Senoptica aims to reduce food waste through smart packaging with Commercialisation Fund

Senoptica aims to reduce food waste through smart packaging with Commercialisation Fund

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Senoptica aims to reduce food waste through smart packaging with Commercialisation Fund 2

“The bottom line is that without the Commercialisation Fund, Senoptica wouldn’t exist.”

Dr. Rachel Evans, Co-founder, Senoptica Technologies

Key Takeouts:

  • Senoptica Technologies has developed innovative technology that identifies the gas content of modified atmosphere packaging.
  • Enterprise Ireland’s Commercialisation Fund supported a feasibility study and technical and commercial development of the technology.
  • The company is currently negotiating a licensing agreement with Trinity College Dublin prior to spinning out from the university.

Case Study: Senoptica

As part of her PhD studies, Dr. Rachel Evans developed a novel idea for an optical sensor technology, but it wasn’t until one of Enterprise Ireland’s Commercialisation Specialists knocked on her door many years later that the transformation of the idea into a commercial product began.

“At the time I was a lecturer in Trinity College Dublin and one day a Commercialisation Specialist stopped by to find out if I was involved in anything that was appropriate for Enterprise Ireland funding. I had been thinking about how I could develop the sensor technology and identify a specific application for it.

“The Commercialisation Specialist advised me to carry out a feasibility study to test the market, which I did, with support from Enterprise Ireland. They helped me to find someone with experience in the food sector to act as a consultant on the study and he was critical in identifying where the market might be for the technology. We found that a lot of companies were interested.”

Senoptica aims to reduce food waste through smart packaging with Commercialisation Fund 3With strong indications that there was a market for the sensors, particularly in the meat industry, the next step was to do a proof of concept study. In 2013, Evans secured Commercialisation Fund support and in 2014 brought Dr. Steve Comby, a postdoctoral researcher and a specialist in molecular optical sensors, on board for the project.

“Rachel and I had matching and complementary skills so we had all the expertise we needed from the point of view of technology to make the project successful,” says Comby.

By the end of the project the technology was proved at a small scale but it was not industry ready.

 

Support to increase the technology readiness level

“We needed to adapt elements of our product to enable us to create something that is more industrially relevant and that could be manufactured in large quantities,” says Comby. “So we applied for a follow-on Commercialisation Fund.”

Evans explains: “The market isn’t interested in 5–10 years’ development time, they want the technology now. But there’s a huge leap from doing something in a lab on a small scale to doing it on an industrial level. In the first Commercialisation Fund project we were producing an A4 size of film, by the second we were producing 5km of film. We couldn’t have achieved that scaling without Enterprise Ireland’s support.”

Further support came from CRANN, the Centre for Research on Adaptive Nanostructures and Nanodevices and AMBER, the centre for Advanced Materials and Bio Engineering Research, both in Trinity College, which supplied bridge funding to keep the project going between the first and follow-on Commercialisation Funds. Importantly they also gave the team access to a portfolio of companies.

“As an academic you can be reluctant to speak to industry, but CRANN and AMBER knew how to do that, which was extremely helpful. They are still very supportive,” says Comby.

Senoptica aims to reduce food waste through smart packaging with Commercialisation Fund 4Evans admits that the pathway to commercialisation wasn’t straightforward.

“We needed to develop an approach to integrating our sensor formulations within food packaging. There are a lot of stakeholders in the food industry’s production and distribution chain so we had to talk to many different companies and that was really challenging.”

But the team found that with the project’s Commercialisation Specialist working in tandem with Trinity’s Technology Transfer Officers and the Commercialisation Manager at AMBER, they had a powerful network of support.

“The Commercialisation Specialist was very helpful in making contacts and setting up meetings. The support I got internally in Trinity from Technology Transfer Officers and the Commercialisation Managers at Amber was also hugely important in getting us to the stage we’re at,” says Evans.

Throughout the project the team met regularly with Enterprise Ireland advisors. “That was useful as they had an overall view while we were immersed in the technology, so they could see challenges or solutions to challenges that we’d overlooked,” says Comby.

 

From concept to company

Senoptica was incorporated in 2018 and, to complement Evans’s and Comby’s skills, Brendan Rice joined as Chief Executive Officer to focus on business development. His appointment was facilitated by Enterprise Ireland’s Business Partner Programme.

“Brendan’s appointment was essential for the development of the company. We needed to strengthen the business side of things and Brendan has extensive experience in the food industry. He was able to quantify the size of the opportunity,” says Comby.

By then Evans had taken up a full-time position in Cambridge University and although she remains a director and consultant to the company, its future development will be driven by Comby and Rice.

