Minister of State for Innovation Policy, Michael Ahern TD

Minister of State for Innovation Policy, Michael Ahern TD visited Waterford today to attend the first planning meeting between WIT researcher Dr. Paul Savage and Pat Jones, MD of E-management Systems Ltd who have joined forces to spend one of Ireland’s first Innovation Vouchers.

The €5,000 voucher was issued through the Innovation Voucher Initiative by Enterprise Ireland to help Mr Jones engage with Waterford IT and deliver a solution to some of his company’s technology obstacles.

There were 194 vouchers allocated in the first phase of this initiative which is designed to assist small Irish firms become more innovative.  The agreement between Waterford IT and E-management Systems Ltd is one of the first projects out of the starting blocks.

Congratulating E-management Systems Ltd and Waterford IT on their early start to the project Ahern said; “I am delighted to see a small technology company like E-management Systems Ltd seize the opportunity to work with WIT.  I want to encourage all the small companies that will receive a voucher in the 2^nd phase – applications for which closed earlier this week - to follow the example of this partnership and make early contact with the knowledge providers in the initiative. This Enterprise Ireland managed initiative is an excellent way to begin the small business community’s cultural shift towards innovation through collaboration with researchers and the sooner companies talk to the research community the better”.

Pat Jones, MD of E-management Systems Ltd thanked Enterprise Ireland and the Waterford City Enterprise Board for introducing him to the initiative; “this Innovation Voucher puts me in the best position to get excellent advice and technical information from the researchers in the Telecommunications Software and Systems Group at Waterford IT.  The Innovation Voucher initiative is a great way to explore the collaborative possibilities that exist between small companies like mine and the research community”.

Any small company with a knowledge question can seek a solution from one of Ireland’s third level institutions. There will be a further 200 Innovation Vouchers available in Phase 3 which opens on 1^st October 2007.

Applications can be made through Enterprise Ireland’s dedicated website www.innovationvouchers.ie

Overview of the Enterprise Ireland Innovation Voucher Initiative:

The establishment of the Innovation Voucher initiative was a key recommendation of the Small Business Forum in their report ‘Small Business is Big Business’, published in May 2006.

The objective of the Innovation Voucher initiative is to drive an on-going innovation cultural shift within small enterprise by promoting and encouraging a transfer of knowledge between Ireland’s public knowledge providers and the small business community and creating greater synergies between the two.

The initiative is designed to encourage small companies and public knowledge providers to work together on specific innovation questions and projects related to the company’s needs.

The nature of such projects will be such that they transfer knowledge that is new to the company.  The company may use the new knowledge to innovate a product, production process or service.

To be successful in an application for an Innovation Voucher, the company’s project must require an innovative solution, provide additional value for the company and have on-going benefits.

Under the first phase of the pilot scheme launched on 21^st March 2007 by Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment, Micheal Martin TD, 200 innovation vouchers worth €5,000 were allocated on a semi-competitive basis to small businesses whose proposals met the basic criteria. Only one voucher can be received by a company.

If the cost of the project exceeds the value of the Innovation Voucher, any additional costs must be negotiated between the small business and the knowledge provider. Enterprise Ireland’s only involvement is to manage the application process and supply the Innovation Voucher if applicable.

Any small business is free to join with other small businesses also in receipt of an Innovation Voucher to work with a knowledge provider in solving an issue of common concern, up to a maximum number of ten companies.

Permitted uses

Vouchers can be exchanged for knowledge transfer projects from the knowledge provider.

For the purposes of this initiative, a knowledge transfer project is defined as one that transfers knowledge of a scientific, technological or innovative nature that it is new to the small enterprise. The small enterprise may then use the new knowledge to innovate a product, process or service.

• Standard training courses

• software purchases

• aid that would promote/subsidise the cost of exports,

• internships for students of knowledge institutions,

• design and production of advertising material

• sales activities.    

Profile of E-management Systems Ltd:

Incorporated in 1999, EMS focuses on improving the administration process for their clients by increasing the use of technology. They develop and implement innovative solutions which simplify the administration or data gathering process. They have been involved in a number of industries from Pharmaceutical to Service Companies and the Public Service across a range of issues from reporting automation to complete business control systems. 

The Managing Director is Pat Jones and their address is Unit F9 City Enterprise Centre, Waterford Business Park, Cork Road, Waterford. Tel 051 845466  www.e-ms.ie/index.htm

Profile of the Telecommunications Software and Systems Group at Waterford IT

TSSG is one of the largest research groups in Ireland. Spawned from Waterford Institute of Technology in 1997 the group has now grown to over 120 fulltime employees and PhD students. Working primarily in the areas of EU and nationally funded research the group maintains two specific divisions: a research division and an innovation and development division.

The TSSG's main area of research is communications software services encompassing emerging architectures for management of complex telecommunications and Internet systems as well as next generation service development and deployment. The TSSG has strong expertise in the areas of distributed systems and service oriented architectures, particularly when applied to the communications and telecommunications domain. The TSSG is the largest ICT group in Ireland engaged in such a critical mass of activity relating to communications software services, and indeed is one of the most successful integrated research clusters in any academic domain in Ireland.