Issue NINe wINter 2011

where research & INNovatIoN Meets eNterprIse

the linkRegional Development CentRe & ReseaRCh offiCe

ionaD foRbaRtha RéigiúnaCh & oifig taighDe

Newgrange: what lies beneath

exit strategy: success through succession

renewable energy: the future begins now

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LINK Issue 92

As we approach the end of one year and look forward to the next, there is a definite sense of optimism at DkIT. Enterprise development and forging closer links between academia and business has never been more important for the country. With the Institute embedded in all of these areas, 2012 promises to be exciting and fruitful.

Our focus over the next twelve months is enterprise development, innovation, R&D and the commercialisation of research in our effort to make the region competitive and strong.

The Centre for Renewable Energy at DkIT (CREDIT) is doing such R&D work. As our natural resources begin to ebb the only logical step is to put our efforts into developing renewable and sustainable methods of generating energy. Ireland can be a major world player in this field and CREDIT is certainly playing its part in pushing this country’s profile upwards as it plays a key role in Ireland’s transition to renewable energy.

The Success Through Succession (STS) programme is another initiative aimed at assisting and coaching businesses, all family-owned, to keep on operating successfully as the reins are passed from one generation to another. With many family businesses going under at the moment, the STS programme can guide companies through the pitfalls of succession and help to keep the business alive.

Entrepreneurship and its effect on the economy and the intertwining of academia and industry were key messages that spun out of recent reports such as Hunt and the Smart Economy. For 21 years the Regional Development Centre (RDC) has been supporting entrepreneurs, through its incubation programme and helping them to access R&D expertise on campus. Entrepreneurs turn to the RDC for many reasons and in this edition of The Link we meet some of those entrepreneurs and discover their reasons.

Clearly, DkIT’s efforts with research and enterprise is having positive commercial effects on the companies it works with, which in turn boosts economic return. With that in mind, 2012 promises to be a very good year for the RDC at DkIT and The Link will keep you informed each step of the way.

Finally, we’d like to wish our readers a very merry, peaceful Christmas and a happy, prosperous New Year.

We hope you enjoy this edition of The Link. If you have any comments or suggestions regarding content, or would like to be included on the mailing list, please email anne.tinnelly@dkit.ie.

Irene McCausland, External Services Manager, RDCDr Tim McCormac, Head of Research, DkIT

Ag druidim dúinn ar dheireadh na bliana agus sinn ag tnúth leis an mbliain seo chugainn, tá mothú cinnte dóchais i DkIT. Ní raibh forbairt fiontair, agus freisin naisc níos dlúithe a chruthú idir lucht acadúil agus lucht gnó, riamh chomh tábhachtach don tír. Leis an Institiúid suite i ngach ceann de na réimsí sin, tá 2012 geallta a bheith spreagúil agus torthúil.

Is é ár bhfócas san dá mhí déag romhainn ná forbairt fiontair, nuálaíocht, T&F agus tráchtálú taighde, mar iarracht ar an réigiún a dhéanamh iomaíoch agus láidir.

Tá an sórt sin oibre T&F á dhéanamh ag Ionad um Fhuinneamh In-athnuaite i DkIT (CREDIT). De réir mar a thránn ár n-acmhainní nádúrtha, is é an t-aon chéim loighciúil ná gach iarracht a dhéanamh ar mhodhanna ghinúint fuinnimh a fhorbairt atá in-athnuaite agus inbhuanaithe. Is féidir le hÉirinn bheith ina imreoir domhanda sa réimse seo agus tá CREDIT go cinnte ag déanamh a chuid chun próifíl na tíre a bhrú in airde agus ról lárnach á imirt le linn trasdul na hÉireann i dtreo fuinnimh in-athnuaite.

Is tionscnamh eile é clár Rath Trí Chomharbas (STS), dírithe ar chabhrú le gnólachtaí, atá uile faoi úinéaracht clainne, leanúint ag feidhmiú go rathúil le linn stiúir ag dul ó ghlúin go chéile. Le mórán gnólachtaí clainne ag dul faoi i láthair na huaire, is féidir leis an gclár STS cuideachtaí a threorú thar fhadhbanna comharbais agus cuidiú leo leis an ngnó a choimeád beo.

I measc na bpríomhtheachtaireachtaí i dtuarascálacha le déanaí, ar nós Hunt agus an Geilleagar Cliste, bhí fiontraíocht agus a tionchar ar an ngeilleagar agus sníomh réimse acadúil le réimse gnó. Le 21 bliain anuas tá an tIonad Forbartha Réigiúnach (RDC) ag tacú le fiontraithe, trí mheán a chlár cothaithe agus trí cabhrú leo teacht ar shaineolas T&F ar an gcampas. Tá mórán cúiseanna le go dtagann fiontraithe chuig an RDC agus in eagrán seo The Link buailimid le roinnt de na fiontraithe agus cuirimid aithne ar a gcúiseanna.

Is léir go bhfuil éifeachtaí dearfacha tráchtála ag iarrachtaí DkIT, i dtaca le taighde agus fiontair, ar na cuideachtaí lena oibríonn sí, rud a chuireann go mór le toradh eacnamaíochta. Agus ag meabhrú ar an méid sin, tá 2012 geallta a bheith ina bhliain an-mhaith ag an RDC i DkIT agus beidh The Link ag coimeád ar an eolas tú gach céim den bhealach.

Mar fhocal scoir, ba mhaith linn Nollaig shona, shíochánta agus Ath-Bhliain faoi shéan agus faoi mhaise a ghuí ar ár léitheoirí.

Tá súil again go mbaineann tú taitneamh as eagrán seo Link. Má tá tuairimí nó moltaí agat faoin ábhar, nó más mian leat bheith ar liosta na seoltaí, cuir rphost led thoil chuig anne.tinnelly@dkit.ie.

Irene McCausland, Bainisteoir Seirbhísí Seachtracha,IFRDr Tim McCormac, Ceannasaí Taighde, ITDD

Réamhrá / Foreword

The Regional Development Centre (RDC) is a centre to promote innovation, technology transfer and enterprise in the wider region and is based on the

DkIT Campus.

Regional Development Centre Dublin Road Dundalk Co LouthT +353 42 9370400 F +353 42 9370499W www.rdc.ie E info@rdc.ie

Great care has been taken to ensure that this information is accurate, but the Regional Development Centre, including its subsidiaries does not accept responsibility or liability for errors or information which is found to be misleading.

