We visited Accenture’s ALE Lab to find out about its use as a training facility and innovation space.
In February 2017, Accenture opened The Dock, an innovation hub in Dublin where a number of different research projects have since taken place.
Over the years, we have dipped in and out of the activities occurring at The Dock, from learning about digital transformation projects and technical architecture to accelerators for women in data science.
Recently, SiliconRepublic.com visited The Dock to take a look inside the Accelerated Learning Environment (ALE) Lab and find out what work is being done there.
Work at the ALE Lab
At the ALE Lab, we spoke to Dara Bell, a technology consultant at Accenture Life Sciences, about the lab’s work and mission, which Bell said is “twofold”.
Bell told us that the lab’s first purpose is to act as a training facility, where new university graduates are brought in and placed on a “six-week, end-to-end project cycle”.
“They come in here, they brew a batch of beer, they learn about some of the core concepts of biologics manufacturing and they use that knowledge that they gain through the practical experience to work with a mock client or an example client on an end-to-end project life cycle.”
The second purpose of the lab is its use as an innovation space.
“The beer-brewing workflow maps very closely to biologics processing or pharmaceutical manufacturing,” said Bell, “so we bring clients in and walk them through that end-to-end process from research and development, process development, into manufacturing and quality control, and help them see the end-to-end batch release.”
Working in Accenture
Bell spoke to us about what Accenture looks for in new talent, adding that to work there “you definitely want to have a creative mindset”.
“We’re looking for anyone really with a life sciences background or a biologics background, but [it’s] non-essential.”
Bell also said that the company is looking for those with an interest in coding and development.
“We bring graduates in on the training programme to help them learn those core concepts, so anybody with a willingness to learn and a creative mindset is what we’re really looking for.”
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