Anne Lanigan Enterprise Ireland

Market Watch – A view from the Eurozone

Anne Lanigan, Director of the EurozoneThere is no doubt that the impact of COVID-19 on mainland Europe has been profound with most countries operating on a skeleton crew of essential businesses and services. However, Anne Lanigan, Regional Director, Eurozone, for Enterprise Ireland, says goods are still moving and it is possible to do business.

 

Key Takeaways:

  • The situation is evolving daily and the 45 strong Enterprise Ireland team on the ground in the Eurozone are working and available as normal, albeit remotely to be of assistance.
  • Business is still moving although slower, particularly in the Medtech, Pharma, Construction, Food, eCommerce and other services sectors.
  • The innovation, flexibility and commitment of Irish companies will help them survive this crisis.

 

“A lot of sectors have been very badly hit, particularly in the hospitality, aerospace and automotive sectors,” she says. “High tech construction of pharma facilities and data centres is still continuing, with some challenges in Germany and the Netherlands. Pharma, Medtech and Food still continue as best they can, and we have good examples of clients in the technology, eCommerce and employee engagement sectors who are experiencing growth. However, for many sectors things are likely to get worse before they get better.”

“I would encourage Irish exporters to make contact with customers, partners and distributors. Communication is crucial at this point. Getting an understanding of the situation your customers are in will help you in forward planning and may help you to deliver an immediate or different solution. In addition, the contact you make now will be appreciated and remembered once we are over this crisis.”

Speaking to customers over the telephone or in a virtual meeting, rather than by email, will offer a much better opportunity to engage and get insights into their situation, what their future plans are and how you might feature in those future plans.

Depending on staff availability and the level of slowdown, Lanigan says some businesses may be able to use this time to build their export capability.

“This could be an opportunity to do market research, a very important element of successful exporting” she advises. “This crisis is temporary so fundamentally it’s still important to validate markets and sectors for your products and services, carry out competitive analysis, build a pricing and communication strategy and develop a strong market development plan.

Doing an online language course for an hour every day might also be a welcome break away from home working while also building up a necessary skillset for exporting to Europe.”

The Eurozone director says there are many supports available to Enterprise Ireland clients as well as government supports available to all companies. These can be found on the Enterprise Ireland Covid-19 business response pages and new supports will be added as soon as they become available. Specific market supports such as the Market Discovery Fund are of course still all available. And Eurozone Market Advisors can provide specific information on supports available locally in their markets.

“Alongside the obvious market challenges, we are seeing a number of other challenges. Our clients are in some cases finding it difficult to engage with customers who are busy trying to resolve their own internal problems,” she says. “Movement of product is also more complicated as extra paperwork is required in some locations. It’s also difficult to get clarity regarding the movement of people as the situation is evolving. However, we continue to assist client companies in meeting buyers (virtually), and we are seeing business deals– it’s not anything close to normal but it is still moving.”

“In addition, in every crisis there are opportunities. Irish companies are typically highly innovative and are quick to pivot. Our clients are known for their flexibility and can change focus quite quickly so there is the possibility to adapt products and services to win business in new markets and new sectors.

Lanigan says the key to surviving this crisis is to stay close to customers, demonstrate flexibility, and be innovative:

Markets will start to open again so we need to ensure that we are ready to get going when we come out of this crisis.”

“Enterprise Ireland Market Advisers are available to help. Our team across the Eurozone are working remotely and contactable by phone or email for one-to-one support. Our priorities are to respond to particular requests from clients and to proactively support clients to continue to do business. In addition to supporting contact with customers, distributors and partners, Market Advisors can also provide advice and help with local market knowledge on the evolving situation and help deal with particular issues as they arise. If you haven’t had recent contact with your Enterprise Ireland Market Advisers please get in touch with your Development Adviser who will make the introduction.”

Irish companies are known across Europe for being innovative, flexible, easy to work with and committed. These characteristics will stand to us and help us through this difficult period.” says Lanigan.

 

Scale 21 – Helping businesses to get established in the UK

The UK has always been and remains Irelands largest single trading partner with a wealth of opportunities for Irish companies.

To support Irish companies to establish themselves in the UK, Enterprise Ireland has run the Scale UK mentoring programme since 2012.

This year’s Scale 21 invites companies to advance their businesses by finessing their strategies, developing their UK messaging, analysing their sales channels and becoming pitch ready with inputs from our experienced mentors.

Download more information on Scale 21 or watch our programme overview below.

Gain insights from a previous participant and mentor who discuss their experiences with Scale UK.

Gillian Doyle, CEO Cerebreon discusses her experience of participating on Scale UK and gives her advice for companies applying for next year’s programme.

Carol Ward, President at Man GLG and Scale UK mentor shares her experience of Scale UK, working with fellow mentors and Irish diaspora and the importance of supporting companies with growth ambition for the UK.

 

To learn more about the Scale 21 programme download our guide.

Pilot Photonics

Spotlight on DTIF: Pilot Photonics combines Irish lasers and the internet of the future

Laser technology has come a long way since Star Wars. Light amplification by stimulated emission of radiation is now widely used across areas from medicine to communications. It plays an important role in our daily lives, allowing us to send information over the internet, play DVDs and store data in the cloud.

