Pictured: Tracy Meharg, executive director of business solutions, Invest NI, with Brendan Mooney, CEO, Kainos. Image: Invest NI
Big bet on R&D will help build Kainos’ reputation in global software solutions.
Northern Ireland software company Kainos has revealed an £8m investment in research and development (R&D) for an automated testing platform that will expand its global footprint.
The investment will underpin continuous R&D into its Kainos Smart testing platform, which has been designed exclusively for use with US-based HR software vendor Workday.
‘Diversification is key to growing globally, and engaging in R&D activity is helping Kainos deliver intelligent solutions that will have a positive impact on its business’ needs and the needs of its customers’
– TRACY MEHARG
“Our clients are using Kainos Smart to significantly reduce the amount of time and effort required to test their Workday configurations, while simultaneously increasing test coverage, reducing risk and freeing up key staff to work on higher-value activities,” explained Kainos CEO Brendan Mooney.
“Some clients have reduced their hands-on testing effort by over 80pc. This means they can realise the business benefits of deploying Workday much faster and take greater advantage of Workday’s continuous innovation.”
R&D spearheads a strategic growth path
Kainos is a leading provider of digital services and digital platforms. Last year, it expanded on an R&D drive into digital healthcare via mobile devices with the support of £3.1m worth of state funding from Invest NI, generating 17 new R&D jobs in the process.
In the latest development, Invest NI has offered it £2.4m worth of R&D support towards the project.
“With the support of Invest NI, we will continue to push the boundaries of what Kainos Smart can do, and we are already exploring how cutting-edge artificial intelligence and machine-learning technologies can help businesses gain faster and clearer insight into their ever-increasing security, HR, payroll and financial datasets contained in Workday,” said Mooney.
Invest NI’s R&D support is part-funded by the European Regional Development Fund under the Investment for Growth and Jobs Northern Ireland (2014-2020) Programme.
“Kainos is an ambitious company which is using research and development to drive the future growth of its business,” said Tracy Meharg, Invest NI’s executive director of business solutions.
“With its second major investment in R&D in the past year, the company is pursuing emerging opportunities in the artificial intelligence and machine-learning areas. Our support is enabling Kainos to introduce advanced technologies which will help it ensure a strong future for its business.
“One of the reasons for Kainos’ rapid growth over the past 10 years is its intense focus on R&D and the expansion of its product portfolio. Diversification is key to growing globally, and engaging in R&D activity is helping Kainos deliver intelligent solutions that will have a positive impact on its business’ needs and the needs of its customers.”
