Good practice:

Technology Gateways

Companies all over Ireland are using Technology Gateways to develop new or better products and services and smarter ways of doing things. Through the Technology Gateway Network, they are leveraging the expertise of over 300 industry-focused researchers, together with the specialist equipment and facilities of the 11 institutes of technology, to access near-to-market innovation and solutions.
At the moment 15 specialist technology gateways form the network. Each gateway focuses on key technology areas aligned to industry needs. The following are located in the Border, Midland and Western region:
• WisarLab (Letterkenny): Wireless solutions
• PEM (Sligo): Precision Engineering & Manufacturing
• MET (Galway): Medical & Engineering Technologies
• APT (Athlone): Polymer Technologies and connected media

Each Gateway acts as a portal to the industry focussed capability across the network and beyond to the wider research infrastructure in Ireland. To optimise the power of the Network 3 clusters were established to deliver market lead innovation solutions for Irish companies, in the areas of Applied Internet of Things, Engineering, Materials & Design and Food and Beverages.
Within each Gateway, a dedicated Gateway Manager and a team of sector specific business development staff act as the key contact points for industry and manage the successful delivery of projects on time and within budget.

• Since January 2013 the Gateways have completed over 3,200 projects with industry worth over €30 million
• Over €14m of which was contributed in cash by industry
• The average project is approximately €10k of which more than 48% is provided in cash by the companies
• €26.75M investment planned

An independent economic review 2016 on the impact for partner companies found:
• 63% reported the development of new products
• Improved technological knowledge (88%) & increase in the overall value of the company (46%) were the top benefits cited
• 71% of companies cited the development of a culture of innovation
due to the collaboration
• 39% of companies accessed further capital to develop
•19% of companies report that they could not have grown or survived without this.

• Difficulties to access to all the technologies available due to distance
• Funding: companies work with the gateways mainly on a project basis using innovation vouchers (up to 5000€ /project) which may be a limitation
• Private sector providers sometimes view the Gateways as competition

This initiative can inspire other partners to set up partnerships/collaborations in their regions to provide solutions to the manufacturing industry.
Potential for learning may include:
• How to maximize the technological knowledge by working in network and providing a wider range of solutions to companies than on a single basis
• Find mechanisms for private-public partnerships fostering new solutions for industry