But the full potential of photonics, the science and application of light, remains untapped. Irish companies are playing a growing role in exploring the possibilities of this key technology with the help of significant investment from the Government’s €500 million Disruptive Technologies Innovation Fund (DTIF) as well as university research programmes.

Founded in 2011 as a university spin-out, and built on more than 10 years of research at Dublin City University (DCU) and the Tyndall National Institute in Cork, Pilot Photonics is among those working and innovating in the area.

 

iLife project

With research partners in DCU and Trinity College Dublin (TCD), it is working on a new project called iLife, or Irish Lasers for the Internet of the Future. The three-year project, supported by €1.6 million in DTIF funding, aims to develop a new type of laser technology for the communications market.

“Ultimately, it’s about creating optical microchips that use light rather than electricity to send information,” says Frank Smyth, project leader and chief technology officer at Pilot Photonics. 

The project aims to provide a solution to the impending “capacity crunch” facing telecommunication and data centre networks. As internet consumption increases, technology is struggling to keep pace with usage rates. Every time streaming video must buffer or online games freeze, we see the impact of reaching the limits of global bandwidth.

 

New laser technology

iLife is developing a new type of laser technology that could provide one solution to this problem, increasing internet capacity by packing as much information as possible onto existing networks.

Its comb source laser technology offers numerous advantages over the single wavelength lasers that have been used in telecom applications to date, including increased performance and reduced cost, footprint and power consumption.

“We are developing a new type of laser known as an optical comb source that can dramatically increase the amount of information that can be packed onto the optical fibres that make up the backbone of the internet,” Smyth says. 

To put it simply, he says: “When you change station on your car radio what you’re doing is changing the frequency. Our technology allows you to insert more frequencies between the set channels and pack everything tighter together. Each one of those intermediate channels can carry more data increasing the overall capacity of the system.”

 

DTIF: Government funding for innovation

iLife was awarded state funding of €1.6 million in 2018, one of 27 innovation projects across the health, food, ICT and manufacturing sectors to receive money from the first tranche of the DTIF.

The €500 million fund, established under Project Ireland 2040 and run by the Department of Business, Enterprise and Innovation with support from Enterprise Ireland, aims to help enterprises and research institutions to collaborate on projects that will develop and deploy disruptive innovative technologies on a commercial basis.

“The DTIF funding was a big gateway that allowed us to resource this project,” Smyth says, noting the company would not have been able to undertake such cutting-edge work without it.

At present, 12 people are working on iLife, including a team of eight from Pilot Photonics. The DTIF money is initially being used to fund the design of new photonic microchips as well as their fabrication, testing and the development of advanced prototypes.

 

Commercial potential for Pilot Photonics

“What the funding will allow us to do is to really take this technology to a point where we can put it into customer’s hands for evaluation and then get it out into the marketplace,” Smyth says. He estimates that the laser market is currently worth around $12 billion, with the communications sector, the segment iLife is targeting, accounting for around $3 billion of this.

“The commercial focus of this development is at the high end,” he says, adding that the large global corporations interested in this project and its outcome include Google, Nokia, Huawei and others. “We are talking to some of the biggest networking companies in the world.”

Aside from its commercial possibilities, Smyth believes the research can be used in sectors besides communications. For instance, the same technology can also be used in LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) for driverless cars, and in gas-sensing for environmental monitoring, he says.

 

Other projects in the pipeline

In December, Pilot Photonics was successful in securing further DTIF funding for another project, known as FreeSpace. The project, a collaboration with mBryonics, OEWaves, DCU and TCD, received €3.6 million under the second round of DTIF funding, with around €652,000 earmarked for Pilot Photonics.

Freespace aims to revolutionise wireless connectivity with ultra-high capacity laser communication technology that delivers an unprecedented combination of bandwidth, availability and distance without the need for spectrum licensing.

Meanwhile, the DTIF is also backing another ground-breaking photonics project, the Photonics Manufacturing Pilot Line. It is providing funding of €4.1 million to the project, which is led by Tyndall and includes German photonics assembly and testing firm Ficontec along with industry partners mBryonics, Eblana Photonics, Sanmina and Optics11 Faz Technology.

The project will build a dedicated, open-access physical photonic packaging pilot line in Ireland, designed to fill the gap that exists today by fabricating tens to hundreds of units.

 

Irish photonics cluster emerges

To date, the DTIF has invested €19.6 million in photonics-related projects through its first two funding rounds. This builds on the significant state funding that has flowed in recent years to photonics research in DCU, TCD, and Tyndall, which has a state-of-the-art photonics centre.

“The government has prioritised photonics as a key area for investment over the past 20 years and the country is now beginning to see the rewards from that investment,” Smyth says. 

He points to the emergence of several new photonics startups, some of which have been acquired by large US companies, while keeping and growing the number of high-value jobs in Ireland. He also notes the growing number of researchers with expertise in the area coming through the education system while the Irish Photonic Integration Centre (IPIC) acts as a hub for the industry in Ireland.

“A photonics ecosystem is coming together,” Smyth says, one that aims, in the words of the IPIC, “to build the future with talent and technology”.