Written & edited by Eamon McGrane

T + 353 86 8343053

cover photo “New Dawn Rising” light enters the passage and chamber of Newgrange at dawn on the winter solstice. Photo by Newsfile.

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Get ready! Get support! Go!It has been a busy few months for participants on the Novation enterprise platform programme.

It’s no exaggeration to say that the past few months have been particularly busy on the Novation programme. we’ve had product and business launches, seedcorn competition finals to prepare for, tv programme schedules to adhere to along with other business issues to attend to such as suppliers to be selected, clients to be supported and sales to be won. Yes, it has been busy!

since the last edition of the Link the collaboration between DkIt and Dcu on the Nepp programme has grown stronger with participants benefiting from the wide range of supports on offer from both campuses.

this year has seen participants avail of enterprise Ireland supports at almost every level: Innovation vouchers, Feasibility study Grants, corD Grants and we expect at least one Innovation partnership agreement to be signed in the coming months as well as match funding under the hpsu scheme.

we’ve also seen our first student entrepreneur (peter carroll–Mara surf) take his idea from the napkin to the marketplace and he has recently been approved for incubation in the regional Development centre (rDc).

the job of supporting entrepreneurs from diverse backgrounds and a range of sectors is a challenging one and the programme has evolved to provide a comprehensive suite of supports to meet each individual’s needs as the following case studies illustrate.

For further information or to apply for the Novation Enterprise Platform Programme and other Enterprise Support Programmes available from the rDc please email garrett.duffy@dkit.ie or call 042 9370400

Peter Carroll was a student in DkIT and president of DkIT’s Surf Society when he asked the question “Why is there no major Irish surf brand serving cold water surfers?” His second question “How can I create one?” led him to the RDC. With some funding from the Student Innovation Fund, provided to DkIT students by Dundalk Credit Union, he conducted a feasibility study. The results were encouraging and with a realisation that he had to work on his business acumen he applied for the NEPP programme. Just over 15 months have passed and Carroll is now awaiting delivery of his first range of products designed for cold water surfers. With a comprehensive range of innovative products in the pipeline, Mara Surf is well poised for growth in home and international markets over the coming years.

student to entrepreneur

When John Delany first approached the RDC for support for his latest venture it was hard to refuse. Experienced he most certainly was but even experience needs support to flourish. The NEPP programme provided Delany with focus, access to expertise resident in DkIT’s research centres and a sounding board along each step of the journey to producing an investor-ready business plan.

A fruitful few months has seen the Oriel Sea Salt company win the regional final of InterTrade Ireland’s Seedcorn competition in the Leinster Connaught Region with the national finals taking place at the end of November.

serial entrepreneur

Sarah Jane Lynch is currently on the 2011/12 NEPP. She joined with a product that was well defined, specified and near to market. Lynch had the business destination identified but needed the support and the plan to get there.

A very polished pitch has seen the Design Basket receive CORD funding from Enterprise Ireland and also an appearance on RTÉ’s “Local Heros-A Town Fights Back” programme where Lynch has benefited from additional mentoring from Jerry Kennelly.

The Design Basket was launched in November and over the coming months Lynch aims to use the programme supports to secure round one investment.

First time entrepreneur

sarah Jane Lynch The Design Basket w www.designbasket.com

Mara Irish Surf w www.marasurf.ie

John Delany Founder Oriel Sea Salt Co.

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Microtech grows its business thanks to Ice

Ice Group Innovation workshopthe Innovation for competitive enterprises (Ice) programme has recruited its second cohort of 31 companies and will be working with these businesses to enhance their innovation capability through the intensive twelve month ‘learning by doing’ programme. the companies were brought together for a first Group Innovation workshop which was held on 26 october 2011 in the Glenavon hotel, cookstown, Northern Ireland. the theme of this first workshop was ‘Ideas in Business’ – this looked at how to introduce creativity into a business, capturing ideas from employees and customers and assessing and evaluating new ideas before preparing the roadmap.

the workshop was practical and interactive and there was an opportunity to put the theory into practice through a group exercise where some owner-managers presented their own real business issues. Meanwhile, others carried on brainstorming in addition to creating and evaluating ideas on the issues and offering potentials solutions. these solutions were also assessed through an ideas assessment toolkit.

the day closed with some real live case studies presented by professor Dennis McKeag former professor of product development at the university of ulster. For over 20 years professor McKeag has been helping

international and local companies in Northern Ireland to improve their manufacturing processes and increase their bottom line. he presented a case study from rapid engineering Ltd one of the companies he has worked with recently.

Kieran Fegan Ice programme manager commented, “It is important to put processes in place to identify, capture or generate and effectively assess ideas so that those with potential can be implemented effectively.”

Ice has received approximately €2.49 million of support under the eu’s INterreG Iva programme, with assistance from scottish enterprise and is spearheaded by Dundalk Institute of technology (DkIt). representing a truly collaborative approach, DkIt is implementing the project alongside the university of ulster, the university of Glasgow and Glasgow caledonian, university.

Ice is designed to enhance the innovation capacity of local businesses through an intensive twelve month ‘learning by doing’ programme. the three year project will enable 90 companies participating to develop new business models, products and services.

For further information on Ice contact the regional Development centre at DkIt on t +353 42 9370425 or contact Kieran Fegan directly on +353 87 4174681. the Ice website can be found at www.iceprogramme.com

Microtech Support is a professional IT support and maintenance company based in Kilmarnock, Ayrshire, in the west of Scotland. Founded in 1986 Microtech serves a wide range of clients in the private and public sectors.

Microtech Support has experienced significant growth in the last few years to become one of the largest companies in its field.

It is the sole Scottish distributor of the document management system DocMan. And it has now installed and currently supports this software in over 1,000 GP practices. In addition to this Microtech also provides IT support services to 10 of the 15 health boards throughout Scotland. The company’s expansion has led to heavy investment in support facilities and staff and they now have over 15 field engineers who can attend sites throughout Scotland.

Microtech Support can offer customised support solutions for small and large companies from installing applications, networking and security to total cover maintenance.

