The Link - Issue 10

Issue Ten summer 2012

Where research & InnovatIon Meets enterprIse

the linkRegional Development CentRe & ReseaRCh offiCe

ionaD foRbaRtha RéigiúnaCh & oifig taighDe

new Frontiers Lines Outnovation Programme Celebrates 10 years of success

Leading the way in Industry researchA Chemical reaction at DkIT

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This issue of the Link highlights a significant recent research funding success for the Institute. Lyubov Bragina recently won a scholarship from the Irish research Council for science, engineering and Technology (IrCseT) to undertake a PhD postgraduate research programme in the Centre for Freshwater and environmental studies, DkIT. Lyubov is the first student at the Institute to receive this prestigious award. Lyubov also leads the way in building awareness of the importance of enterprise among her student colleagues in her role as student enterprise Intern.

Of course one of the most important aspects of research is its commercialisation and ultimate benefit to society. In an interview with Dr Costin Camarasu, commercialisation manager of the Ion Channel Biotechnology Centre (ICBC), DkIT, he reveals why research at Third Level Institutes can often be more efficient and productive than similar work undertaken by big pharmaceutical companies. With seed funding from enterprise Ireland the ICBC team are having a dramatic effect in their area which will ultimately improve the qualities of people’s lives that suffer from certain diseases.

The regional Development Centre (rDC) recently celebrated 10 years of success of the novation enterprise Platform programme. Throughout the past 10 years this programme has been attended by almost 130 entrepreneurs with over 400 jobs created. The novation programme has now evolved into “The new Frontiers” programme which is funded and managed by enterprise Ireland and you can find out more information on it inside.

now over half way through the year, it’s already been a busy, productive and exciting opening half of 2012 for DkIT. The next 6 months promises to be equally fascinating and The Link will be there to keep you informed along the way.

We hope you enjoy this edition of The Link. If you have any comment or suggestions regarding content, or would like to be included on the mailing list, please e-mail [email protected]

Irene mcCausland, external service manager, rDCDr Tim mcCormac, Head of research, DkIT

In eagrán seo The Link leagtar béim ar rath suntasach maoiniú taighde don Institiúid. Bhuaigh Lyubov Bragina scoláireacht le déanaí ó Chomhairle Taighde na hÉireann um eolaíocht, Innealtóireacht agus Theicneolaíocht (IrCseT) chun tabhairt faoi chlár taighde iarchéime PhD in Ionad um staidéar Fionnuisce agus Comhshaoil, DkIT. Is Lyubov an chéad mac léinn san institiúid a bhain amach an ard-ghradam seo. Tá Lyubov chun tosaigh freisin ag cruthú feasachta ar thábhacht na fiontraíochta i measc a comhgleacaithe in a ról mar Intéirneach Fiontraíochta mic Léinn.

Dár ndóigh, ceann de na gnéithe taighde is tábhachtái is ea a thráchtálú agus a leas deiridh don sochaí. In agallamh le Dr Costin Camarasu, bainisteoir tráchtálú Ionad Biteicneolaíochta Cainéil Iain (ICBC), DkIT, léiríonn sé cén fáth go mbíonn taighde in institiúidí tríú leibhéil go minic níos éifeachtúla agus níos torthúla ná saothar dá leithéid ag na cuideachtaí móra cogaisíochta. Le síolmhaoiniú ó Fhiontraíocht Éireann tá éifeacht mhór á bhaint amach ag foireann ICBC in a réimse, rud a thabarfaidh faoi dheireadh feabhas ar mhianach saoil daoine atá faoi ghalair áirithe.

Bhí An Ionad Forbartha réigiúnach (rDC) ag céiliúradh le déanaí 10 mbliana ratha Clár Oibre Fiontair novation. Le linn na 10 mbliana deiridh bhí beagnach 130 fiontraithe ag freastal ar an gclár seo agus cruthaíodh níos mó ná 400 postanna. Bheadh an líon sin an-shuntasach i gcás gníomhaireacht rialtais, ach nuair a mheabhraítear go dtagann sé ó thimpeallacht tríú leibhéil is iontach ar fad an scéal é. Claochlóidh clár novation isteach anois i gclár “na Teorainneacha nua”, a bheidh á mhaoiniú agus á bhainistiú ag Fiontraíocht Éireann, agus gheobhfar tuilleadh eolais ina thaobh laistigh anseo.

Anois níos mó ná leath slí tríd an bhliain, ba ghnóthach, torthúil agus spreagúil cheana féin céad leath 2012 do DkIT. Tá cumadh chomh suimiúil céanna ar an sé mhí atá romhainn agus beidh The Link ann chun tú a choimeád ar an eolas i rith an bhealaigh.

Tá súil again go mbaineann tú taitneamh as eagrán seo Link. má tá tuairimí nó moltaí agat faoin ábhar, nó más mian leat bheith ar liosta na seoltaí, cuir rphost led thoil chuig [email protected]

Irene mcCausland, Bainisteoir seirbhísí seachtracha,IFrDr Tim mcCormac, Ceannasaí Taighde, ITDD

réamhrá / Foreword

Cover Photo Paschal maguire - Director of entrepreneurship at enterprise Ireland ne/nW leads the way on launch day of the new Frontiers programme.