“I had to let go and that’s been really hard as the technology was my idea,” she says. “The reality is that there are few academics who will quit their jobs to become CEO of a company so someone else has to take it forward and you have to let go and look at the bigger picture. The important thing for me is to focus on what my motivation was in bringing my idea to market and how much satisfaction I will get from seeing it launched.”

Senoptica aims to reduce food waste through smart packaging with Commercialisation Fund 5Having taken the early stage research to successful industrial scale production, Comby is well placed to direct the future development of the technology. And he feels he has acquired new skills along the way.

“I’ve learnt about project development, scheduling, scaling up and achieving clear deliverables. I also learnt massively from the interactions with industry representatives,” he says.

“I’d say to others, if you think you have technology that could be commercialised start with the feasibility study and you will find out if people are interested in what you are doing. And don’t be afraid, because the Commercialisation Fund is a great support.”

For more information about applying for Enterprise Ireland’s Commercialisation Fund, contact your Technology Transfer Office.

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

      Iberia

      Ambition Spain & Portugal: How we got Iberia to work for us

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      Easy to get to, easy to get around, but a tough nut to crack. It’s sometimes thought that the Iberian markets of Spain and Portugal are challenging to take on. Language barriers and differences in business culture are cited as barriers to a combined market with a GDP of almost €1.5trn.

      But both countries not only actively trade with Eurozone neighbours including Ireland but enjoy legacy links with growing, dynamic markets in South America and Africa, acting as bridges for firms active in the Iberian market. It’s no wonder the region is home to global giants such as Banco Santander and Telefónica.

      The economic downturn changed the region’s business landscape, and structural reforms opened up new opportunities for firms looking for a route to market. Along with reforms in labour and employment, a cultural shift towards innovation has helped Irish firms to enter this valuable market.

       

      Formula for Irish success in Spain and Portugal

      At Enterprise Ireland’s Ambition Spain and Portugal event, Irish firms that have made successful entries to the market outlined why it had worked for them. The common ingredients for successful exporting included getting boots on the ground, perseverance, and robust planning.

      Research and planning was a major exercise for Atlantic Therapeutics, the Galway-based rehabilitative medical devices firm. The company already has a presence beyond Ireland in the UK, France, Germany and the USA, and wanted to move into Spain. Market research threw up interesting market segments.

      “When we started out 18 months ago looking at the Spanish market, we looked at the medical device space to start with. Through Enterprise Ireland, we were introduced to people who could focus our route to the Spanish market,” Alan O’Shea, Head of Distribution Markets for Atlantic Therapeutics.

      During discussions, the company realised that their rehab devices could get market share by using the well-developed TV home shopping channels in a very buoyant private home use market.

      “It isn’t traditionally the usual distribution channel for our technology,” he told delegates. “We’re two months in and so far it’s a very positive experience.”

      Finding a complementary partner with local market knowledge and contacts can provide a lift to securing new exports. That was the route that helped accelerate growth for Tullamore-based emergency vehicle kit-out specialists Acetech. Enterprise Ireland helped to introduce the firm to a Spanish ambulance manufacturer who was interested in their vehicle intelligence systems.

      “They will now represent us, in terms of putting our equipment in the vehicles they are providing to the Spanish marketplace, and also the Latin American marketplace as well,” Acetech sales director Fergus Claffey told delegates.

      By 2020, Spanish business will account for 10% of turnover for Acetech as a result, he said.

       

      What to do after market entry

      Once in the market, Irish firms should get boots on the ground as regularly as possible, the conference was told. Not only will you get a handle on the business culture but it can help with honing your product fit, and generate new market opportunities.

      Eamonn MacLughadha, founder of Spanish-based import company Machemac and based in Spain for the past 23 years, said Irish firms should get their feet on the ground if only to get an idea of scale.

      “If you are capable of supplying 50% of the Irish market, that may only equate to 5% of the Spanish market. If your product takes, do you even the capability to deliver?”

      With six months being a typical timeframe for payment in Spain, resourcing your route to entry is vital, he added.

      “The closer you stick to a Spanish customer, the better the feedback you get on a problem. Getting to see them face to face will get you what you need to know. A phone call or email just won’t cut it.” says MacLughadha.

      Likewise in Portugal, being in the market is seen as a commitment to the customer, said Helder Palhas, country manager for Aspire Technology. “Keep your relationship alive. Don’t just abandon a customer after a sale, keep in touch. Go for lunch, even if you don’t have a product to sell them right now – it will make a difference.”

      The sentiment was echoed by Mr Claffey: “We thought we knew what we were doing with the research but we learnt more from a three-hour plane trip to Spain than three months of planning. Stop relying on Skype.”

