can ruin your business in a country and even worldwide. Enterprise Ireland’s offices became our eyes and ears on the ground.”

      When Pestle & Mortar recently won a global beauty product award in Dubai, at a ceremony she couldn’t attend, “Enterprise Ireland staff collected our award for us”.

      All of the support Enterprise Ireland provides helped to reinforce Deasy’s belief that she was doing the right things. “It confirms the fact that this is what you should be doing, you should be going global, and ‘we can help you do that’. That is the message you get from Enterprise Ireland.”

      Today Pestle & Mortar retails in the US, UK, Sweden, Denmark, Thailand, Indonesia, Russia, Hong Kong and China, as well as the UAE. What’s more, “We’re only starting,” says Deasy, whose medium term plan is to grow turnover to €40 million.

      From there, the sky’s the limit. That’s the beauty of a scalable business. “If you can get to €40 million you can get to €100 million. After that it’s just numbers.”

      Learn how the Market Discovery Fund can support your diversification plans.

      Farmer using tech

      USA is a new frontier for Irish agritech companies

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      Ryan J. Shaughnessy, SVP Industrial Technology based in Enterprise Ireland’s Chicago office, outlines why the North American market should be firmly on the horizons of Irish agritech companies.

      Disruptive digital technologies are opening up a new frontier of possibilities for Irish companies in the North American agricultural market, particularly across the Midwestern states.

      The scale of the opportunity for Irish agritech companies is as vast as the landscape. Of the top ten US states with the highest number of farms, six are located in the Midwest. A 2015 report indicates that South Dakota, Minnesota, Nebraska and Wisconsin are together home to more than 16 million cattle, compared to 6.3 million in Ireland.

      The Midwest is also home to John Deere, the global agricultural machinery giant with a US $44.5 billion market cap.

      In 2018, Enterprise Ireland opened a Chicago office to assist companies to target opportunities in the US Midwest.

       

      Irish agritech companies are using innovation to solve global challenges

      Two major global trends are directing traditional farming practices towards new frontiers in the digital age and proving a good match for Irish agritech companies.

      With the world population expected to exceed 9.6 billion by 2050, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations estimates that food production must increase by 70% over that period. At the same time, farmers are under pressure to optimise efficiency, reduce costs and maximise profitability. How can farmers cut costs while meeting rising demand?

      Digitisation is one solution that Irish agritech companies are increasingly pursuing. Technologies based on intelligent machine control, telematics, big data and farm management software are helping farmers to achieve these goals. With the US unemployment rate at 3.9%, automation is also helping to address low labour availability and improve farm efficiencies.

      Irish agritech companies have a number of advantages that are helping US farmers to solve their most pressing problems. Ireland’s rich agricultural history continues, while it has also emerged as a global hub for digital technologies. Dublin is home to EMEA headquarters for Twitter, LinkedIn, Google and Facebook, while HP, Intel, Dell and Microsoft also have locations in Ireland.

      Irish agritech companies should consider their strategy for the US agricultural market. If your product is in the area of hydraulic componentry, you might believe it is best suited to direct sales to a large Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM). But you should also consider that your route-to-market could be retail distribution or direct sales to end users in the market.

      Enterprise Ireland can help you to plan and execute a strategy for the US Midwest. Supports like our Market Discovery Fund can help you to define and answer questions like, what percentage of the US market can you serve? Advisors in our Chicago office can also help to make introductions to prospective partners and buyers in the Midwest.

      Several Irish companies have made impressive progress in the US agricultural market. Moocall provides wearable sensors to the bovine industry to solve issues relating to calving and heat detection. Moocall’s go-to-market strategy focuses primarily on distribution, coupled with new technology and image marketing strategies.

      Dairymaster, with a US location in Cincinnati’s Ohio, develops products including milking equipment, feeding systems, automatic scrapers, and MooMonitor animal health and fertility monitoring systems. Dairymaster’s technically-informed sales force sells directly to farmers and through a network of dealers, offering unique solutions to increase milk production and optimise the operation of dairy farms.

      MagGrow has enjoyed success in California and the Southeastern US, offering a spraying technology that helps farmers grow more by using less. The system, which spent three years in development, gives better coverage than conventional crop spraying systems and reduces spray drift by up to 70%, benefitting both farmers and the environment. The company’s strategy is to sell via dealers who resell to growers.

      These innovative solutions show that the horizon looks bright for Irish agritech companies focused on agriculture’s new frontiers. Enterprise Ireland’s #IrishAdvantage export promotion campaign will help ensure that Irish capabilities remain firmly in the sights of international customers, as we continue to support exporters in the sector.

      This article was originally published in the Sunday Independent.

      Irish start-up Hidramed aims to revolutionise wound care with innovative product

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      “I think Ireland is a great place to be a female entrepreneur. There are so many networking opportunities and great support. It’s just a case of finding it and using it.”