 

For more information and call dates for the Disruptive Technologies Innovation Fund visit the Department of Business, Enterprise and Innovation website.

Evolve UK – New UK importing rules with HMRC – Establishing a UK presence webinar

 

The Evolve UK webinar series highlights the opportunities for Irish companies interested in doing business with the UK.

This webinar examines the upcoming rule changes to importing into the UK with insights from

– Deirdre McPartlin, UK Manager at Enterprise Ireland

– Margaret Whitby, Head of Stakeholder Engagement at BPDG

– Claire Wilson, Stakeholder Engagement at HMRC Customs and Borders unit

– Ruth Potter, Partner at Ecovis

– Gerry Collins, Managing Partner at Ecovis

Access key insights from sectoral experts with the Evolve UK webinar series.

Dmac Media Director of Sales

Dmac Media – attracting new talent with GradStart

Tech graduates are highly desirable and form a key part of our growth plans.  We had issues competing for that talent and GradStart allowed us to offer a much more attractive package to graduates.”

Dave McEvoy, Sales Director, Dmac Media

Overview:

  • Dmac Media is a web design agency offering a full suite of web solutions including web design, eCommerce platforms, content management and digital marketing.
  • With offices in Dublin, Sligo and Cork the company used Enterprise Ireland’s GradStart initiative to attract fresh graduate talent and drive business activity.
  • The GradStart programme offers salary support of up to 70% for the employment of graduate talent to assist companies when expanding into new markets.

1. What attracted you to get involved in GradStart?

Tech graduates are highly desirable and form a key part of our growth plans.  We had issues competing for that talent and Enterprise Ireland‘s GradStart allowed us to offer a much more attractive package to graduates.

 

2. What did GradStart allow you to do that you wouldn’t have done otherwise?

Bringing in fresh talent to our business allowed us to focus more heavily on business development as a daily activity rather than a paper based plan.

 

3. What challenges and/or opportunities did GradStart help you address?

With qualified personnel we had lower training and induction costs this allowed us to keep up in a fast paced sector in a sustainable way.  The challenge (as always) was finding the right graduates.

 

4. Which areas of the business did the graduate contribute to?

Our graduates have broadened both our technical skillset as well as our graphic design and process management skills.  The impact was noticeable from day one.

 

5. How did participating in GradStart impact your business positively?

GradStart gave us a headstart on developing new products which in turn has brought our entry into new markets considerably closer.

 

6. Were there any learnings from your participation in GradStart that you have taken forward into your business?

We have evolved from a company with very standard and fixed methodologies to one that is now willing to experiment and develop better strategies.

 

7. Would you recommend GradStart to your business peers? If so, why?

Yes, it gives you time to focus on the business rather than just working in the business.

Learn more about GradStart and how it can support your business growth.

Speaker at Ambition North America

Joining the American tech revolution

When Alan Turing devised his eponymous computer he could have had no idea that it had set in motion multiple technological innovations so disruptive the effects will likely eclipse the last Industrial Revolution.

That’s according to SKOUT CYBERSECURITY CEO, Aidan Kehoe, whose foray into the US market 15 years ago led to the foundation of his global business. The technology set in train by Turing has led to seismic shifts that we have still yet to fully grasp and is fueling innovation in artificial intelligence, privacy, big data, blockchain, connected cities, cloud computing, voice, audio, augmented and virtual reality.

 

Innovation key to getting heard in US market

They are megatrends, according to Kehoe, who asked delegates at Enterprise Ireland’s Ambition North America event: “Do you want to be part of the megatrend or deal with the consequences of it?”

The question posed is important because, according to Kehoe, the US economy has embraced megatrends. Innovation is seen as a key driver in business and is part of the US business psyche. Any value proposition that speaks to innovation and solves megatrend problems and pain points will get a hearing in the US.

“To understand the American business mind, you have to realise they start from the perspective that they have no choice but to make it. That, in itself, acts a great driver for innovation,” says Kehoe.

In almost every sector, from AI, machine learning, fintech, medtech, agritech, pharma, life sciences and beyond, the US leads, and thrives on, innovation. More patents are filed in the US than any other country; in fact, it files three times as many as its nearest competitor, Japan.

It’s why, if you have an innovative solution, be prepared for the US to at the very least, give you facetime.

 

Don’t try to be all things to all people

As the world’s largest economy, currently enjoying a decade of unbroken growth –  last year nudging 4.95% – and a GDP of $20.49trn, the US remains the prize export market. But exporters attempting to ‘break’ America can run into common pitfalls, not least viewing the United States as a single business monoculture.

David Walsh, CEO of Netwatch, which has 250,000 customers in North America, told delegates that the US is “where you go to scale” but warned:

“You simply cannot be all things to all people over there. You have to be clear what you can deliver and even clearer on what you can’t. It’s effectively 50 different markets sharing the same bit of land. We concentrated on four key markets and built on that. California is not the same as Texas and neither are the same as the East coast.” says Walsh.

Enterprise Ireland’s Market Research Centre at its Dublin HQ in EastPoint (and via eight regional hubs), together with grant funding such as the Market Discovery Fund, will help you to put boots, not only on the ground but in the right place to build your network.