      One of the biggest pitfalls that befalls Irish firms trying to enter the market in Spain, according to MacLughadha, is not appreciating the length of the average sales cycle.

      “In my experience here, the sales cycle is a lot longer than Irish companies are used to, or comfortable with. They give up too soon. The sales cycle is a lot longer. I’ve seen agri sales take two years from trade show to sale. That wouldn’t be unusual. You have to persevere.”

      For Acetech, entering the Spanish market was a revelation even with all the steep learnings: “The cultural fit between Ireland and Spain is very, very good. I don’t know why we didn’t do it earlier,” said Mr Claffey.

      Learn more on trading in the Spanish and Portuguese markets and the Enterprise Ireland supports available with our Going Global guide.

      How success at home helped Connolly’s Red Mills win in Japan

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      Kilkenny-based Connolly’s Red Mills makes scientifically advanced nutrition and healthcare solutions for animal health, well-being and performance.

      The fifth-generation family-owned business was set up in 1908. It is led by chief executive Joe Connolly, chief operating officer Bill, and business development manager for exports Michael. The brothers work with the next generation of Gareth, William and John Connolly, and a dynamic management team, to drive the business forward. The company employs 320, working on three main strands: a vertically integrated domestic feed and grain business; the manufacture and sale of pet foods in 40 countries; and the manufacture and sale of premium horse feed into 80 countries worldwide.

       

      How Connolly’s Red Mills became a global leader

      Its premium horse feed is used by some of the world’s most successful race horses, show jumpers and dressage performers.

      “In the field, we are considered a global leader, selling right across the northern hemisphere, and beyond that, as far away as Australia. Enterprise Ireland has supported us significantly with research and development, which was the key to our success, especially in Japan,” says Michael Connolly.

      “We received funding from Enterprise Ireland for market research and product development for specific markets, including customisation and localisation.”

      Connolly’s Red Mills’ success at home helped it succeed abroad. “Race horses are the best paid athletes in the world. We were able to piggy back on the success of our Irish breeders and trainers, to follow our customers, and their customers, around the world,” says Michael.

      The UK was the company’s first export market, which it entered in 1985. Throughout the 1980s and 1990s it grew sales across Europe. In 2004 it entered Japan.

      Connolly’s Red Mills initially sought to sell pet foods into Japan but found there was greater opportunity for horse feed. “Japan has a very wealthy racing industry. It has prize money of around 10 times the average amount you’d see in Ireland,” he says.

       

      Prepare to do business in Japan

      Success wasn’t assured. Connolly found Harvard Business professor Geert Hofstede’s view of Japan, that it is the most ‘foreign’ country from a business point of view, to be true.

      “The biggest difficulty is communications. That is not translation, it’s the fact that what is not said in a meeting is what often counts most. But if you don’t know what should have been said, you won’t know what that means,” says Connolly.

      If you have the right product and are prepared to put in the time building relationships, you can succeed. “Your business has to hit all the markers they want to see, which is sustainability, profitability and growth, which thankfully align exactly with our own values at Connolly’s Red Mills,” he says.

      Customer acquisition takes Connolly’s up to four times longer in Japan than it does elsewhere.

      “Where it might take three months in France, it will take 18 months to two years in Japan,” he says.

      Business meetings are highly structured and formal. Irish people’s traditional bonhomie can work against us, he cautions. Not handling business cards with due deference is a case in point.

      Japan has a very hierarchical business culture, to the point that business teams meeting across a table must sit opposite one another in order of rank.

      “Often it is in the après meeting, when things relax a bit over a meal, that deals are really done and compromises are made. Decisions are very much done on the basis of consensus. Trust is hugely important and has to be built up.”

       

      Japan rewards right product and right approach

      If you have the right product, and approach the market in the right way, you can reap the reward. Today Connolly’s Red Mills is the largest importer of premium horse feeds in Japan, with 30% market share of premium horse food.

      Enterprise Ireland’s Japan team provided practical on the ground assistance in relation to introductions, itineraries, and local expertise, including setting up meetings and providing information about how to set up a company in Japan.

      “It helped us interpret business culture and ensure business and tax compliance. It was also a keyhole into the Irish business community in Tokyo, which was invaluable.”

      Japan is not for the fainthearted, he cautions. “It is an exacting market. It has to be a strategic move and you have to have your research done.”

      But get it right and it will pay dividends. “Japan is a homogenous market which means that if you can win a small part of it, you can win a large part of it.”

       

      Read more on doing business in Japan and the support available from Enterprise Ireland.