The Innovation for Competitive Enterprises (ICE) programme has been supporting Microtech over a 12-month period in the area of innovation management. This process has led to a number of key changes and developments within Microtech.

These include:• The creation of a marketing function to

foster growth activities• The gradual transition of Microtech

from being a software provider to becoming a software developer, which is adding and creating more value for the company

• The development of emergent software

concepts and products that will be eligible for support funding in the areas of innovation

•The pursuit of Scottish enterprise investment to support the company’s expansion activity

• The technology transfer of an Irish software product from Galway-based company Retail Solutions to be used by Microtech as a foundation solution for the retail sector in Britain.

• A legacy of knowledge and skills so that these innovation activities are repeatable by the company

The company now has a platform to develop and market its own added value software concepts and has positioned itself so that it is now eligible for support funding and investment. It has also seen the benefit of partnering with other developers and technology providers to meet its customer needs.

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Jonathan Bell, Northern Ireland Junior Minister at the Office of the First Minister and deputy First Minister, launched the ICE (Innovation for Competitive Enterprises) project Innovation Benchmarking Survey Report recently at the University of Ulster’s Belfast campus.

ICE, a project funded by the European Union’s INTERREG IVA Programme, is designed to enhance the innovation capacity of local small to medium sized enterprises (SMEs) through an intensive twelve month ‘learning by doing’ programme. The three-year project is enabling 90 SME company participants to develop new and improved business models, products and services.

A core part of the programme for the partners, involved carrying out a survey of a representative sample of 200 companies from each of the INTERREG eligible regions of Northern Ireland, the border region of Ireland and western Scotland.

Six hundred and six companies were surveyed. Professor Richard Harris of the University of Glasgow compiled, analysed and detailed the results in an extensive report. This information has been endorsed by European Commissioner for Research, Innovation and Science, Máire Geoghegan-Quinn.

Professor Harris gave an overview of the report at the event and said, “Evidence from academics and businesses alike clearly

(L-R) tim Brundle, University of Ulster, Jonathan Bell Northern Ireland Junior Minister OFMDFM, Report Author professor richard harris University of Glasgow and Kieran Fegan ICE Programme Manager Dundalk Institute of Technology.

ENTERPRISE

Launch of Ice benchmarking survey

shows that companies who innovate are much more likely to have higher productivity, and that this leads to greater prospects for long term growth and survival”.

“This report provides further confirmation that certain company-level characteristics (such as size, selling to international markets, adopting a culture based on ‘product design’, as the most important factors in determining competitiveness) are clearly important in determining whether to invest in innovation-related activities.”The report’s findings are available to download at www.iceprogramme.com/research-and-publications

At the launch, Kieran Fegan (ICE programme manager) provided an

overview of ICE and highlighted how it is helping SMEs from across the region become more innovative by developing new and improved products, services, processes and business models.

Michel Fitzpatrick, business development manager of Newry based ICE participant company FM Environmental Ltd said how innovation and business partnering has been instrumental in helping a 21st century business succeed internationally. Michel also talked about how his company is benefiting from ICE support and how the programme is helping the company become more innovative.

Speaking at the launch Fegan stated “ICE is designed to enhance the innovation capacity of local SMEs through an intensive practical twelve month ‘learning by doing’ programme. The three year project will enable 90 SME company participants to develop new and improved business models, products and services. The ICE Innovation Benchmarking Report validates the need for the unique approach being adopted by ICE which is currently helping SMEs from across the regions become more innovative”

ICE has received approximately €2.49 million of support under the INTERREG IVA Programme, with assistance from Scottish Enterprise; the partnership is spearheaded by Dundalk Institute of Technology. Representing a truly collaborative approach, Dundalk Institute of Technology is implementing the project alongside the University of Ulster, the University of Glasgow and Glasgow Caledonian University.

Welcoming the report, Howard Keery, a director of the Special EU Programmes Body, said: “This EU funded report is a useful barometer in gaining a better understanding of the value that our businesses place on innovation. It highlights the pressing need for the private sector, on a cross-border basis, to fully embrace innovative working practices and product development.”

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The ‘Success Through Succession’ (STS) programme is a three-year course with total project funding of €1.74m and is a collaborative partnership between Dundalk Institute of Technology (DkIT), Glasgow Caledonian University and led by the University of Ulster. It aims to strategically assist family-owned SMEs throughout Northern Ireland, the six border counties and the West of Scotland to manage the challenges of succession using a series of interventions.

The findings of the STS programme concur with the generally accepted notion that poor attention is given to succession planning within the majority of family business SMEs in Ireland. It also underpins the value of adopting a psychology-based enterprise support and intervention approach in order to identify solutions and options to the challenges faced by family SMEs.

The programme adopts an intervention methodology that couples a psychological approach with legal, financial, tax and general business mentoring, advice and support; and does it in an integrated way.

This approach emphasises the role of the founder, the perspectives of the next generation and the remit of the family to realise their succession plan in an optimal manner and delves into a multi-level analysis of the business. The STS programme has now reached a milestone

and has concluded its first group of companies while starting a second group on the STS journey. To date ten companies across the six southern border counties from sectors including engineering, medical devices, construction, crafts, and transport have been successfully brought through Cohort I of the STS programme.

Throughout their journey each company has been supported in their succession planning with intervention mechanisms that have included one-to-one mentoring and consultation and group activities, such as themed workshops and training seminars. In conjunction with the STS team each participant company of Cohort I has developed and documented bespoke succession plans that provide a framework and action plan to realise their family business succession goals.

STS Cohort IIFollowing a robust recruitment drive twelve companies were accepted onto the Cohort II of the STS programme. The sectors Cohort II companies are from range in diversity to include retail, textiles, arts and crafts, construction, light and heavy engineering, memorials, ground drilling, and hospitality.

In conjunction with our project partners, University of Ulster and Glasgow Caledonian University, the STS programme

hosted a tri-regional meet and greet event for the participant companies at Stormont Hotel Belfast during October 2011. This two-day event offered interactive workshop sessions, keynote speakers and networking opportunities for participating businesses throughout the three regions of Ireland, Northern Ireland and Scotland.

Eleven companies from Ireland, eight from Scotland and six from Northern Ireland attended the event with a total of 54 delegates and a generous mix of both senior and younger generation from each of the companies. Commenting on the significance of the STS programme Aidan Browne, project manager for STS Ireland said, “The programme has a significant consequence not just for family businesses but for the economy as a whole.

