Richard Bruton, TD, Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, and Dr Alison Campbell, director of Knowledge Transfer Ireland
The Irish Government has launched its Knowledge Transfer Ireland (KTI) online programme – the first of its kind in Europe – aimed at commercialising state-funded research from all third-level institutes across the country.
The central technology transfer office, located in Enterprise Ireland and operated collaboratively by Enterprise Ireland and the Irish Universities Association, is considered a significant step in making it easier to commercialise, and ultimately create jobs, from ideas developed through publicly funded research, which currently receives total funding of more than €800m per year.
The Government claims the establishment of KTI will advance its plan to strengthen and standardise the Irish knowledge transfer infrastructure in which it has already invested €30m through Enterprise Ireland, working in co-operation with the Technology Transfer Offices in Irish higher education institutes.
The Government has committed €22m up to the end of 2016 to increase the capacity of the knowledge transfer infrastructure.
“As of today, Ireland is the first and only country in Europe to give companies the opportunity to search multiple databases of the research talent, knowledge and technologies available in our publicly funded research institutions,” said Richard Bruton, Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, of KTI.
“This is a significant milestone in the Government’s strategy, laid out in our Action Plan for Jobs, to build stronger links between the State research sector and industry. It will lead to increased business innovation, cost-efficiencies and ultimately job creation in Ireland.”