      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

       

      Transport & Logistics Industry Update – Webinar

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      The Covid-19 pandemic, Brexit and the re-shaping of transport routes brought a very turbulent start to 2021. Logistics and transportation companies involved in the movement, storage and flow of goods have been directly impacted and had to rapidly adapt to changing business landscape. Irish companies exporting their products or importing components or raw materials need to follow and understand these trends to stay competitive.

      This Enterprise Ireland webinar identifies these challenges and examines current developments with a panel of industry experts.

      The webinar is chaired by Enterprise Ireland’s Director UK & Northern Europe Marina Donohoe with insights from:

       • Gopal R, Global Leader, Supply Chain & Logistics, Frost & Sullivan

      • John Ward, Managing Director, Maurice Ward & Co. Ltd Ireland

      • Richard Nolan, CEO, Nolan Transport – Nolan Group

       

      Register now to attend the webinar.

      Business opportunities are heating up in Iberia

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      Irish travellers visit Iberia in their droves – at least two million last year alone. But while we have long since exported our tourism to Spain and Portugal, the same cannot be said for Irish firms.

      Given the proximity of Iberia’s Eurozone neighbours, with a GDP five times that of Ireland and offering gateways to growing domestic markets, as well as to Latin America and Africa, Irish exporters should take a closer look.

      While Spain and Portugal joined Ireland, Italy and Greece as the hardest-hit economies during the crash, they have emerged, like Ireland, as reformed models showing above-average Eurozone growth.

       

      New opportunities in Spain

      Spain is the powerhouse of the peninsula with the country’s real GDP and job growth set to exceed that of the euro area for the fourth year in a row.

      With 10 times the population of Ireland, Spain is the much larger market opportunity with a GDP of €1.2 trillion and a 2019 growth rate forecast at 2.1% by the IMF. While unemployment remains high at 14.7%, in key sectors such as telecoms, banking, travel tech and services, it has a wealth of expertise, as would be expected from a country home to telecoms and banking giants Telefónica and Banco Santander.

      Spain’s logistics infrastructure is excellent, hosting two of Europe’s biggest airports in Madrid and Barcelona, while its 46 ports serve the Atlantic and Mediterranean, and its internal rail network is one of the most advanced in Europe. It has the digital infrastructure to match and ranks fourth in the world for e-government services.

       

      Spain’s business renaissance

      While the market has been perceived as more difficult to enter for exporters, this is changing as Spain continues to experience a post-crisis renaissance. Language remains a traditional barrier for entry, as does the country’s regional devolution, which poses challenges to marketing and product fits between areas.

      At Enterprise Ireland’s Ambition Spain and Portugal event in Dublin, delegates heard how exports of companies supported by the agency totalled €338 million last year. Spain is a knowledge-based economy, where services account for around three-quarters of economic activity, the conference heard.

      Irish firms may look to some of the strongest growing sectors, such as telecommunications, life sciences and agriculture. Telecoms is expected to grow to around €21 billion by 2022, with agriculture growing to some €27.4 billion.

      Opportunities are there for Irish firms with innovative solutions willing to put in the market research, Gedeth Network founder Juan Millan told attendees.

      “Irish companies are very well known for their innovation and their technology,” said Millan. “Consequently, we are very interested in Irish offerings in medtech, life sciences and fintech.”

      Exporters should be aware that Spain acts as a bridge beyond the Eurozone, thanks to longstanding trade links from its colonial past to Latin America.

      “It’s a good place to access decision-makers for firms in Latin America, as they have headquarters in Madrid and Barcelona,” he said. “And remember, Irish firms have great access to North America, the UK and Australia, which is equally of interest to Spanish firms. There is a natural synergy to be had and you should use this if you have activity in these markets as part of your negotiating position.”

      Tourism remains huge at more than €180 billion per year – half the GDP of Ireland – and offers opportunities to Irish firms in travel tech. “Think not only about the sun and sangria,” Millan said. “But all the solutions you can offer to that market.”

       

      Economic growth in Portugal

      Being the smaller neighbour has not stopped Portugal transforming into a high-income advanced economy with a high living standard. Its growth forecast at 2.2% for 2019 is ahead of the likes of Germany, with unemployment steady at 6.8%.

      The country’s major cities, Lisbon and Oporto, are the country’s major industrial hubs, with Lisbon accounting for banking and financial services, oil and gas and ICT hubs – and is now home to the world-class Web Summit founded in Dublin – while to the north there is a focus on manufacturing. Tourism is a valuable sector looking for travel tech solutions in a market centred mainly in the Algarve and expected to grow from around €22 billion last year to €27 billion by 2023.

      Like its bigger neighbour, Portugal’s colonial legacy sees strong trade links remain, offering gateway trade opportunities to not only Brazil but African markets such as Angola.