Once in the US, do not fall into the trap of trying to bootstrap your operation, said Rob Rae, co-founder of Littus, the business development consultancy.

“Time and time again, the biggest and worst mistake we see is firms falling into the DIY trap, trying to do it all themselves. It’s only natural, Irish firms are entrepreneurial and it’s worked in other markets in the past and in Ireland but this is a different ball game. Spend your money on expertise at this early stage because it will save you many multiples later on, if what you did on your own goes wrong.”

He told the conference: “Above all bring a value proposition to the table. Don’t go to the US hoping to be the best Irish tech company there is. Go there to be the best tech company in the US that happens to be Irish.”

Key to planning is securing visas for your team in the early stages. Business visas will help for initial networking and sales but ultimately you will

need resident work visas and the paperwork can be lengthy and detailed both in time and scope, added Rebecca Mancini, Corporate Immigration Attorney at Clark Hill.

“The climate under the current administration is ‘buy American, hire American’ so in bringing skilled staff from abroad, you need to demonstrate why a US citizen could not do that.” For Irish firms with IP and trade secrets that cannot be replicated, this should be emphasised and should help the process to get key personnel in place, added Mancini.

If you have your market fit and personnel in place, be prepared for being able to scale, said SKOUT’s Aidan Kehoe, a sentiment echoed by Monaghan-based forklift manufacturer, Combilift.

“Our sales doubled in the last three years in North America,” said the firm’s North American Sales Director, Anthony Rooney.

For Kehoe, he had no doubt that riding the current internet megatrend was fundamental to the firm’s success.

“We’re in cybersecurity. Even if we weren’t any good, we would probably be doing very well indeed. That’s what riding the megatrend means.”

 

Learn more about doing business in the USA and Canada and the Enterprise Ireland supports available.

Why ‘no’ is the most common word used in French business

France is the most visited tourist destination in the world. Almost 83 million visitors a year make the trip to one of the most culturally rich and diverse countries in the world – and it’s easy to see why.

But visiting as a tourist, as many Irish people do, only scrapes the surface of the French psyche. How France deals with visitors is not always the same as how French business is conducted and it is important to discern the difference.

Irish business culture has evolved into an open, often informal and flexible solution-based environment, driven both by Irish innovation and the requirements of multinational partners. Given that we are an export-driven economy, we are outward facing by default and used to finding bespoke solutions.

 

How French business culture differs from Ireland

It could not be a more contrasting picture in France. French business culture can appear formal to the point of excess, governed by layered hierarchy and tiered bureaucracy.

Combined with French pride in putting their native tongue foremost, it may appear, at first, a difficult cultural barrier to overcome.

At Enterprise Ireland’s most recent Ambition France event, Irish exporters shared first-hand experience of French business culture.

By following the well-trod path to the UK, the US and the English-language friendly Benelux regions, Irish firms could be missing out on opportunities to break into one of the world’s richest countries. France remains a €2.5trn economy, with consistent growth. It is the world’s seventh-largest economy and the third biggest in the Eurozone.

However, for an Irish business keen to enter France, who has done its market research and established its product fit, it will soon become clear why the formality and ‘red tape’ exists.

France loves detail. Bureaucracy is there to establish – and protect – quality. Rather than act as a barrier for entry to the market, it levels the playing field for all competitors. It also means negotiations can be lengthy, and unlike the transactional price-based nature of, for example, the Netherlands, quality and attention to detail will be weighted highly in French business.

“It can seem bewildering,” Michael Stack, Managing Director of Tricel, the Killarney-based composites manufacturer told the conference. 

“But the rules are applied fairly and squarely. No-one is trading within our market outside of the regulatory system. It’s not just a rules-based country, it’s a rules-based country where rules are enforced. That makes it fair for everyone.” says Stack.

 

How to do business in France

It’s why, when doing business in France, one of the most common words heard in meetings will be “Non”. This is not a negative but actually the first step on the road to “Oui”. “Non” forms the basis of a discussion with your intended partner or client that will deal heavily with specifics and navigating French regulatory compliance.

“No doesn’t always mean ‘no’,” Nicola-Marie O’Donovan, Senior Agile Coach from BlaBlaCar, told delegates. “It will likely be the start of a conversation. In Ireland, we tend to say ‘yes’ too quickly. In France, an argument is usually the precursor to a discussion.”

 Formality must not be disregarded, even in looser cultural environments, such as the tech sector. Resist the urge for small talk and never ask personal questions unless invited to do so.

Within French organisations, it would be expected to inform senior figures ahead of team members of developments, even if it would seem to be non-essential information. Protocol matters.

Language skills will be mandatory if an Irish firm is to deal successfully in France or deal with French business partners. French is preferred and having a native French speaker on staff sends a very strong signal of your intent. It is quite normal to have a presentation deck in English but the discussion in French.

Do not underestimate French pride in their language. Make the effort to have marketing and web material accurately translated, preferably by a native French speaker.

“We went to a trade show early on in our venture in France and set up our display with our banner in French but it contained a grammatical error. Every single person who walked by our stand stopped and pointed it out,” Stack told the conference.

