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Prof Anita Maguire, Vice President for Research & Innovation, UCC with MBS graduate and founder of Key, Peter Marcano, winner of the Innovation Award at the recent IGNITE Awards
ABOUT GATEWAY UCC This purpose-built, state-of-the-art innovation and incubation centre based at UCC comprises 21 own door business units ranging in size from 15m sq to 67m sq. Jointly funded by UCC and Enterprise Ireland, GATEWAY UCC’s primary aim is to support and accelerate the development of successful knowledge-intensive start-ups, translating academic research into commercially viable, technology-led, exportfocused companies.
Find out more at www.ucc.ie/en/gateway
ABOUT IGNITE GRADUATE BUSINESS INNOVATION PROGRAMME The nine-month programme is designed to support recent third level graduates in turning innovative product or service ideas into sustainable, scalable businesses. The primary objectives of the programme are to launch new businesses and, in turn, provide high value jobs.
Find out more at www.ucc.ie/en/ignite UCC is this year celebrating the bicentenary of the birth of George Boole, its first Maths professor and the forefather of the information age. Find out more at Georgeboole.com
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that product into the global marketplace.” Many of these companies scale with VC funding and become the acquisition targets for the multinational community. The facility also actively supports start-ups and entrepreneurs through the development of spin-out and spin-in companies utilising university intellectual property and providing a uniquely supportive ecosystem for start-ups through its programme of business supports. Such supports include mentoring and business coaching, access to financial advice and start-up funding, specialist seminars, workshops, introduction to venture capital opportunities, business angel networks and access to UCC’s network of researchers and excellent support through linkages into academic departments.
IGNITE: INCREASING THE COMPETITIVENESS OF LOCAL INDUSTRY Eamon Curtin, Director of the IGNITE Graduate Business Innovation Programme, based at UCC, explains how the nine-month programme is designed to support recent third level graduates in turning innovative product or service ideas into sustainable, scalable businesses. The first programme commenced in January 2011 and since then five cohorts have been through the
programme, involving almost 50 businesses, many of which have since created employment, raised investment and are active in export markets. The programme is open to graduates of any discipline from any third level institution. Given that there are over 26,000 third level students in the Cork region, the potential is significant. “There is a sufficient pipeline of talented students to extend the capacity of the IGNITE Graduate Business Innovation Programme to encourage and support more students to explore entrepreneurship, to develop start-up ideas and to launch their own businesses,” says Curtin. The primary objectives of the programme are to launch new businesses, in turn providing high value jobs. “The businesses create innovative products and services that can be used to increase the productivity and competitiveness of local industry. The companies become investment opportunities for local, national and international investors.” Success stories include Dr Sinead Bleiel’s Anabio Technologies Ltd, which has licensed its encapsulation technology to an impressive list of global clients, while Brendan Finucane’s Vconnecta has clients in Ireland and North America, using its voter and campaign management platform. Jayne Ronayne is working with colleges worldwide in the area of alumni management with KonnectAgain. Eoin O’Carroll and Kevin Bambury of Portable Medical Technology are developing a mobile app for the medical sector. Many IGNITE start-ups have gone on to become clients of Enterprise Ireland, accessing important Competitive Feasibility and Competitive Start Funds. This summer start-ups Vconnecta, Portable Medical Technology, Punditarena and Uniwink are in the US as part of Enterprise Ireland’s Access Silicon Valley programme following on the heels of Konnectagain, who participated last year.
InBUSINESS | Q2 2015
30/06/2015 12:52