      According to Professor Jorge Sa, from the Swiss Business School, Portugal presents an untapped export opportunity to Irish firms worth around €3 billion. “There are great chances for firms working in pharma, organic chemicals, electronic equipment, essential oils, machinery and plastics,” he said.

       

      Enterprise Ireland supports for expanding to Iberia

      Accessing either market requires thorough research, and there are, of course, traditional barriers to entry such as mature supply chains and language issues, but there are a range of Enterprise Ireland supports to aid firms looking to future-proof their export sales including the Market Discovery Fund and GradStart, which provides up to 70 per cent of two-year salaries for graduates with relevant market language skills.

      In the meantime, Enterprise Ireland’s office in Madrid is ready to assist Irish companies with ambitions to be more than just tourists to Iberia.

      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.

      Man with lightbulb representing Innovation

      Agile Innovation Fund: Easier than ever for companies of all sizes to access R&D funding

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      It is now easier than ever for Irish companies to access R&D funding to improve their products and services and compete internationally.

      That was the message from Enterprise Ireland and the national network of Local Enterprise Offices to representatives from more than 60 companies who attended a research, development and innovation event recently in Dublin.

      Enterprise Ireland and the LEOs pledged to use the Agile Innovation Fund to support companies of all sizes as they to seek to open new export markets and grow – promising a fast, flexible and simple application process.

       

      Find more information about the Agile Innovation Fund here.

      Speaking at the Agile Innovation Workshop, Eoghan Hanrahan, Enterprise Ireland Regional Director for the Dublin Region and Regional Development, said: “In doing R&D, companies have to challenge the norms, do something different, look at achieving some kind of technical innovation to try and future-proof their company.

       

      Get support for Agile Innovation

      “We recognise that R&D can be challenging but it is a very important step for any business to take and it’s also important that they are supported in doing so. Enterprise Ireland and the LEOs are here to assist people and companies who want to invest in R&D. The Agile Innovation Fund offers up to 50% funding to a maximum of €150,000 in grant aid.”

      Irish companies are spending less on R&D than most European competitors. Latest Eurostat figures show that spending in 2017 equated to 1.05% of GDP, almost half the EU average of 2.07% and well behind R&D leaders Sweden, Austria, Denmark and Germany – all of whom spent more than 3% of GDP.

      Of the €3bn that was invested in R&D in Ireland, €1bn was spent by indigenous companies. It is notable that in 2007, Ireland spent a higher percentage of GDP (1.23%) on R&D than it did in 2017.

      Joe Madden, Manager of In-Company R&D Supports at Enterprise Ireland, told the workshop that the Agile Innovation Fund was designed to counter the belief among SMEs that funding R&D is too costly and that securing state support for projects is too complex and geared towards larger operations.

       

      Flexible and fast access to Agile Innovation funding

      “The Agile innovation fund was introduced at the beginning of 2018 as a response to a very steep fall off in applications for R&D support,” Mr Madden said. “Companies were telling us that the standard R&D application process was too complicated and very often they would have a project finished before they even knew whether they were going to get approval to do it.

      “We needed to introduce something much more flexible, much faster and where the funding wasn’t as high so that we could apply a less onerous process for evaluating and approving applications.”

      The main feature of the Agile Innovation Fund is its fast turnaround time, with an application process that results in decisions in a few weeks rather than several months. More than 90 companies have drawn down around €20m in funding since it was launched last year, with 90% of them rating the application process as relatively simple in a survey.

      Madden added: “There are only two documents required to apply for the Agile Innovation Fund, an online application form and a project plan. The project plan is what the technical assessment of the application is based on. The technical assessors are looking for two things: is this eligible R&D and are the costs reasonable. To be eligible R&D, there has to be technical uncertainty – this means the project must demonstrate some kind of product or process development technical challenge.

      “Total expenditure on any single application is limited to €300,000, so if your project spend goes to €300,001, it is not eligible for funding. Typically for a smaller company, the funding would be 45% of the total cost, which equates to a maximum grant of €135,000. If a small company collaborates with a partner, this funding can rise to 50% and therefore the limit increases to €150,000.”

      The goal of the Agile Innovation Fund is to increase the amount of spending by indigenous companies of all sizes on R&D across the economy.

       

      Local Enterprise Office support

      Oisin Geoghegan, Head of Enterprise at LEO Fingal, advised companies that are not Enterprise Ireland clients to get in touch with their Local Enterprise Office.

      He said: “Providing assistance and funding for R&D projects or innovation is one of the core reasons why the Local Enterprise Offices are here. R&D is not just about wearing white coats and having a lab. Most of the businesses we are dealing with could potentially apply for and receive R&D grants

      “We want to see more applications from SMEs and the LEOs will work with you to give you advice and guidance on the application process. It’s called Agile for a reason, the application process is straightforward, it’s online and we want to see applications processed and approved quickly.”