 

Get support from Enterprise Ireland

Language can be resolved, of course, with key hires and outsourced translation. Enterprise Ireland’s own GradStart programme will part-fund salaries of individual graduates with a language qualification in the key market helping to get your own boots on the ground in-country, something the French value highly.

Being there matters, agreed Eoin Licken, the Grenoble-based Commercial Manager of Tekelek:

There is often surprise when a prospect sees me ringing on a French mobile, in French, and you can see the change of tone in the conversation as a result.” Eoin Licken explains.

If your product fit is right for France and you are prepared to adapt to French culture, be prepared for a rewarding foray into the market, said Stack. He added: “If you a want a market where you can compete, where quality is valued rather than cost, then you should seriously consider doing business in France.”

team discussing market research plan

Access premium business intelligence reports with the Market Research Centre

The main ways client companies can utilise the Enterprise Ireland Market Research Centre

 

If you are interested in entering a new market or diversifying into a new sector, Enterprise Ireland’s Market Research Centre can help. Read how you can best use this Enterprise Ireland support.

Conducting market research can help to reduce business risks and assist your company to map out its journey to growing exports. To support client companies, Enterprise Ireland has invested in access to premium business intelligence databases in Market Research Centres in Dublin and eight regional hubs.

But how can you best access the Market Research Centre? Follow these five steps to make the most of your time there.

 

  1. Create your research objective

First, consider what the information you need will be used for and in what type of resource it is likely to be found. Resources provided by the Market Research Centre include:

  • Market reports
  • Country reports
  • Industry and sector reports
  • Company listings for lead generation
  • Trend forecasts
  • Journal articles

All of this information and research is provided by respected publishers and can only be accessed by clients within the Market Research Centre. The Centre’s information specialists work with a range of providers to ensure your company has access to the most up-to-date knowledge available. Once your research objectives are clear, then you are ready to take the next step.

 

  1. Explore the databases online

Get a sense of the databases you would most like to access at the Market Research Centre online before you make an appointment. You can even search for specific report titles here. By preparing in advance, and checking in with the Market Research Centre before your visit, you can ensure that relevant material is available when you need it and that your time is spent efficiently.

 

  1. Book an appointment

Contact the Market Research Centre to discuss your research request and to arrange a visit to the main centre in Dublin or to any of the eight regional office hubs. Currently there are facilities in the following Enterprise Ireland regional offices: Athlone, Cork, Dundalk, Galway, Shannon, Sligo, Tralee and Waterford.

To book your appointment, contact:

Phone: (01) 727 2324

Email: market.research@enterprise-ireland.com

Opening Hours: Monday-Friday, 9am-5pm.

 

  1. Stay up-to-date and social

The Market Research Centre blog is the best place to find the latest information about resources. This includes the most recent reports available to Enterprise Ireland clients, arranged into categories that are easy to search. From country-specific reports to individual sector research and Brexit-focused news, visiting the blog regularly will give you a sense of the breadth and depth of research and information available to consult during your visit.

You can also follow the Market Research Centre on Twitter to stay up-to-date with its latest news.

 

 

  1. Get guidance from information specialists

One big advantage of using the Market Research Centre is that you’re no longer alone. The Centre’s knowledgeable information specialists are readily available to guide you towards the most relevant reports and databases for your needs. The Market Research Centre’s information specialists can also help you to determine which reports are most relevant to your needs, or assist you with developing a plan of action on which sector or country you should start researching.

Conducting the right market research is vital for businesses to maintain their competitive edge and enjoy successful export growth. With Brexit a reminder of the importance of diversifying and discovering exciting new export opportunities, get the right support from Enterprise Ireland’s Market Research Centre.

John O Carroll Eblana Photonics

Eurostars support invaluable for SMEs developing new products

John O'Carroll

“Eurostars funding is invaluable to small businesses as it reduces the risk involved in developing new technologies.

Eblana Photonics, lead partner on TLPON Eurostars project

Key Takeouts:

  • Dublin company, Eblana Photonics, led a small consortium whose aim was to develop novel photonic integrated circuits (PIC) for optical communication applications.
  • The project was part funded by the European Union’s Eurostars research and innovation programme which is aimed at R&D-performing SMEs.
  • The TLPON project has opened new doors for Eblana to develop PIC-based laser products for telecom and spectroscopy.

Case Study: Eblana Photonics

Dublin-based Eblana Photonics, which specialises in the design and production of advanced lasers for communications, sensing and measurement, has long appreciated the value of collaborative projects. Over much of its 20 years in operation it has drawn on the support of European funding programmes to enable it to target new markets with innovative products and establish itself as a provider of world-class technology.

Recently the company completed a project, TLPON, funded under the European Union’s Eurostars programme. Eurostars is a large international funding programme for SMEs that want to collaborate on R&D projects to create innovative products, processes or services for commercialisation.

The main goal of TLPON was the development of novel photonic integrated circuits (PICs) for optical communication applications, with the new NG-PON2 application being the primary target. NG-PON2 is a telecommunications network standard mainly for higher speed fibre to the home networks.

“TLPON was about developing a multi-channel laser approach to increasing the speed and capacity of networks to meet future bandwidth demand, which is rising because of the use of Netflix and similar media and also the increasing resolution in 4k and 8k devices,” explains John O’Carroll

 

Building the European consortium

Eblana Photonics put together a strong consortium that included Dublin City University (DCU), Foton Institute and Orange Labs, the last two based in France.