“If we consider that family-owned businesses make up the majority (estimated at over 65%) of the SME sector in Ireland and yet statistics show that only 30% make the transition to the second generation successfully, while only 10% make it through to the third generation.’

For further information see www.successthroughsuccession.com where the STS Workbook and other pertinent information can be accessed by both the participant companies and other family owned businesses.

And/or contact Aidan Browne, STS Project Manager for Ireland on +353 42 9327455

exit strategy: ‘success through succession’ programme reaches a milestone

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7ENTERPRISE

we started our business in 1995 and grew it to a level where we set up a high frequency commuter service between Dundalk, Drogheda and Dublin.“

unfortunately the company structures did not take off as quickly as the service, and for many years we have been playing catch up.

“I was interested in succession planning and attended the sts launch and had no idea what lay in store for me. I had a nice business, profitable and growing but no structure. It would be a nightmare for anyone to consider taking it over. I with my sons Noel and paddy Jnr attended all the different sessions and found them all very educational. through dialogue with the sts team, we identified weaknesses in our organisation. It was no problem finding the cracks, but the key was the sts program had the tools to fix the cracks. the

mentoring and coaching we received from all aspects of our business was second to none.

“ok, we have a long way to go, but at least now there are direction indicators leading us in the right direction and we have a plan. It takes a lot of commitment and dedication to follow through on the plan, but step by step we are getting there. Day by day as I see the changes occurring, it makes me wonder what would be the result if I had never heard of sts. so as I watch the structures being put in place and the whole jig-saw coming together I can relax in the knowledge that the company my family and I created will carry on into the future and continue to create secure employment for my workers and their families, as I plan my retirement.

Paddy Matthews SnrMatthews coaches

sts programme testimonialother comments from sts participants

the STS programme opened communication channels for us. The workshops were interesting and enjoyable with the ones targeted at the younger generation particularly helpful.

It was helpful from the point that the best expertise was available to us at all times to guide us on all issues. It was also a very enjoyable experience as we met people who had gone through the succession in a very smooth way, allowing us to realise the benefit of STS.

I wouldn’t have known where I was if it wasn’t for the programme. . . it was a great help to me.

I found it invaluable. . . our company has changed as a result.

. . . without the STS programme we would have been lost and the company would not have survived into the future because the family, the business, the staff and I were not prepared for the succession challenge.

. . . everything discussed was very relevant and helpful.

. . . it was fantastic, I learned new things.

It gave us great direction. . . we weren’t sure how to go about succession before STS.

Meeting people with similar hopes and fears. . .

Meeting up with other families and sharing views and experiences. Being able to talk openly about the challenges ahead.

. . . identification of common issues during the breakout discussions.

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hopes and concerns workshop for the Business successors

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The nature and scale of incubation has come a long way since the RDC was first established in 1989. So what are the trends, developments and the likely future of this important campus-based activity?The main focus of the Regional

Development Centre (RDC) since its

establishment over 21 years ago has

been to enable technology entrepreneurs

to get up and running and in particular

to support their early stage efforts to

develop a viable product and secure

that all-important first customer. The

centre went through a major expansion

in 2005 and in the same year opened a

satellite incubation centre at Millmount,

Drogheda. Over the past 10 years

over 30 companies have successfully

graduated from both centres – having

completed a three year residency here.

During their time in incubation, most of

them benefited from participation on the

Novation Enterprise Platform Programme

which to date has supported a total of

110 entrepreneurs. Furthermore, many

have benefited from links to DkIT’s

diverse research and development

capability through innovation vouchers,

innovation partnerships and other

collaborative arrangements.

The concept of incubation is often

misunderstood. Many people mistakenly

see it as a place (incubator) when in fact

it is a process (incubation). The key to

effective incubation lies in the provision

of soft supports to entrepreneurs and

embryonic ventures. These supports can

be mentoring, networking, technical

advice, sign-posting, validation or a

combination of several of these.

Experience has shown that the most

successful incubated companies see

themselves as continuous learners, always

looking for information which will lead

to greater insights and better solutions

to customer challenges. Sean Mac Entee,

Incubation Centre manager since 2004

says, “The one personal trait that sets the

really successful entrepreneurs apart from

the mainstream is a sense of curiosity

along with an innate ability to identify a

customer need.”

Also required is an endless supply

of energy and determination, not

to mention resilience in the face of

adversity. “I always have concerns when

the promoter is attempting to develop

the perfect mouse trap and is reluctant to

show an early prototype to a prospective

buyer – often out of a fear of rejection.

If the need is for cats and not mouse

traps it is better to know this as soon as

possible rather than when the ‘kitty’ (pun

intended) is almost empty,” said Mac

Entee.

The RDC has had a notable track record,

especially over the past 10 years in

helping to establish many well-known

and successful companies such as

Digiweb, Redmere Techologies, Brandt

Technologies, Mobium, Barracuda Fx,

BlueAcre Technology, Armac Systems ,

Movidius, Oriel Windfarm, Vennetics,

Mcor Technology etc. Indeed the RDC

has also had a strong involvement with

InterTradeIreland’s Seedcorn Competition

boasting regional winners in seven of

each of the last eight years; with four

of these regional winners going on

to land the overall prize of €100,000.

Total winnings to date are estimated at

€500,000.

Finally, there is evidence to suggest

that research centres such as CASALA

(Independent Living) are beginning to

act as a magnet for would-be enterprises

and commercial activity related to Ageing

in Place as well as Seniors Technology. It

is expected that as entrepreneurs begin

to realise the scale and potential of this

emerging market. New ventures will

be established and several of these will

want to locate as close as possible to the

facilities and research capabilities offered

by Casala –and similar ‘close to market ‘

research centres at DkIT.

Diaceutics – the latest business to commence trading in the rDcDiaceutics is a highly focused business consulting and software application firm specialising in personalised medicine for the world’s leading pharmaceutical companies.

the company is led by Belfast-born entrepreneur peter Keeling who, after 26 years in the pharmaceutical industry, has built and run companies in the us, europe and asia.

