Tyndall’s Dr Patrick Morrissey and Sanathana Konugolu Venkata Sekar from BioPixS. Image: Clare Keogh
The pre-accelerator is seeking deep-tech entrepreneurial ideas in health and wellbeing, smart agriculture, transport and more.
Tyndall National Institute is launching a new pre-accelerator programme for deep-tech start-ups, called Tyndall Explorer, which aims to stimulate high-value tech ventures in Ireland.
The ICT research centre, based at University College Cork, is now inviting teams with a scalable idea to apply for the programme, which has a €20,000 prize fund.
Tyndall Explorer aims to help develop entrepreneurial ideas and early-stage start-ups in the areas of photonics and microelectronics, covering tech such as energy efficient chips, power semiconductors, smart sensors, advanced optical equipment, and compound materials and applications.
‘€7.7bn was invested in deep-techs in Europe in 2019 alone, so the value to our economy is considerable’
– DR PATRICK MORRISSEY
It is looking for tech ideas focused on health and wellbeing, a sustainable society, smart agriculture and transport. Deep-tech has potential in these areas through smart medical devices, rural broadband, autonomous vehicles, efficient light sources and displays, and more.
“We are looking to identify and support emerging start-up ideas in the area of deep-tech to stimulate new high-value ventures that will have economic value, impact and international reach,” said Dr Patrick Morrissey, Tyndall Explorer lead and manager of the Irish Photonics Integrated Centre at Tyndall.
“There are huge opportunities for Ireland to lead the way in deep-tech solutions. We are already competing in technology development and initiatives such as this will sharpen Ireland’s competitive edge and create new SMEs and jobs across a variety of sectors.
“€7.7bn was invested in deep-techs in Europe in 2019 alone, so the value to our economy is considerable.”
Programme details
The four-month Tyndall Explorer programme will take place remotely from February to May 2021.
Morrissey added that participants will come away from the programme with idea validation, an expanded network across Europe’s semiconductor companies, and investment opportunities.
They will be introduced to start-up tools and methodologies, given access to resources, and briefed on new developments in opto-electronics and microelectronics. The programme will also offer opportunities for peer-to-peer learning and industrial collaborations, preparing participants for next-stage supports.
The call for entries is now open until 18 January. Six ideas will be selected to participate, culminating in a programme showcase where one will receive a cash prize of €20,000.
Along with the Irish Photonics Integrated Centre at Tyndall, the programme will be delivered by the IPCEI European cluster collaboration, Osram Opto Semiconductors and UK semiconductor company IQE. It is also supported by Science Foundation Ireland, Cork Institute of Technology, Dublin City University, Trinity College Dublin and University College Cork