      Suzanne Moloney, Founder and CEO, Hidramed Solutions

      Key Takeouts:

      • Need for a solution to a medical issue led to the development of an innovative wound management system.
      • Mentoring helped progress to happen quickly.
      • The right support is essential to success at every phase of the journey, from prototype to launch and beyond.

      Case Study: Hidramed

      Finding a solution to a problem leads to the development of innovative and vital products – or to put it another way, necessity is the mother of invention. One Irish entrepreneur who embodies this phrase is Suzanne Moloney, whose very real need for a solution to managing her medical issue led to the development of a new and innovative wound management system, HidraWear.

      HidraWear is the first product from Hidramed Solutions, and was developed with the support of Enterprise Ireland’s Competitive Start Fund (CSF). Suzanne herself was the recipient of a grant from a round of the CSF for Women Entrepreneurs, and believes that it is this type of support that helps the growth of women in the business world. “I think Ireland is a great place to be a female entrepreneur – there are so many networking opportunities, great support – it’s just a case of finding it and using it.”

       

      Hidramed Solutions was inspired by patient frustrations

      Suzanne was inspired to start Hidramed Solutions and develop HidraWear when she found that her own frustration at managing her medical condition was shared by other patients. “I have a condition called HS, or hidradenitis suppurativa. It’s a debilitating disease of the skin that affects at least 1% of the population globally, and it’s incurable. It causes lesions in the skin in places like the armpit and the groin, quite sensitive areas, which would need to be covered with a bandage. I was a chef and a baker and quite physically active in my work, and to keep a dressing on my thigh or armpit would be virtually impossible – they’d just fall off due to the moisture in the area and the fact that these areas are not flat surfaces and need to move in multiple directions. I’ve come across other HS patients improvising with sanitary towels and kitchen paper – there was literally no solution there for HS patients.

      Hidramed documentation“I found myself spending far too much time on trying to manage these dressings. The straw that really broke the camel’s back was when I attended a friend’s hen party and was talking to the groom’s mother. I was shaking her hand and a dressing just fell out of my dress. I always had this idea to develop some sort of solution and that just spurred me on to really find something that worked for HS patients.”

      After initial work with a product designer that didn’t progress, Suzanne decided to try again, this time with the help of Enterprise Ireland. “I applied for a co-funded Innovation Voucher to develop a prototype with design experts at NCAD.”

      The result was HidraWear. “The product removes the need for using adhesive on the skin, which can damage the skin around the lesion if you’re constantly putting bandages on the area, causing medical adhesive-related skin injuries (MARSI). We’re also giving back control to HS patients by making changing a dressing quick, painless and easy. It’s very discreet and convenient too.”

      “It’s a Class one medical device, so the regulatory burden is quite low, which means we can roll it out to other countries relatively quickly.” says Moloney.

      The product is scheduled for launch towards the end of 2019, initially in the UK and Irish markets, but the plan is to roll it out quickly into the US and throughout Europe. We are beginning with an armpit solution and then moving onto products for other areas of the body quite quickly. But we also plan to be a support system for HS patients – we want to help, not just be a dressing company.”

       

      Getting support from prototype to launch

      Going from prototype to launching a working product is a long journey, but Suzanne did the research and found plenty of support along the way. “We received a grant from the CSF for Women Entrepreneurs in 2018. We also received invaluable advice and guidance along the way. Through the mentoring programme, we were paired with Aileen McGrath, who is a marketing expert and highly skilled in ecommerce – which was really vital, as we are selling directly to the consumer, an unusual approach for a medical product.

      “I made some mistakes at the start but once I got the right advice, things began to happen for me very quickly – particularly when I was accepted on the BioExel Medtech Accelerator Programme at NUI Galway, which is backed by Enterprise Ireland. This was a six-month programme that taught me everything I needed to know about developing a medical device and developing a business.”

      Once the first product is launched, growing its distribution and developing more products are the next items on Suzanne’s list.  The company plans to sell direct to consumer to begin with but is developing reimbursement strategies for the UK and USA, with plans to sell into healthcare channels too.

      “We also have a whole series of products planned for the future, for example, adhesive-free bandaging for elderly patients, venous leg ulcers and pressure sores. Our market entry point, however, is through HS.”

      Under the Competitive Start Fund, up to €50,000 in equity funding is available to successful applicants with early stage start-up companies.

       

      Founder & CEO Pharmapod

      Pharmapod leads the way in reducing medication errors and improving patient safety

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      “You need to be completely dedicated to finding the solution, and you need to sacrifice a lot. It doesn’t matter if you’re a man or a woman, you just have to have that fire in your belly.”

      Founder and CEO, Leonora O’Brien

      Key Takeouts:

      • Leonora O’Brien’s career as a pharmacist alerted her to issues regarding patient safety.
      • Pharmapod aims to be a worldwide solution to a global problem.
      • Local support has been invaluable for launching internationally.