“We were able to build on our close relationship with DCU. I talked to them about this project and they were interested as it’s an area they were researching as well. Through DCU’s links with one of the French partners, Foton, we were able to bring them on board and they and in turn brought Orange Labs in as the fourth partner.

“Once we had identified the consortium, we contacted Enterprise Ireland and got great advice on what to focus on in the proposal to qualify for the Eurostars programme,” says O’Carroll.

 

The benefits of collaboration

Eblana’s experience of device manufacturing married with the other partners’ research expertise and systems knowledge created a highly effective consortium. This was underpinned by the fact that the partners’ roles within the project complemented each other, and members of the consortium had successfully worked together in the past.

“Having access to the experience of DCU and the international partners was invaluable. For example, we got feedback from Orange Labs on the requirements of an end user and we benefitted from DCU’s characterisation and device packaging expertise and from Foton’s electronic circuit design and device characterisation capabilities.”

 

Commercial application

As the project progressed, however, the NG-PON2 standard was overtaken by other standards.

“When we started TLPON there was a lot of interest in the market for next generation optical networks, and it looked like it was going to be widely applied. But during the project, some other standards came into force and the market went in a different direction,” explains O’Carroll.

“However, the research wasn’t wasted as we were able to modify it and select elements of it to apply to our products roadmap. Before TPLON we didn’t have PICs in our product range, but afterwards we were able to use the research learning to integrate a laser with a modulator.  And if NG-PON2 gains traction within the next couple of years we can turn our attention back to that and develop products in that area.”

TLPON has been transformative in developing Eblana’s capabilities in the area of photonic integration and has presented new opportunities for the company to develop PIC-based laser products for telecom and spectroscopy.

Why Eurostars?

The technologies developed with the support of EU funding have been instrumental in helping Eblana Photonics target new markets with new and innovative products over the years.

“Most of our current product portfolio has been developed with the help of a European research project; the company has benefitted immensely. As with TLPON, what we developed in the projects didn’t necessarily always end up as the commercial product, but the learning led to new products for us because we were able to look for other applications for the research,” says O’Carroll.

“Particularly in the early days of the company when we didn’t have a big R&D budget, the opportunity to be involved in EU projects was invaluable. It would have been difficult for us to risk developing something ourselves that we might not get a return on. So EU programmes such as Eurostars are of great benefit to small businesses.” explains O’Carroll

“On a personal level it’s also very rewarding, particularly for people like myself who come from a research background, as it allows you to work on projects that are outside your day-to-day job and keep up to date with new research.”

Eurostars is primarily a programme for R&D-performing SMEs.  Although universities and research organisations can take part in a project, the main project partner must be an SME.

Companies that take part in Eurostars projects typically see an average of 15% annual turnover increase, while almost 70% of them enter new markets or gain market share.

For advice or further information about applying for Eurostars support please contact David Flood or consult the Eurostars website.

 

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Evercam drone install

How Agile Innovation enabled Evercam to capitalise on the AI revolution

“Construction is high value so when things go wrong, it’s expensive. We’ve become that single source of truth.”

Marco Herbst, CEO, Evercams

Overview:

  • Enterprise Ireland’s RD&I funding enabled Evercam to apply AI and machine-learning algorithms to its time-lapse videos.
  • Cameras extract useful, actionable data for project managers, contractors and engineers and generate valuable reports about activity and progress.
  • Partnerships with installation companies are key to Evercam’s growth in international markets.

Construction cranes are redrawing the Dublin skyline and building rates are back at boom-time levels, transforming the city into a world-leading centre of finance and technology  — and Evercam, which supplies time-lapse and project management cameras to the construction industry, is capturing the progress as it happens.

“We’re putting cameras on construction sites for marketing purposes, for project management and for dispute avoidance,” shares Evercam CEO Marco Herbst, who co-founded the company with Vinnie Quinn in 2010.

“We wanted to use cameras for more than just security and we always felt that images and pictures could be used for a much more productive, proactive, communicative purpose to try and improve how people do their jobs,” Marco explains, adding, “We spent quite a while trying out different business models and industries until we found construction about four years ago.”

Evercam’s products are now used by a number of high-profile construction companies including BAM, SISK, Bennett and Stewart on projects for the likes of Google, Facebook, ESB and Central Bank, to name a few.

“Construction is high value so when things go wrong, it’s expensive,” Marco says. “And construction sites are complicated environments with lots of moving parts and a lot of issues around trust, what happened when and who did what. Pictures, images and video are just beautiful ways of capturing all that so that everybody is on the same page.”

 

Harnessing the power of AI

Evercam cameraTime-lapse is an incredible way to visually display progress but Marco and his team saw potential in video analytics, a technology that applies artificial intelligence and  machine-learning algorithms to video feeds — thereby allowing cameras to instantly recognise people, objects and situations.

“Customers were already using our videos to check how many trucks arrived at the construction site, how long the crane was on-site, how many people were on-site at any given moment, but we weren’t using video analytics,” Marco says. “We had the data, we had real customer problems to solve but we needed data scientists and hardware and for a company at our stage of growth, it could be risky to suddenly shift a load of our resources into an R&D project.”

