FUSION OF KNOWLEDGE

The Fusion programme has helped hundreds of Irish companies become more competitive through linkages with the third-level education sector.

INTERTRADEIRELAND'S FUSION programme supports the development of businesses on the island of Ireland by transferring and embedding knowledge on a cross-border basis between industry and academia. It was, and continues to be, the only all-island industry-academia initiative of its type.

The programme was established specifically to assist Irish companies improve in the area of research and development. The programme aims not only to assist companies with technological innovation, but also to help them turn that into commercial opportunity. To do this it brings together companies and third-level institutions in a unique knowledge transfer arrangement which benefits all parties.

Fusion has its origins in research undertaken for the North/South Ministerial Council (NSMC) in 2000 into the way the knowledge-economy is changing the way we live and how we do business. The research revealed that this will have profound implications for the way companies compete - so much so that access to and the application of knowledge will increasingly become the essence of competitive advantage.

The need for deeper relationships between business and educational and research institutions was identified as a way of gaining such advantage.

The objective of creating these relationships is to foster technology transfer and the sharing of ideas. Companies constantly face new challenges requiring new solutions. Academia, which hosts most of the island's intellectual property, is an important source of these solutions. Technology transfer is the means by which this knowledge is applied in a commercial environment.

While technology transfer has long played a key role in the development of high tech industry, it is not limited to this area. The research found that if the island is to compete in the global market, all companies need to assess how their competitiveness can be enhanced by new technologies.

As a result, InterTradeIreland developed Fusion, a company-led initiative to improve the flow and access of knowledge to the business community. The programme sees each participating company being partnered with a research centre which has specialist expertise in a relevant area. The research centre provides one-to-one tailored assistance to solve the company's technology needs and a high-calibre graduate is employed by the company to spearhead the project.

All of the partnerships are designed to introduce new products or processes which can lead to new cost efficiencies, quality improvements and other bottom line benefits to the participating company.

Fusion is open to both SMEs and large companies. Securing competitive advantage through innovation is vital, no matter what sector a business operates in or what size the company is. To date, some 200 companies have participated in the programme and the benefits realised have been quite dramatic.

"Among the main benefits the programme brings to companies is the ability to look ahead and plan," explains InterTradeIreland's operations director Catriona Regan. "Most companies are so busy just responding to the market that they have great difficulties in doing this. With the programme they get to bring in a young person to work on these areas. It might be the achievement of a European Standard to help enter new markets or the implementation of a new IT system to assist in becoming more efficient, it can be anything.

"It is giving the companies the equivalent of a knowledge injection. It is very people focused and an indication of its success is that 60 per cent of the graduates involved stay with the companies in senior positions, such as head of operations," she says.

Product development is also a key benefit. "One big thing that companies get out of it is accelerated product development," Regan points out. "Instead of it taking them maybe six months to design and produce, it can take just six weeks with the assistance of the university and the graduate. This can certainly make the companies more competitive."

The main attraction of Fusion is the fact that it is company led. These are real companies with real needs. The process of securing funding for a project begins with the management. They identify a clear technology need and submit a joint application with an academic partner. There is financial assistance and an InterTradeIreland Master Class to help applicants prepare their applications.

Before the graduate takes up a post, a clear action plan is established, identifying what, when, how and by whom agreed targets will be achieved. Although the graduate is tasked with providing the company with its technology solution this is not done in isolation.

Each graduate maintains a close working relationship with the academic partner who is responsible for providing ongoing technological guidance and access to the institution's facilities.

The academic world also gains through building relationships with industry and developing long-term strategic linkages. This allows the campuses to demonstrate and promote specialisms, publish research papers and apply industry-based research to teaching; factors which enhance an institution's reputation and act as a catalyst to attract staff and funding.

"The universities do get an awful lot out of the programme," says Regan. "It gives them the opportunity to use their knowledge at a practical level. This is both exciting and technically stretching for them."

She sees a long and bright future for the programme. "Fusion will definitely continue. Companies are queuing up to get onto the programme. It's such a flexible programme it can work for any type of company, not just those in the high tech sectors. It is particularly good for companies who might never have worked with a university before," says Regan. "It helps them see that the academic researchers are working in the real world on practical solutions which apply to them. It really is a great introduction to the area of R&D for many companies."

For more information, contact tel: +44 (0) 283 026 0700; website:  www.intertradeireland.com; e-mail: fusion@intertradeireland.com.

HOW IT WORKS

Partnership formed: a company is partnered with a college from the opposite jurisdiction with the specific expertise required.

Joint application: the company and the college submit a joint application for support to InterTradelreland.

Graduate recruitment: each graduate position is advertised in the national press and the candidate is employed for up to 24 months.

Project implementation: there is ongoing input and involvement of the three partners as agreed at the outset. InterTradeIreland provides a support package worth up to €71,625 for a two-year project. The package will support 50 per cent of the graduate employment costs and 100 per cent of other eligible costs. Ongoing co-ordination of the project is provided at no cost to the company.

TALES OF SUCCESS

RA Pacáistí Teoranta (RAP) employs 52 people based in Derrybeg, Co Donegal. It designs and manufactures a range of paperboard packaging products for the food sector in Ireland, the UK and Europe.

Because of the importance that customers attach to the visual aspect of fresh food packaging, RAP decided to replace the paper element of their product with clear film.

RAP's Fusion graduate Dermot McDermott worked closely with academic Alan Clarke of Queens University, the academic on the project, who has carried out several collaborative research projects with the plastics industry and was able to share his expertise on streamlining processes.

RAP's objective in taking part on Fusion therefore was to introduce an entirely new range of products with clear film and optimise the manufacturing processes, allowing the company to compete for larger contracts.

Without Fusion, RAP would not have had the in-house expertise to undertake this project alone.

The Fusion programme has led manufacturing technology graduate Doru Boblea to relocate from Romania to Roche Manufacturing in Galway.

"I saw the advertisement for the Fusion Programme and I applied and was accepted. The project was on researching CE Directives . . . and, most importantly for me, the opportunity to become involved in computer aided design and develop a new department within the company was the ultimate challenge," he says.

"When I first arrived, the company took up to three months to produce a prototype for clients, now I only need three days to design a specific machine to order," he says.