Founded in 2005, Diaceutics’ mission is to improve overall return on investment in personalised medicine by providing pharmaceutical development teams the personalised medicine specific knowledge, evidence, tools and operational structure to effectively commercialise and successfully launch targeted therapies. It currently employs around 20 leading experts in various locations across the globe.

speaking about the establishment of its new software development centre in the rDc, peter Keeling said: “to integrate and accelerate personalised medicine planning within our pharma clients we have developed and recently launched an expert, content based, It platform called Diaceutics Fusion.

“this is already being installed with two leading pharma companies. to continue to evolve the It platform and expert content we are delighted to open an office within the regional Development centre. this will be the new base of an It and innovation team, with plans to grow the team from three to 20 people over the next few years.

“we hope to use our base in Dundalk to link with academic and commercial enterprises across the island to more actively develop the expert content for Diaceutics Fusion.”

Incubation: A journey not a destination

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Hanley Energy celebrates one year in businessEstablished by Clive Gilmore and Denis Nordon in 2010, Millmount-based Hanley Energy has made major strides in its first year in

business. With the aim of assisting companies to become more energy aware and efficient, the company’s customer list is indeed

impressive. Names such as Baxter Healthcare, Glanbia, Hollister, Largo Foods, CRH, Leo Pharma, and Alcan Packaging all suggested

that Hanley Energy has truly found its niche in what is often a crowded and confusing marketplace.

Denis Nordon said ‘We provide energy metrics and in some cases control of energy consumption through customised automation

and building energy management systems (BEMs). Our energy monitoring system now forms an integral part of a company’s

EN16001/ISO5000 energy management system.”

With sales turnover of almost €1million in year one, the company has very quickly

become an established player in the energy management sector. Clive Gilmore added

“We have recently started working in the UK providing intelligent monitoring and

control systems for social housing schemes. We have also been shortlisted for a major

project in the medical care sector and hope to start on this in January 2012.”

“Millmount has been good for us,” said Nordon. “We are surrounded by like-minded professionals. We have also benefited from the

advice given by the centre manager. We hope to forge closer links with DkIT in the future.”

Louet Woods has designs on innovative products

we hope to forge

closer links with DkIt

in the future.

Denis Nordon

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The story of Louet Woods Products

began ten years ago; Ronan Woods

started work in China for RT Sourcing.

There he gained valuable engineering

and manufacturing experience, as well

as building relationships with many

suppliers.

Darren Louet graduated from NCAD in

product design in 1999, and worked as a

product designer in the UK and Australia

on major brands such as P&G. Louet

returned to Ireland in 2006 and started

working as a freelance product designer.

In 2007 they formed Louet Woods

Products Limited. They identified a gap

in the market for bringing products

from design through production and to

market. LWP started designing battery

powered soldering irons and their gas

powered vaporisers in 2007. The unique

design of the soldering iron interested

Draper Tools (A key tool distributor in

Britain and Europe) and they invited LWP

to supply them and to expand the battery

powered soldering iron into a range to be

distributed under the Draper Brand in the

UK and Ireland. Draper Tools also opened

the doors to other distributors in Asian

and US markets for LWP products.

LWP’s ambition is to develop and

supply its own products to distributors

with an established route to market.

Large distributors such as Draper Tools,

Boots, Home Depot, QuinnCo and so

on are always seeking innovative and

exclusive products to add to their product

range but do not have the design or

engineering capabilities to do this.

LWP provides these new products from

concept to production.

Examples of new products they are

currently introducing to distributors are

golf training aids, digital touch screen

hand sanitisers, holographic point of

sale displays for the beverage market,

digital medical vaporisers, dog grooming

products and numerous DIY products.

It takes years to get a product from

concept to market and only five per

cent will make it, but if however you

have a good team to focus on R&D and

marketing then this percentage will

improve significantly.

LWP has two design and engineering

staff in Ireland, one sales and logistics

staff in the USA and four engineering

and merchandising staff in China. See

www.sourcingproductdesign.com/

Finally LWP has a new dog grooming

product finishing its first 1,00 unit

production run mid November 2011.

This product will hit the US, UK and

Irish markets early 2012. http://thegroomingkennel.com/

Darren Louet Louet Woods Products

LINK Issue 910

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Renewable energy – the future begins nowoften located in difficult to access places

and they usually belong to somebody

else. This is what people mean when they

talk about security of supply: we don’t

own it and it’s hard to get.

Another, most serious, difficulty is

carbon dioxide. Burning fuel releases

it; fossil fuels are essentially stores of

carbon dioxide, among other things.

It’s been shown to be true that world

temperatures increase with carbon

dioxide concentration and, also,

that carbon dioxide concentration is

increasing as a result of human industrial

activity.

What exactly increasing carbon dioxide

and global temperatures mean for the

future is unknown. Yet, at the very least,

this uncertainty about the future effects

of this global warming forces us to think

carefully about what we’re doing. As a

first step, we must stop releasing stored

carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.

Finally, our environment suffers, often,

as a result of accessing the Earth’s fossil

fuels. Currently in the news, the effects

of the relatively recent, and rapid,

deployment of technologies which can

access fragmented gas supplies remain

poorly understood.

These are the main difficulties facing

energy planners: finite resources,

security of supply, climate change and

environmental damage. The underlying

need is to do better, to make the world

a better place. One solution, which we

believe to be the answer, is to power the

world using only renewable energy.

Renewable energy sources are indefinitely

renewable, for all practical purposes.

While actually finite, the sun’s energy is,

practically, infinite from a contemporary

human perspective.

At time of writing, it is possible to say

that a transition to renewable energy

will almost certainly happen; there are

no sensible alternatives. When exactly, is

another matter.

Ireland has abundant renewable energy

sources: primarily from wind, biomass,

water and the sun. Yet Ireland needs

energy research and teaching, now

As our planet begins to run out of its natural resources, Dr Niall McMahon, director of the Centre for Renewable Energy at DkIT, asks what now? And where does Ireland fit in?

On earth we have a limited supply of

fossil fuels. These fuels have been formed

over tens of millions of years from dead

organisms. It’s not hard to imagine that

such fuels can’t last forever. At the same

time, much of the world’s electricity and

heat is obtained from burning coal, oil

and gas. Nuclear energy sources are finite

as well. Clearly, we have a problem.

As Lawrence Staudt, the founding

director of CREDIT (Centre for Renewable

Energy at Dundalk IT) put it, “We live

in a time that is unique in many ways.