That’s why Evercam decided to apply to Enterprise Ireland’s Agile Innovation Fund for support, which offers up to 50% funding to a maximum of €150,000 in grant aid for innovation projects with a total cost of up to €300,000.

With Enterprise Ireland’s support, we were able to buy GPUs (graphics processing units), hire developers and researchers, spend time in iterative dialogue with customers and spend time designing the product,” Marco explains.

“The Agile fund is a very holistic, wholesome support and Enterprise Ireland is happy to support all of those different moving parts, not just financially but also with advice, letting us know where to spend our energy.”

Evercam now combines the latest developments in machine learning and AI to construction site videos to extract useful, actionable data for project managers, contractors and engineers and generate valuable reports about activity and progress.

“We’ve become that single source of truth,” Marco states.

 

Next steps in Evercam’s growth strategy

Evercam’s customer base today is predominantly in Ireland and the UK, the latter of which relies on channel partners such as CCTV installers.

“From the customer’s point of view, the end-user, they get the time-lapse video which they need and want from their existing CCTV supplier which is great because they don’t need to have an extra person on-site — they can buy it from somebody they’re already working with,” Marco explains, adding, “That’s been key to us growing in the UK, particularly in London, and now we’re actively setting that up everywhere else.”

And the company’s products continue to evolve. One of the most popular features is Snapmail, which captures key stages in a project and emails them to those who need it. Another is a tool that compares before and after images from any point in time.

Evercam plans to open an office in New Zealand as well as grow its presence in markets such as Singapore and the US where it’s already started selling its cameras.

“Enterprise Ireland has been amazing at making introductions in new markets, from New York to Paris to Amsterdam, steering us towards the types of people we want to hire or the kinds of companies we want to talk to,” Marco says.

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

 

GradStart

5 ways GradStart can help you to attract and retain graduates

Talent is one of the business world’s most valuable resources. The ability to attract, recruit and retain, ambitious, highly skilled employees is a must for every Irish company aiming for success in exporting markets.

Irish companies with the ambition to grow exports, will benefit from developing a competitive edge to attract the motivated and highly skilled talent they need. Enterprise Ireland’s GradStart offers just that. In addition to financial support, GradStart provides invaluable guidance on how to attract, retain and build long-term relationships with graduates.

Here are five ways GradStart can help you.

 

1. Know your strengths

Competing for top talent can be difficult for SMEs, due to competition for skills in the marketplace. In some cases, smaller businesses can also lack a dedicated department to focus on skills attraction and promoting the company brand. However, it’s important for Irish companies to develop a talent attraction strategy and articulate the strengths that make them attractive employers for many graduates.

Helen McMahon, senior executive for Client Skills with Enterprise Ireland, comments:

“There’s something really exciting about working for an SME. Employees have access to more business areas than they might in large multinationals, where roles are often strictly defined. Graduates get the opportunity to work with senior management teams, have more exposure to a range of processes and systems, and the potential for more responsibility at an earlier stage in their career development. Above all, there’s a chance to really make a difference in a smaller company.”

Accessing GradStart helps companies to gain confidence and expertise in these benefits in order to market them to the highly skilled people that can help their business to reach the next level.

 

2. Define the role

Be clear about the skills your company needs and remember that it should include both hard and soft skills. Hard skills include technical expertise and knowledge of a particular system or a way of working. Soft skills, such as the ability to build relationships; work as part of a team, manage people effectively, and creative problem solving, are just as important.

Helen explains: “To apply for GradStart, a company needs to have defined a specific role for a graduate, and there must be an underlying business case for the role.”

For example, a company may want to attract a graduate with specific skills attached to a particular project. Not only must the company be clear in their GradStart application about why those skills are needed, but it should also be clear on the importance of the project to the company’s overall development and export growth. Clarity on the job role and project will make your company more attractive to discerning potential employees.

 

3. Build a career path

Bright ambitious candidates are interested in more than salary and perks. Particularly at the outset of their career, good candidates want to know that a job will enable them to develop their skills and expertise.

Helen adds: “It’s vital to show graduates that you are thinking of their career path as much as they are. You’re looking to build a long-term relationship and you need to show them that you are committed to helping them grow and develop.”

Investing in a good employee’s development is one of the best ways of ensuring they stay with your company. Research indicates one common reason people leave companies is that they feel they have stopped learning and developing. Very often, they go in search of new challenges, rather than more money.

As part of the GradStart programme, you are required to plan a career path for your potential recruit, the focus on which can also be attractive to potential candidates.

 

4. Think long term

If a graduate employee eventually leaves your company, it is often wise to maintain a strong relationship with them. Opportunities to collaborate may appear later, or a role that suits them perfectly may be created within your company in the future. A strong relationship with previous graduate employees can also be an on-going source of valuable industry intelligence.

Helen comments: “When you’re recruiting a graduate, you aren’t just selling the idea of joining your company, you’re selling the idea of becoming part of an industry or sector. You want them to feel that this is an exciting industry with lots of opportunities. Even if they do someday move on from your company, it can be very beneficial if they stay within your industry.”

