Industry & Business

A new initiative designed to help developing businesses in the engineering, ICT & software and biosciences sectors has been launched by Minister of State for Employment and Small Business, Pat Breen.

The Design+ Technology Gateway was announced at the Institute of Technology, Carlow, and will help to leverage the industry focused expertise within the college and act as an open access point to deliver near-to-market solutions for Irish industry.

This Design+ initiative in Carlow will form part of a 15-strong Enterprise Ireland funded technology gateway network across the country.

Since the launch of the first gateway in 2013, these initiatives have delivered more than 1,500 projects to industry with a value of over €15 million.

The IT Carlow Gateway will aim to give companies based in the southeast, midlands and beyond an opportunity to develop their business through innovative collaborative research and development while networking with industry across the regions.

Pat Breen says: “Good design immediately transforms good technology into valuable products. Design has been the poor relation of the research and innovation agenda in Ireland for too long and we need to do something about it… In short, we need more companies investing more in design on a more continuous basis. Initiatives like the Carlow Gateway will focus on that objective in a practical way.”

Design+ will receive almost €250,000 over a two-year period from Enterprise Ireland, over which time it hopes to have supported 55 companies. Companies who have received assistance to date include Magnetar Medical Devices, Hamstring Solo and the Wholesome Irish Biltong Company.

Gearoid Mooney, from Enterprise Ireland, added that the gateway will “facilitate businesses to access key skills that can help them turn their potential for growth into performance, fuelled by design.”