One thing our distant descendants will

wonder about is what it was like to live

during that brief period of human history

when fossil fuels were available.”

To compound the difficulty,

contemporary fossil-fuel supplies are

LINK

Issue 9

11RESEARCH

more than ever. Academic research is

bound up with teaching and with future

technological capability. Good researchers

will often be good teachers. And good

teachers are required to train good

engineers and other employees. With

well-educated workers and an excellent

renewable resource, Ireland can capitalise

more than superficially from its natural

resources. CREDIT, was established to

assist Ireland’s coming transition to this

renewable energy-based future.

There’s an often discussed gap between

the work of academia and industry -

work that’s too applied for academics

but too academic for many companies

to undertake profitably. Applied research

is a broad term that can be used to

describe this missing work.

In the United States and elsewhere,

various organisations fill the gap - the

national laboratories, start-up companies

and autonomous industrial research and

development teams are all on a spectrum

bridging academia and industry.

At the academic end of this gap is

where CREDIT works in Ireland. CREDIT

is an applied research centre but with

a significant teaching and training

component.

Since the centre was established in 2002

it has achieved a string of innovative

firsts.

In 2005, the centre led the installation

of the world’s first large commercial

wind turbine on a college campus, a

Vestas V52 850kW machine. The turbine

provides half of the electricity used on-

campus and has already paid for itself

in savings. The turbine has become a

symbol of modern Dundalk. It is the first

urban turbine in Ireland and we hope

that many Irish towns will follow this

example, sourcing energy locally.

Since 2009, the centre has operated the

world’s first electricity storage system of

its kind coupled to a large, stand-alone,

wind turbine. Funded by Enterprise

Ireland, the system’s core is a flow battery

rated at 125kW and 500kWh. It was

installed primarily as a research platform.

This year, CREDIT, together with IWEA,

Wind Skillnet and corporate sponsors,

delivered Europe’s first KidWind teacher-

training course. The American KidWind

programme trains teachers to teach their

own students about wind energy and to

understand wind development.

In addition to wind energy and electricity

storage, the centre’s research interests

also include biomass energy and ocean

energy.

As an example, CREDIT is one of six

partners that make up the BioMara

project, a European-funded collaboration

investigating the development of

sustainable fuels from marine biomass

(such as algae). We have four staff

members dedicated to researching routes

to biogas and bio ethanol from these

organisms. This work involves mapping

the marine biomass available around

Irish, Northern Irish and Scottish coasts;

the Scottish Association for Marine

Science in Scotland coordinates the

overall project.

Earlier this year, I was appointed to

take over as director of the centre. One

of my first decisions was to formally

create a joint management team with

Paul MacArtain and Raymond Byrne.

Practically, this means that the three of us

manage CREDIT on a day-to-day basis.

In the recent past, I’ve worked as the

senior mechanical engineer with Ampair,

England’s oldest surviving wind turbine

manufacturer, as well as Dublin City

University.

My current technical interest is building

modular computer models of small and

medium-sized wind turbines. These

tools can be used to better understand

important aspects of turbine system

design, especially over-speed control.

Paul MacArtain worked in industry

until appointment as project manager

to CREDIT in 2006. He holds a Ph.D.

in physical chemistry from UCD. His

research interests include energy

extraction from marine algae and he

leads our component of the BioMara

project.

Raymond Byrne joined the Centre in

2005. After working in industry in

Ireland and overseas, he completed a

M.Sc. in renewable energy systems from

Loughborough University in England. He

holds a degree in applied physics and

electronics from NUIG.

Byrne is interested in electricity storage

for large, stand-alone, wind turbines

and is responsible for the flow battery

and managed its installation. He’s also in

charge of the operation of the large wind

turbine.

Byrne represents Ireland to the

International Energy Agency’s small wind

turbine standards task group as well

as to the International Electrotechnical

Commission’s small wind standards

development committee. This work is

critical for the small wind industry in

Ireland and abroad.

Our people are everything. We are

actively encouraging enthusiastic

academics throughout the institute to

take part and work with us.

Ireland requires high quality renewable

energy research. Apart from the intrinsic

value of research to a society, this is

clearly important at both national

and international scales. Research

supports the teaching of new engineers

and scientists, it underpin future

technological development and enables

effective representation on international

committees. In the end, the effects of

good research work and teaching will

endure.

CREDIT’s mission is to help with Ireland’s

transition to renewable energy: to create

ideas and to teach people. There’s a lot

to be done.

We’re looking forward to the adventure.

You can find out more about our centre

at www.credit.ie/ or e-mail niall.mcmahon@dkit.ie.

Dr paul Macartain, Dr Niall McMahon and Mr ray Byrne of creDIt

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Dundalk Institute of technology (DkIt) was well represented at the recent thirteenth international Global Lake ecological observatory Network meeting (GLeoN 13) in sunapee, New hampshire, usa, by Dr eleanor Jennings, from the centre for Freshwater studies (cFs), along with two of her postgraduate research students, Liz ryder and vicky veerkamp.

GLeoN is an international grassroots network of lake scientists, information technology experts, and engineers, who have a common goal of building a network of instrumented lake platforms across the globe.

the 300 members of the network use high resolution data from the instruments mounted on these platforms to continuously study more than 60 lakes across six continents and 34 countries. Data from these global observatories are being used to obtain a better understanding of key processes in lakes, such as the effects of changes in climate and land use. GLeoN sites include Lough Feeagh in co Mayo, and its sister lake Lough Furnace, which is managed

by the Marine Institute’s Burrishoole research facility under the leadership of Dr russell poole.eleanor Jennings has been collaborating with the Marine Institute since the late 1990s on a series of eu and nationally funded projects which have used the data from the Lough Feeagh platform to assess historical changes in the catchment and to model the possible effects for future climate change. the involvement in GLeoN is a continuation of this relationship and is leading to new and fruitful collaborations.