 

5. Use recruitment tools

As part of GradStart, you will be supported through the graduate recruitment process. You will be encouraged to advertise your new position on Enterprise Ireland’s dedicated website for graduate offers and initiatives – gradhub.ie.  This site is directly linked to GradIreland, which has access to 80,000 graduates approximately. You can, of course, source a graduate yourself. It is important to remember that, to qualify for GradStart, the employee can’t have previously worked with the company or be working there currently.

 

What does GradStart offer?

GradStart provides financial support for a company to recruit up to three graduates for a duration of two years each. The support covers 50% of a graduate’s yearly salary, up to a maximum of €15,000 a year in grant aid (ie a salary of €30,000) for two years.

For graduates with proficiency in a language relevant to the business role, the grant increases to 70% of the salary, up to a maximum of €21,000 a year for two years.

It is available for Irish graduates or for overseas graduates, based either in Ireland or overseas. The graduate must be paid by an Irish company to access GradStart funding.

Get the support you need to step into new markets.  Check your company’s eligibility on this link below.

Apply for GradStart now.

Barry Napier, CEO Cubic Telecom

CASE: How automotive disruption offers huge opportunities for Irish tech companies

The automotive industry is at a crossroads. In an era where digital technology is disrupting the status quo throughout the global economy, few industries are being so profoundly impacted as automotive.

Under pressure over emissions and sustainability, manufacturers are focused on transitioning from the internal combustion engine to a future of connected, autonomous, shared and electric vehicles,(CASE). Traditional supply chains are changing dramatically, as new technology providers force manufacturers to rethink where value can be created and by whom.

To assess the level of opportunity this offers Irish business, Enterprise Ireland asked a panel of experts what lies on the road head.

 

From hardware to software

Barry Napier, CEO of Irish company Cubic Telecom – who provides global mobile connectivity solutions for automotive manufacturers including Audi, Skoda and VW – believes the future will be driven by software rather than hardware.

“The mindset has changed,” he says. “Historically when you went to an OEM (original equipment manufacturer) and you said to them, we want to do something, there was panic in their faces because they had to go and change the hardware, and then there were multiple partners they had to talk to in order to do that.

“It’s easier to change software, so now they are looking to do as much as they can via software solutions, putting mainframe concepts into vehicles and then seeing how they can run that through the cloud. The mindset is there with the OEMs to make the car lighter, faster and doing it all via software.”says Napier.

Hiren Desai, Head of Strategy and Innovation North America for Continental, agrees that tier one suppliers will need to be able to create value by manufacturing intelligence rather than just parts.

Hiren says: “The supply chain is going to undergo disruption over the next 10 to 15 years significantly when it comes to software coming in and replacing all the hardware that companies are used to producing.

“Companies like Continental are experts in industrialisation, which essentially means manufacturing. Now, what we’re really talking about is having software factories able to produce intelligence, able to write code, able to produce artificial intelligence, that’s where it is heading.”

 

Automotive industry rethinks the car

Whether it is in vehicles that transport people, goods or freight, OEMs will be looking for partners who can help them meet this demand. Traditional players will have to adapt and make room for new entrants from non-automotive backgrounds.

For Dr Engelbert Wimmer, CEO and founder of German specialist automotive management consultancy and investment company E&Co (Entrepreneurs and Consultants), this level of disruption can be seized upon by Irish companies.

“We are reconsidering every bit and piece of the traditional car,” he says. “That means changing materials and a whole new supply chain because the concept and characteristics of a vehicle that you want to operate 90,000km a year on a shared mobility or on an autonomous platform will be completely different because the durability and ownership will be changing.

“This means we will need to change the materials that vehicles are made from – from the rubber in the tyres to the steel and the chassis. We need to do a lot on recycling and greening the car by what components we will need. For companies who have interesting materials, who operate in material science and can supply components that are recyclable, this is a massive opportunity.

“You’re not just talking about tech companies, you’re looking at companies such as plastic moulders, or in the textile sector. It could be somebody from surface technology. It could be somebody in glass technology. Glass is a super interesting surface with a lot of functions, such as integrated light and displays. All these technologies are being reborn at the moment.

“You’re looking at an awful lot of companies that couldn’t previously have looked at the automotive sector. Every time you have a disruption in that size and with this technology scope, new entrants will have a super chance.” says Napier.

 

Hub for CASE development

Many Irish companies enjoying success in the automotive sector are part of the Connected and Autonomous Vehicle (CAV) cluster, which is supported by Enterprise Ireland, IDA Ireland, Science Foundation Ireland, Department of Transport, and the Lero research centre.

With Jaguar Land Rover’s Centre for Networked and Autonomous Vehicles at Shannon and French vehicle technology giant Valeo’s facility in Tuam as members, CAV Ireland is fast establishing the West of Ireland as a hub for CASE vehicle development.

CAV companies collaborate to identify products and services which can capitalise on export opportunities in the automotive supply chain. It is an approach which Engelbert believes fits well with the future of mobility.

He says: “Whether it is software or materials, it is not about one company producing all this. It is about collaboration and partnership. The tool chain has many, many links that need to be linked together.”