The Special EU Programmes Body is the
Managing Authority for the
European Union’s INTERREG IVA Programme
Kieran Fegan
Dundalk Institute of Technology
Overall Project Aim
ICE Programme - Innovation for Competitive Enterprises (ICE)
Promoting regional economic growth and development
through the establishment of a Tri_Regional Innovation
Network aimed at building the innovation capacity and
capability of existing SMEs in the Northern Ireland, the six
southern Border Region of Ireland and Western Scotland
Background
• €2.49m European Union’s INTERREG IVA cross
border programme, managed by the Special EU
Programmes Body with match financial assistance
from Scottish Enterprise and the accountable
departments in Ireland and Northern Ireland
• Collaboration between the University of Glasgow,
Glasgow Caledonian University, the University of
Ulster and is led by Dundalk Institute of Technology
(the ICE Partnership)
ICE Programme Overview
ICE Innovation
What is an innovation activity?
An activity which introduces something new or a new way
of doing things that creates economic value
Successful management and exploitation of change
ICE is applicable to:
•
•
•
•
New business model
New products or services
Additional features
New processes
•New systems
•New materials
•New markets
•New Culture!
Why is ICE needed?
• There is limited innovation culture within most companies
• Companies need a trusted method of generating new ideas
and assessing the potential of those ideas
• Companies need help to implement new innovations
• Time pressures within SMEs often result in important tasks
around innovation being neglected
• Lack of appropriate “learning by doing” Innovation training
• Companies have difficulty in accessing technology transfer or
licensing opportunities.
How can ICE help?
• ICE will facilitate sharing of information, resources and
knowledge through a network of companies from
Northern Ireland, the Border Counties of Ireland and
Scotland
• Companies will be able to tap into Regional Expertise,
Third Level Institutes & Business Support Agencies
• Companies will take part in a specialist intensive inhouse SME Innovation Learning Programme coupled
with in-company mentoring (Learning By Doing)
• Companies don’t have to develop own new products
or services – ICE will offer access to new Technology
Transfer and Licensing Opportunities
Practical Learning
• A Free 12 Month in-company Innovation Learning Programme
(ILP) will be delivered to 30 companies on a cross-border
cross regional basis x 3 years
• There will be 10 to 12 in-company action based learning
sessions per company – practitioners will be working with you
and your key staff as a team on your premises!
• Each company will have a customised innovation plan
implemented resulting in new products or services, new
processes, new business models and an extended market
reach
• Your company team will be skilled at generating new ideas
and assessing which of those can drive turnover and profits
Acquiring and Sharing
Knowledge
• The innovation implementation skills of 90 owner
managers and key staff will be developed per year
leaving a legacy of knowledge
• This will further enable the company to implement new
product/process/service developments whilst running the
core business activity
• There will also be 6 group innovation development
sessions per year when, where possible, all 30
companies from the three regions will come together to
share knowledge and experiences
Technology Transfer
& Licensing
• Access to Technology Transfer and Licensing
Opportunities
• Training on how to use tech transfer portals
available and how to match availability with need
• Identification of 5 licensing opportunities per year
across the region
• Ensure Technology Transferred is absorbed into the
organisation effectively and commercially exploited
Impact!
Overall ICE will: – Develop at least 50 new or modified products /
services / processes or business models for
commercialisation
– Identify and investigate at least 15 technology
transfer or licensing opportunities
– Increase turnover for 90 participating
companies by 10%
– Develop a sustainable network of companies
that will benefit as result
Commitment
• Owner Manager and Key staff must commit: – To participating in the 12 in-house ½ day
sessions over the 12 months duration
– Time and resources to work through an
innovation project
– To participating in most of the 6 group
networking sessions over the 12 month
duration
To apply
Please complete an application form
Submit to:
Kieran Fegan
Dundalk Institute of Technology
T: +353 (0) 87 417 4681
E: ice@dkit.ie
Sean McCaul
University of Ulster
Magee Campus
T: +44 (0) 7904 305337
E: ice@ulster.ac.uk
A copy of the application form can be downloaded from our
website www.iceprogramme.com
Next Steps and Opportunity for
Questions