Both DkIt students presented posters on their own research work at the meeting. Liz ryder, who is co-supervised by Dr elvira de eyto (Marine Institute) and Dr suzanne Linnane (cFs, DkIt), are investigating how changes in the quality and quantity of the carbon which is exported from peat soils in the catchment are affecting the food web in Lough Feeagh. the study will also use computer models to assess the potential impact of climate change on these processes.

the Burrishoole research facility has been a sentinel site for fisheries research in Ireland since the mid 1950s. today, the site has

a well established environmental programme with platforms in place to continuously monitor essential climate and aquatic variables in lakes, rivers and streams. vicky veerkamp, who is co-supervised by suzanne Linnane and whose work is funded through a DkIt internal masters scholarship, is investigating options for controlling phosphorus loads to Milltown Lake, co Monaghan, using a combination of field work and computer modelling. Milltown Lake has been the site of the Irish National source protection pilot project since 2005.

a major theme of the sunapee meeting was the effective communication of science to the general public. Liz ryder is the current chairperson of the GLeoN Graduate student association and was responsible for organising a postgraduate and postdoctoral student workshop which was held concurrently with the main GLeoN meeting. the title of the workshop was ’communicating science’, and it highlighted the importance of effective communication of science both across disciplines and to stakeholders and the general public.

communicating research is an integral part of every student’s work

DkIt at GLeoN 13

Liz ryder, DkIT and Marine Institute (front 2nd from left) and eleanor Jennings (front 2nd from right) GLeoN delegates at the us National science Foundation, washington

LINK Issue 912

eleanor Jennings, Liz ryder and vick veerkamp from DkIt at the GLeoN 13 meeting in sunapee, New hampshire, usa

Deirdre MacCormack, Mcor

Technologies • Sean Gallagher,

Smarthomes • Michéal

Armstrong, Armac Systems •

Peter Smyth, Redmere • Bartek

Czerwinski, Geco Loco • Colm

Piercey, Digiweb • Ruairi Daly,

Daltech • Eric Daly, Evolve

Mobile •Kieran Fitzpatrick,

Barracuda FX • Adrian Flynn,

AquaFarm Systems • David

Gillen, Blue Acre Technology •

Darren Grant, E-Learning Guru

•John Hamill, Vennetics •

Wojciech Kulesza, GoEuropa •

Darren Louet Feisser, Louet

Woods Products • Colm Martin,

IGen • Siobhan Matthews, SCF

Processing • Niall McDonnell,

Utopia Business Solutions •

Peter Mee, Meedja • Paul

Mooney, New Energy Solutions

• Colin O’Brien, Obridry

• Danny O’Shea, Adrem •

Paul Sadlier, Savur Foods •

Gabriel Bradley, Taskmaestro

Deirdre MacCormack, Mcor

Technologies • Sean Gallagher,

Smarthomes • Michéal

Armstrong, Armac Systems •

Peter Smyth, Redmere • Bartek

Czerwinski, Geco Loco • Colm

Piercey, Digiweb • Ruairi Daly,

Daltech • Eric Daly, Evolve

Mobile •Kieran Fitzpatrick,

and the aim of the workshop was to facilitate the development of skills that will be used to distil laboratory and field research into the bigger science picture. eleanor Jennings was also part of a panel of four international speakers who gave presentations and participated in a panel discussion on global water quality issues at a meeting hosted by the Lake sunapee protective associative for the general public and GLeoN members.

In addition to a productive and engaging research meeting, a delegation of ten GLeoNites (including Liz ryder and eleanor Jennings) was invited to present an overview of GLeoN and its research to a group of program officers at the us National science Foundation (NsF) in washington on the Friday following the GLeoN 13 meeting. the delegation spoke to NsF representatives from a range of programmes including biology (ecosystems cluster and NeoN/Macrosystems biology), geosciences (earth and atmospheric systems), International programmes (china, scandinavia, south america), and the office of cyberinfrastructure.

there was tremendous interest in the network and the work that GLeoN

has been undertaking. the NsF has been very supportive of the organisation to date and, together with the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, has provided financial support for meetings, international student site exchange visits and student training initiatives. recent collaborative research projects from the network include a paper in the journal Freshwater Biology on the effect of episodic climatic events on lakes, which eleanor Jennings is first author. work from GLeoN members, on a restoration project in Lake taihu, china, and on the management of harmful algal blooms, has also featured in september and october 2011 issues of science Magazine.

the next GLeoN meeting, GLeoN 14, will be co-hosted by DkIt and the Marine Institute in co. Mayo in october 2012. the meeting will be a wonderful opportunity for both organisations, and for other Irish scientists, to showcase ongoing lake research in Ireland on a global stage.

I N V I TAT I O N

c e L e B r at I N G o v e r

10years

of the

Novation enterprise platform programme

on

thursday, 19th Jan 2012

in

regional Development

centre DkIt

registration at

1.30pm

rsvp

joanne.kearns@dkit.ie042 9370400

For full programme details including the

list of exhibitors and speakers please visit

www.rdc.ie

a showcase of past and present participants’ businesses

LINK Issue 914

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New technology is helping archaeologists to unlock the secrets of Ireland’s most famous archaeological site at Newgrange, writes Dr Conor Brady

One of the most exciting discoveries

of the modern archaeological age was

arguably Howard Carter’s unearthing of

Tutankhamen’s tomb. Carter detected it

by chance after five years of work in the

Valley of the Kings had yielded nothing.

Modern-era archaeology is usually

not so haphazard and left to random

circumstance, particularly when

technology can help to uncover the

location of important structures and

artefacts.

Often referred to as “The national

monument of Ireland” Newgrange is our

best known, and one of Ireland’s most

visited archaeological treasures and is

world-famous for the flooding of light

into its chamber during sunrise on the

winter solstice. Recently, a survey was

carried out there to see if there were

any hidden passageways and chambers

What lies beneath?

in the tomb using a new method called

Microgravity that had never been tried

on any archaeological site in the country.

Microgravity records anomalies in the

Earth’s gravity field and the density of

the ground beneath, the technology has

already been successful when utilised on

the Egyptian pyramids where it was used

to locate passageways and chambers. It

has also been deployed to detect crypts

beneath medieval churches.

The project was a joint effort between

Comenius University, the Slovak

Academy of Sciences and the University

of Technology from Bratislava, Slovakia

with support from the Slovak Scientific

Academy (VEGA; Dundalk Institute

of Technology (DkIT), Landscape and

Geophysical Services (LGS); the National

Monuments Service of the Department

of Arts Heritage and the Gaeltacht (NMS)

and the Office of Public Works (OPW).