      Apply for the Agile Innovation Fund now.

      John Ferguson Ambition Asia Pacific 2

      ‘Phenomenal’ middle class growth in Asia Pacific an opportunity for Irish companies

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      The growth of the middle class throughout Asia Pacific presents ambitious Irish companies with unprecedented opportunities, delegates at the recent Ambition Asia Pacific conference in Dublin heard.

      Some 23 million new ASEAN households are on track to earn more than US $35,000 a year by 2030 in what is “the fastest-growing, most dynamic region in the world,” said John Ferguson, Director of Country Analysis at the Economist Intelligence Unit, who provided an overview of growth trends and opportunities in the region.

       

      Growth rates in Asia Pacific countries

      In China, major strategic programmes such as Made in China 2025 and the long term Belt and Road construction initiative “are not going away”, he said.

      “Chinese growth is still just very modestly slowing down to around 6%,” he said. The government there is using monetary goals and fiscal policy to maintain that growth.

      Even allowing for the challenges facing China, “it’s still going to grow pretty reasonably well over the next couple of years,” he said.

      Growth prospects in Japan, at 1%, are much smaller, however. As a huge, developed and rich economy, it’s one in which there are still “a lot of opportunities” for Irish companies, he suggested.

      Much of that opportunity relates to Japan’s Society 5.0 initiative, the Japanese government’s focus on artificial intelligence, sensor technology and automation.

      “This is a huge initiative for the Japanese. That’s where some of the growth opportunities will present themselves in Japan, already a highly developed economy but really trying to push themselves with this fourth industrial revolution.”

      India represents a particularly “bright spot” in the global economy, said Ferguson, who predicted growth of around 7% on average likely over the next five years.John Ferguson Ambition Asia Pacific

      This compares with global growth of around 2% and Asian growth of between 4% and 5%. India’s growth outlook is “extraordinary”, he said.

      The primary opportunity in India, as in Asia Pacific countries such as Vietnam and Cambodia, is one of population development and subsequent growth in demand for consumer goods and services.

      With predicted growth levels of 5% and a large population, Indonesia is another really strong performer, again driven by the fast growth of its middle, or consuming, class, he said.

      Indonesia’s five-year growth rate forecast is almost double that of Singapore’s, at 2.9%. However, the additional opportunity in Singapore comes from its ease of doing business and its popular status as a launchpad from which to do business elsewhere in the Asia Pacific region, he said.

      So, while Singapore is growing a more slowly than some of the less well developed countries in the region, it’s still growing at “a pretty impressive rate of growth for economy at its stage of development.”

      South Korea is another mature market but still likely to show average growth of 2.7% over the next five years. “In our view, that’s a pretty reasonable growth for a country at that stage of development.”

      “The rising middle class in the Asia Pacific region is phenomenal. The world is moving east.” Kevin Sherry, executive director Global Business Development, Enterprise Ireland

      Australia – another frequent launchpad into the wider region for Irish companies – and New Zealand are both stable economies but, cautioned Ferguson, both are seeing climate change and immigration becoming significant political issues.

      Kevin Sherry at Ambition Asia Pacific Conf.For Irish businesses looking at these markets, either as part of their supply chain or as end markets, it’s worth keeping an eye on regulatory initiatives in relation to either, he said.

      Enterprise Ireland is working with more than 600 companies who are doing business in the Asia Pacific region.  “Irish companies are used to winning in the Asia Pacific markets,” said Kevin Sherry, executive director Global Business Development at Enterprise Ireland.  “The rising middle class in the Asia Pacific region is phenomenal. The world is moving east.”

      Depending on what happens in October in relation to Brexit, Ireland may be the only English speaking country in the EU, a fact that presents challenges but opportunities too, he pointed out.

      Enterprise Ireland is expanding its footprint in the Asia Pacific region to help support Irish companies looking to capitalise on the growing level of opportunities there, opening new offices in Auckland, in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, in Melbourne, Australia and in Shenzhen, China, he said.

       

      Read more Global Ambition articles on the opportunities for Irish companies in Asia.

      Asia Pac Conference

      Ambition Asia Pacific is closer than you think

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      Places are booking out fast for a major event bringing opportunities in Asia Pacific to Irish businesses.

      Ambition Asia Pacific is a major Enterprise Ireland conference taking place in Dublin in June to provide Irish exporters with a roadmap to success in some of the region’s fastest-growing markets. The conference takes place on 13th June at the Aviva Stadium.

