Developing and
Sustaining the TSSG
Research Group”
Willie Donnelly
Research Philosophy
Drive regional economic development
through
Our global reputation for Research and
Innovation Excellence
TSSG Space - Mobile
Reduced usage friction via better performance and user experience + lower price
+ expanded services = 10X more devices
TSSG Overview
• Research Centre in Waterford IT
• Founded in 1996
• Currently 110 staff:
• 5 WIT Faculty
• 12 Post-docs
• 20 PhD students
• 73 engineers / project managers
• Won competitive research funding of €80m+ from 1996-2012
• 154 funded projects, 73% led by TSSG, 34 currently active
• Collaborated with 425 partners in 35 countries – industry and
academic partners working on funded projects
SFI Digital Ireland, 25/7/2011
Copyright © 2011 Waterford Institute of Technology
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Balanced Ecosystem
Copyright © 2011 Waterford Institute of Technology
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TSSG Innovation Platform
TSSG
• European and USA company
network
•Spin-outs / start-ups
• Projects with companies (90+)
• Technology (IP) that can be
licensed
•European Research Network
•Technology Roadmaps
• White Papers and Prototypes
•Knowledge and IP
•Academic Network around the World
•PhD Students and Graduates
•Publications in Leading Journals
•Projects for Partner Companies
•Knowledge and IP
WIT
WIT Leading National Research
Cluster
WIT - Leaders in European programmes
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EU FP7 - ‘Waterford Institute of Technology, who are on a level par
with the larger institutions in relation to participation success rates,
are a model for other institutes of technology and indeed some
universities to follow’
Regional Impact – ArcLabs, a unique
environment for innovation & enterprise
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Regional hub for research,
innovation & enterprise development
New centre opened in Kilkenny
84 of the businesses supported by
WIT Enterprise Platform Programme
in the past 6 years currently have a
combined turnover of €29 million,
with €8.5 million in export sales, and
have generated 249 jobs in this
period.
20 companies based in Arclabs
employing 160+
261 innovation vouchers completed
to date
FeedHenry (Spin-out)
Winner: CTIA (USA), Emerging
Technology Award, 2012
ISA (IE) Partnership Award, 2012
• Researched,
Developed, Built and
Spun Out - 2010.
• End-to-end Cloud
Platform as a Service
for building, running and
managing enterprise
grade mobile apps.
• Demonstrates capability
to go from concept to
product / business
launch.
ZolkC (Spin-out)
• Researched,
Developed, Built and
Spun Out - 2008.
• Mobile solutions to the
tourism and heritage
sector.
• Tall Towers –
augmented reality
• Demonstrates capability
to go from concept to
product / business
launch.
Market Validation/ Product Engineering
EI Commercial Case Feasibility
Grant
Feasibility/Business
Models
10-15K
Agile
Engineering Team
Development
EI Commercialisation Grant
Development
Environment
Staged 100-300K
Business
Reference
Leverage Industry
PartnershipsContact baseSite
IP Management
TT Office
Spin-in Company
EI Innovation Voucher
Product re-engineering
EI Innovation Partnerships
Agile
Engineering Team
100-400K
Development
Development
30% Contribution from Company
Environment
EU research for
the Benefit of
SMEs
IP Management
TT Office
EU Framework
1. Leverage EI/IOTI
training programs
2. EU travel grant
3. Identify and
meeting Irish
participants
4. Volunteer as
programme
reviewer
• Understand EU framework
workplan
• Identify relevant open call
• Identify projects already funded
– state of the art
• Who are project partners
– What can you bring to table
• Identify program support
infrastructure
– Technology Platforms
– Conferences / working groups
– Open days
WIT – Some Key Facts
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Over 7000 full time students & 1500 part time (Business,
Education, Engineering, Humanities, Health Science,
Science)
€107m research awards 2001 - 2011
Over 400 research staff and research postgraduate
students actively involved in funded research projects in
WIT
134 Principal Investigators, Research Fellows and
Postdoctoral Researchers supported by sponsored
research > €9.5m payroll (unique model within IOT sector)
More than 170 active research projects
Research Centres of Critical Mass
Telecommunications Software Systems Group (TSSG)
84 dedicated research staff
Main
areas of focus:
Pharmaceutical
& Molecular Biotechnology Research Centre
Network
control
software,
(PMBRC)
Future
Internet,
30+
Faculty
staff
SouthCommunication
East Research
Applied Materials
Research Centre (SEAM)
Mobile
Main areas of focus: Services
5 Full time research staff
Polymeric
drug
Main areas
ofdelivery
focus: technologies
Novel process technologies
X-ray Microtomography
Separation Science
Microwave
Processing
Molecular
Biotechnology
(biotransformations and
Thermal
analysis
&
SEM
therapeutic molecules)
Active collaborations
with:
Active collaborations
with:
MinCon,&Boston
Scientific,
Genzyme, Schivo,
Merck, Sharpe
Dohme,
Teva, Stryker, Sigmoid
Pharma,Research, Pinewood
Eirgen, FastForm
Genzyme, Pfizer, Teva….
Lessons learned : Institute
– Need for Institutional strategy
– Areas of specialisations
– Support mechanisms
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Infrastructure and equipment
Travel
Timely information on calls
Payments
HR policy
– Reward structure / performance system
– External Evaluation/Support
– Strategic Partnerships
Lessons Learned : Department /School
– Continuity from Institute strategy mapped to
School/department priorities
– Research targets
– Feedback loop
– Recognition for performers
– Establish R&D committee
– Mentoring programme – support infrastructure
– Postgraduate strategy
Lessons Learned
Academic Researcher
– Identify areas of maximum opportunity
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Institute priority
Regional impact
National agenda
Funding opportunities
– Development plan
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Self evaluation
Potential partners
Basic/Applied/commercial strategy
Publications
Lessons Learned
Academic Researcher
– Funding opportunities
• How does it fit in with your development plan
• Potential partners
• Outcomes
– Hiring strategy
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Students
Postdocs
Research fellows
Engineers