The survey focused on the area of

the known passage and chamber at

Newgrange in the Brú na Bóinne world

heritage site to test how well the

technique would perform in identifying

the cavities there. The availability of LiDAR

(light detection and ranging) data for the

site has, for the first time, allowed a very

detailed terrain model for the mound

and surrounding area to be calculated.

This model is being used in the data

processing.

The good news thus far is that the survey

was successful in identifying the existing,

well-known chamber. For the romantics

among us, however, there is no grand

announcement of a new chamber of the

same dimensions to the existing one.

Nevertheless, this does not mean that

there is no chamber there. First of all the

results are not fully processed.

Furthermore, it was not possible to

extensively inspect the rest of the mound

because of the short time available to carry

out the survey combined with the very

difficult weather conditions. There were

storm force winds blowing on several days

which put an end to the fieldwork during

that time – this reduced the available

investigation time even further. A more

detailed systematic survey of the entire

surface of the mound might reveal a

second passage or chamber feature if it

exists.

Processing of the data gathered is

underway and additional information

relating to the location and extent of the

original excavations in the 60s and 70s

by Professor MJ O’Kelly as well as the

nature of the subsequent conservation

and reinforcement works remains to be

factored into the models.

In conjunction with the microgravity survey

other small-scale geophysical surveys were

carried out and the results will be used to

inform the final gravity modelling process.

Following completion of the data

processing, we hope to understand just

how useful the microgravity technique

is likely to be in identifying cavities in

unexplored mounds. Hopefully, it will be

possible in the future to look at some of

the many unclassified mounds in the Brú

na Bóinne area.

Funding the microgravity survey at Newgrange was originally a component of a joint funding application to the Irish National strategic archaeological research (INstar) programme administered by the heritage council. the project proposed the large-scale application of multiple remote sensing and geophysical surveys in the Brú na Bóinne site in order to comprehensively map the low-visibility and subsurface archaeology of the area. the proposal received very favourable reports but was not funded due to a drastic cut in the INstar budget for 2011 which saw only one applicant project being funded.

Brief history of Newgrange Newgrange was built around 3200 Bc, during the Neolithic period. It is clear that Newgrange functioned as much more than a simple tomb. Its landscape was the focus of settlement, ritual and ceremony for centuries. this is highlighted by the winter solstice sunrise alignment when, weather permitting, the rays of the rising sun illuminate the chamber. Newgrange is also noted for its art carved onto the structural stones of the tomb and the entrance stone represents a major cultural achievement. Newgrange is also older than stonehenge in england and the pyramids of Giza in egypt.

It is in fact just one monument within the Neolithic Brú na Bóinne complex, alongside the similar passage tomb mounds of Knowth and Dowth, and as such is a part of the Brú na Bóinne uNesco world heritage site.

the entrance to Newgrange was sealed for several millennia, subsequently gaining several associations in local folklore and mythology.

It first began to be studied as a prehistoric monument by antiquarians in the seventeenth century and over subsequent centuries various archaeological excavations took place at the site before it was largely restored to an interpretation of its original Neolithic appearance by conservators led by professor Michael J o’Kelly in the 1970s.

today, Newgrange is a tourist site and is renowned as one of the most important megalithic structures in europe.

Microgravity technical infoMicrogravity’s state-of-the-art relative gravity meters, such as the scintrex cG-3M, cG-5 and ZLs Burris can measure the changes in the gravity field with a precision of approx. ±5 microGals (1 microGal = 10-8 m·s-2), so cavities with anomalous gravitational effect above 10 microGals (taken in absolute value) can be detected.

the potential for detecting gravity anomalies when using the microgravity method is of course dependent on the depth of the target - cavities with a volume of several cubic metres can be recognised at shallow depths of the order of a few metres (depth is taken to the top of the cavity).

LINK

Issue 9RESEARCH 15

LINK Issue 916

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element design t 042 9327943 e info@elementdesign.ie

DkIT joins international partnership for environmental research and innovationDundalk Institute of Technology has been accepted for membership of a prestigious environmental research and innovation partnership that brings together specialists in Canada, China, Germany, Ireland, UK and USA.

QUESTOR is a global environmental research network established in 1989 at Queen’s

University Belfast and is the only centre outside of the United States to be included

in the National Science Foundation’s programme for industry-university cooperative

research centres.

With some of the most advanced research facilities available globally, QUESTOR’s

research covers four areas – water and wastewater; waste and remediation;

environmental monitoring and energy from biomass.

Aside from Queen’s, the academic partners that Dundalk Institute of Technology (DkIT)

now joins in the network are Cranfield University and the Agri-Food and Biosciences

Institute (both UK); Dublin City University; University of Duisburg-Essen and IWW Water

Centre (both Germany); Stevens Institute of Technology (USA); Dalhousie University

(Canada); Liaoning Shihua University and Dalian University of Technology (both China).

Dr Wilson McGarel, director of QUESTOR, said: “I’m delighted that Dundalk Institute of

Technology has become the latest academic partner

to join the QUESTOR network. Research expertise

at DkIT in areas such as freshwater and renewable

energy will further increase the skills and resources

available to our industrial members and will add

considerable value to the centre. With academic

partners in Dublin, Belfast and, now, Dundalk,

I’m confident the network can play a lead role in

the development of green technologies that will

contribute to the success of the Dublin-Belfast

economic corridor.”

Dr Tim McCormac, head of research, DkIT, added: “We’re delighted to join the

QUESTOR network which has won a strong reputation over more than two decades for

research, development and innovation in the environmental arena. This is a discipline

that we have also built up considerable expertise in at Dundalk through our Centre

for Renewable Energy at Dundalk Institute of Technology (CREDIT) and Centre for

Freshwater Studies.

“Active involvement with QUESTOR will allow us build further on that base and to

collaborate with academic and industry partners in Ireland and overseas. The fresh

perspectives gained will also allow us strengthen our ability to see our research outputs

applied in a commercial context through technology and knowledge transfer. One of

the particular features of QUESTOR is an industrial advisory board that brings together

member companies and organisations in Europe, north America and Asia.”

Questor is part-funded by the european regional Development Fund under the european sustainable competitiveness programme for Northern Ireland. Further information is available at http://questor.qub.ac.uk

the management

and staff of

the regional

Development

centre would like

to wish all our

clients, colleagues

and partners a very

Happy Christmas

and a Prosperous

New Year.