      “The purpose of the event is to not only to raise awareness of the opportunities that exist in the APAC region, but to provide Irish companies with an understanding of how to do business there,” says Tom Cusack, Regional Director Asia Pacific at Enterprise Ireland.

      Secure your place at Ambition Asia Pacific now.

       

      Support for entering Asia Pacific

      It’s one of a number of events Enterprise Ireland is hosting to support Irish businesses looking to trade there, including trade missions due to take place later this year in markets such as Japan, Korea, and China.

      Enterprise Ireland is also opening two new offices, in Melbourne Australia and Ho Chi Minh City Vietnam. That brings to 10 the number of offices it has in the Asia Pacific region, a clear indication of the deepening of its support for Irish businesses looking to trade in the region.

      “In the context of Brexit, expanding the Irish export footprint in markets beyond the UK is a key priority for Enterprise Ireland. The Ambition Asia Pacific event is about raising awareness in Irish companies – and the ambition – to pursue realisable opportunities throughout the Asia Pacific region,” says Cusack.

      Traditionally, the biggest perceived barrier to Irish businesses in the region has been distance but ease of access has never been greater, he points out.

      “Ireland now enjoys ease of connectivity to the region, with direct flights to destinations such as Hong Kong, Shenzhen and Beijing, meaning Irish companies can leave Dublin at lunch time and arrive in Asia in time for breakfast,” he says.

       

      Big opportunities for Irish businesses

      The scale of the opportunity for Irish businesses is unprecedented, too, and spans multiple sectors.

      These include aviation. “Over the next 20 years, half of the world’s air traffic growth will be driven by travel to, from, or within, the Asia Pacific region. This rapid growth requires significant investment in infrastructure, products and services,” he says.

      There are enormous opportunities for financial services and fintech too, thanks to a growing middle class, increased digitisation of financial products, and massive investor interest.

      Within the past two years “fintech financing in Asia Pacific has eclipsed that of North America for the first time, and is now four times larger than the European market,” says Cusack.

      “Weak legacy IT infrastructure in Asia Pacific countries incentivises quicker adoption of digital technologies, providing a great opportunity for Irish companies, not least in fintech and payments.”

      The potential for education services is clear too, he says. What’s more, if the UK leaves the EU, Ireland will become the largest English-speaking education market in the EU at a time when demand for English third-level education across the APAC region is fast growing.

      Construction and engineering services, healthcare products and services and agritech solutions are also in demand.

      All these sectors, and more, stand to benefit from GDP growth rates across Asia, which average 6%, compared with growth rates of just 2% in Europe and the US. By 2030, Asia will account for two thirds of the world’s middle class, and Asian economies are predicted to be larger than the rest of the world combined in a matter of months.

       

      Irish success in Asia Pacific

      Very many Irish companies have already successfully capitalised on opportunities in the region. This means that, while opening up new markets in faraway places is always a challenge, first time exporters to the region will, in fact, be following a well established path.

      “Most Irish companies’ first foray into the Asia Pacific region is via Australia, Singapore, and Hong Kong. These are familiar places in which to do business, with substantial and highly supportive diaspora networks,” he points out.

      On top of that, is an array of Enterprise Ireland supports including business networking and introductions, market research and entry strategy advice, as well as financial support for market diversification.

      Irish companies looking to enter the Asian market can also draw from the wealth of experience of those that have already done so. To date, more than 600 companies supported by Enterprise Ireland have exported to the region. In fact, exports by Irish companies to Asia Pacific now surpass €2 billion, having more than doubled since 2012.

       

      Learn from the Irish experience in Asia Pacific

      The upcoming Ambition Asia Pacific event is an opportunity to find out exactly how they did it, learn from their successes – and mistakes – and pick up invaluable tips.

      In a packed programme of events, speakers include Denis Hickie, general manager ATA Group (Ireland & UK); Brian Mehigan, chief strategy officer Kerry Group, and Elaine Coughlan, managing partner and founder of Atlantic Bridge.

      Niall Norton, CEO and board member of Openet Telecom; former chief digital and client experience officer at Citi Asia and EMEA Felimy Greene; and John Ferguson, director of country forecasting at the Economist Intelligence Unit will also make presentations.

      The event features a number of dedicated breakout sessions, too, spanning financial services, aviation, digital technology, and international education.

      It will also include an event on opportunities in China with a panel discussion featuring a number of Irish success stories in the region. This particular breakout session will include a large business delegation from the China Hi-Tech Fair trade show in Shenzhen, who are actively interested in meeting Irish companies with ambition for China.

      Admittance is limited and booking out fast so to secure your place at Ambition Asia Pacific register now.