      Case Study: Pharmapod

      If it takes a village to raise a child, as the saying goes, what exactly does it take to start and build a worldwide business? Support, dedication and even more support, says Leonora O’Brien, the founder of Pharmapod, a cloud-based system that aims to reduce medication errors by allowing healthcare professionals to record and share information with other healthcare professionals both within their country and globally.

      “To succeed you need to make sacrifices and be dedicated to your business; it’s not for everyone,” she says. “There is support out there but you have to do the groundwork to find it. It’s up to you and your team to see what’s available and position yourselves to avail of it.”

       

      Pharmapod offers a worldwide solution for a global problem

      Pharmapod was established in 2012 with help and financial support from Enterprise Ireland, which has announced a new €750k Competitive Start Fund (CSF) for Women Entrepreneurs, opening for applications on 25 June 2019. The company aims to address what Leonora identified as a very real issue globally.

      “Throughout my career as a pharmacist, I became aware of the issues regarding medication and patient safety,” Leonora explained. “At the same time, there was a growing legal obligation on pharmacists to record and analyse the risks to their patients. There was no solution in place, and being a chief pharmacist at Ireland’s biggest pharmacy chain at the time, I found that not having a system for recording patient safety issues was a real barrier for us as an organisation, and for the sector in general to learn and improve.

      “You come across these issues on a daily basis, in pharmacies, hospitals and nursing homes, from the minor to the major, and many of these are preventable – we really needed a system that allowed healthcare professionals to learn from each other. Pharmapod is really fulfilling a need in the sector.”

      The issue, Leonora says, is a global one – and Pharmapod is aiming to be the worldwide solution to the problem.

      “To date, Pharmapod has been primarily active across three countries – Ireland, the UK and Canada – but we have recently signed a partnership agreement with the International Pharmaceutical Federation, The FIP, who has 144 members organisations internationally. We’re now starting to work through the different geographical regions with the FIP – for example the Middle East is a key focus area right now. No country is exempt from the issue – for instance, medical error is the third-leading cause of death in the United States – so this is a solution for a global issue.”

       

      Global growth followed success in Ireland

      The system grew steadily from its beginnings in Ireland – the secret to its success, Leonora says, is a great team dedicated to the solving the problem. “We launched initially onto the Irish market, and had some really excellent, brave and innovative pharmacists in Ireland who understood the benefits of such a system and took it on at an early stage. We have 30 people on our team now, and we are constantly evolving the system, keeping our ears to the ground for changes in regulations and responding to feedback and new requirements from users.”

      A key turning point was the launch of Pharmapod into Canada. “At the moment, 58% of community pharmacies in Canada are using Pharmapod – and that number is growing. Ontario mandated for the system to be used in 2018; they have 45% of the pharmacies in the whole of Canada, but we already have pharmacy groups using it on a pan-Canadian basis too.”

      Having local support has been invaluable when launching internationally, says Leonora – and this is where Enterprise Ireland came in. “We went for the Competitive Start Fund at the start of the business, and all the way through, Enterprise Ireland has been a great support to us. The Canadian office was fantastic when we were launching in the country, giving us advice on the local market, supplying contacts and connections, and including us in local activities. They really are an extension of your team, a great support for companies expanding internationally. They’re so well informed and helpful, an invaluable resource.

      “Initiatives like the CSF for Women Entrepreneurs are addressing a real issue that’s still there. We have to remember, this is not only helping fix things for women, in terms of effective supports and role models, it’s benefitting the economy as a whole,” says O’Brien.

      “For us, having that government backup has been really helpful. It lends weight to our offering and adds to our credibility in the eyes of customers and potential investors who might not have been familiar with the company before.”

      Leonora’s experience has taught her that the support is there if you look for it. “I believe the biggest barrier is in your mind. You need to be completely dedicated to finding the solution, and you need to sacrifice a lot. Not everyone is prepared to do that. It doesn’t matter if you’re a man or a woman, you just have to have that fire in your belly.”

      And for female entrepreneurs, the business world has never been more accessible or attractive. “In a very short period of time, we’ve made a lot of progress, and a lot of that is down to us as a country shining a light on the issue. Initiatives like the CSF for Women Entrepreneurs are addressing a real issue that’s still there; fixing this issue will not only benefit the economy as a whole, but will also help the next generation in terms of female role models – and very quickly the world can change in that way.”

      Enterprise Ireland’s €750,000 Competitive Start Fund (CSF) for Women Entrepreneurs is open for applications between 25 June and 16 July 2019. Under this CSF, up to €50,000 in equity funding is available to a maximum of 15 successful women applicants with early stage start-up companies. In addition, up to 15 of the successful applicants will be offered a place on Dublin BIC’s INNOVATE accelerator programme.