       

      AgROBOfood – stimulating the uptake of robotics in the agri-food sector

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      “The Horizon 2020 & Horizon Europe funding streams give participants exposure to a large European network of relevant research organisations, business advisory services, investors and companies.”

       

      Christine O’Meara, Walton Institute, AgROBOfood, Horizon 2020 project

      Key Takeouts:

      • Walton Institute, formerly TSSG, part of the Waterford Institute of Technology, is involved in a major project to encourage and facilitate the uptake of robotics in the agri-food sector.
      • The AgROBOfood project is being funded by the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme.
      • Acting as a Digital Innovation Hub, The Walton Institute, is a one-stop-shop, supporting those in the Agri-food sector in locating and accessing robotics services or expertise and is mapping out the robotics ecosystem in Ireland.

      Case Study: AgROBOfood

      By 2050, our planet will be home to almost 10 billion people and the pressure on food production will be immense. There is now an urgent need to find and develop smart ways to farm and process food, and this underlies the European Union’s huge investment in agri-food-related innovation projects.

      AgROBOfood is one such project. Focused on helping the Agri-food sector become more efficient through the use of robotics, the four-year, €16.3m Horizon 2020 project involves 39 partners and is led by Wageningen University & Research in The Netherlands.

      The project team is broken into seven territorial clusters enabling more agile and effective group sizes. Ireland, represented by The Walton Institute (formerly TSSG) – an internationally recognised centre of excellence for ICT research and innovation and part of the Waterford Institute of Technology – is in the North West cluster. This cluster comprises the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxemburg, United Kingdom and Ireland.

      AgROBOfood has three aims: to build a network of digital innovation hubs and competency centres; to load this network with a catalogue of services; and to showcase what robotics can do for the sector.

      “Walton Institute is the Digital Innovation Hub for Ireland. We can signpost stakeholders to competency or research centres or other hubs in Ireland or across Europe that can provide the services or expertise they need. And as an R&D centre itself, Walton can also provide services directly,” explains Christine O’Meara, Walton Institute project lead.

      “There’s definitely an appetite for digitization and automation, and Ireland has strong national players in, for example, the dairy sector where smart technologies are well advanced.” says O’Meara

      “There are a lot of exciting start-ups in Ireland working in robotics in diverse areas from pasture management to sustainable poultry production. Across Europe, great progress has been made across agri-food with areas like robotic weeding and harvesting set to advance quickly.”

      A key driver in the growth of the robotics ecosystem will be the results of three funding open calls. Two of these (Open Calls for Innovation Experiments) will involve a technology provider and a technology user coming together to advance and demonstrate their solution. The third open call will be targeted at a range of specific industrial challenges, for example, asking if robots can improve working conditions in the food industry.

      “From a TSSG perspective, the opportunity to reach out to, and build relationships with, start-ups and SMEs in the agri-food space through these open calls is really important,” says O’Meara.

       

      The Horizon advantage

      One of the advantages of the Horizon 2020 approach, says O’Meara, is that it presents a means of looking at broader impacts, beyond the local and across disciplines.

      “The Horizon 2020 funding stream gives participants exposure to a large European network of relevant research organisations, business advisory services, investors, technology companies, agri-food start-ups and large enterprises,” says O’Meara.

      “Although in this project each cluster is working somewhat independently, we’re collaborating through a shared technology platform to ensure best practices are replicated and everyone has full visibility of progress and developments.”

      O’Meara is involved in several Horizon 2020-funded projects, including Demeter and NIVA, and is keen to encourage others to explore the opportunities such projects present.

      “As well as giving access to a breadth of expertise, Horizon projects provide a way of broadening your network and extending your skills,” confirms O’Meara

       

      Don’t be daunted

      For some, however, the Horizon process remains an intimidating prospect.

      “Don’t be daunted by the proposal process. It’s quite structured and it’s clear what the EU wants to see. But you need to give yourself plenty of time. As soon as a call comes out you need to start thinking about what topics you’re interested in, what partners you’ll need and get the right team on board. Remember that there’s a lot of support available,” O’Meara advises.

      Most research institutes have in-house support for Horizon 2020 applicants but another excellent source of support is Enterprise Ireland’s National Contact Points These provide information and guidance on all aspects of Horizon 2020 from signposting to webinars about areas of interest, to helping identify partners and reviewing proposals.

      “Begin by identifying what supports are available to you and speak to someone who’s been involved in the process before. If you or your organization need help in writing the proposal, Enterprise Ireland can also provide consultancy support,” adds O’Meara.

      “If you’re successful in getting Horizon 2020 funding, you will have a  very well defined plan of action set out in your implementation description and detailed work packages and you’ll have specific deliverables. So you’ll know exactly what to do from day one.”

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

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