The regional Development Centre (rDC) is a centre to promote innovation, technology transfer and enterprise in the wider region and is based on the DkIT Campus.

regional Development Centre Dublin road Dundalk Co LouthT +353 42 9370400 F +353 42 9370499W www.rdc.ie E [email protected]

Great care has been taken to ensure that this information is accurate, but the Regional Development Centre, including its subsidiaries does not accept responsibility or liability for errors or information which is found to be misleading.

Written & edited by eamon mcGrane

T + 353 86 8343053

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towards the new FrontierIt nepp ends as new Frontiers programme launched.

For over 10 years the rDC has successfully delivered the novation enterprise Platform Programme (nePP) to 130 entrepreneurs. The results have proven to be very satisfactory with over 400 jobs created and annual sales of €68 million.

This spring saw the ending of the nePP programme and the launching of a new programme –‘The new Frontiers’ Programme which is funded and managed by enterprise Ireland.

Programme structureDesigned to be delivered in 3 phases, the rDC commenced delivery (in both DCu and the rDC) of Phase one (screening) in march last. This 6 week programme has recently ended and it has enabled 29 entrepreneurs to prepare compelling and rigorous business cases for inclusion in Phase two of the programme (Development) which commenced in early June and will be full-time over 6 months.

It has the added attraction of providing a salary stipend of €2,500 per month for 6 months to each participant –thus allowing full-time engagement. There are now 13 full time entrepreneurs on Phase two of the programme. In addition to providing training, mentoring and hot-desking will also be provided to successful applicants.

Phase three will commence in november and will focus on commercialisation. It will be carried out in partnership with the rubicon Centre at Cork IT and will last for an additional 3 months. By programme end it is anticipated that most if not all of the participants will have secured first as well as repeat sales orders from various customers at home and abroad.

Commenting on the overall standard of the applicants who made it to the final interview stage for Phase two, Programme manager Garrett Duffy pointed out that the detailed and exhaustive nature of the selection process, in addition to the €15,000 salary stipend and the prospect of earlier engagement with enterprise Ireland has resulted in a noticeable increase in the overall quality of projects coming forward. This, he adds, will hopefully result in strong ventures emerging from the new Frontiers Programme by the end of this year.

novation programme celebrates 10 years of successanniversary exhibition highlights achievement

to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the novation enterprise platform programme, the regional Development centre was transformed into an exhibition centre on 19th January this year.

the novation epp is a comprehensive programme of support for technology start-up companies and over 20 past and current participants “set up stall” for the day. 150 delegates were in attendance many of whom were also interested in learning about the new Frontiers programme being unveiled during the exhibition.

president of DkIt, Denis cummins welcomed those in attendance and gave an overview of some of the successes achieved by the 130 programme participants over the past 10 years. the president noted there was a remarkable growth in turnover to €68 million per annum and employment of 400 direct employees (mostly third level graduates). he was particularly pleased with the collaboration with DcU Invent which was agreed in May 2011 and which will continue for future programmes.

conor Fahy, regional Director enterprise Ireland, spoke about the pivotal role that the rDc plays in fostering start-ups and innovation in the region and enterprise Ireland’s delight to be partnering with DkIt on the new programme.

3 past participants spoke about their journey building successful businesses and the role the novation epp programme played. For peter smyth, Founder and chairman of redMere, the programme provided focus and

the environment to learn how to start and grow a business that now is headquartered in Ireland and has a significant presence in the United states and taiwan.

Deirdre Maccormack, cMo Mcor technologies, had some advice for those starting out on their entrepreneurial journey – “avail of all hard and soft supports you can, mentors are magic, enter as many competitions as you can (it sharpens the business plan) and network, network, network”.

Kieran Fitzpatrick, ceo Barracuda FX, was on the programme in 2008/09. For Kieran the programme supported him in many ways: • Gettingfromideatobusiness• Exposuretonewideasandfresh

thinking• Mentoringandnetworking• Providingasupportive

environment• Objectivecriticalreview• Buildingconfidence• Providingdiscipline.

the audience also heard from GrainneLennonInterTradeIrelandwho spoke about the unparalleled run of success nepp participants have had in IntertradeIreland’s seedcorn competition providing 3 overall winners and regional winners on a further 3 occasions.

Following the various presentations, many of the 150 attendees spent time visiting the 20 stands of past “graduates” of nepp who had “set up stall” for the day. overall a very memorable occasion viewed as an unqualified success by all who attended.

Martin Kelleher, Partner, Mason Hayes and Curran pJ o’reilly, Regional Manager Enterprise Ireland, Kieran Fegan, ICE Programme Manager, Jeanne Kelly Partner,Mason, Hayes and Curran

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a transfer of technologyWorkshops show how to save time on money on r&D

the Innovation for competitive enterprises (Ice) programme ran a series of technology transfer Workshops during June/July 2012 in each of the 3 regions to include the six southern border counties of Ireland, northern Ireland and Western scotland.

technology transfer enables companies to acquire new products and processes without going through the expense and risk of r&D. the most common forms of technology transfer are licensing, joint ventures and technical cooperation agreements. technology transfer allows companies to expand its product portfolio, enhance functionality of an existing product or improve a manufacturing process.

Utilising the experience of others in areas such as technology and intellectual property can give companies a distinct competitive advantage and can shorten the time to market. this can save time and money on r&D and can also be undertaken in conjunction with in-house r&D activities.

potential benefits of technology transfer:

• Alargeamountoftechnologyalready developed internationally, therefore a wide choice available

• Fasterreturnoninvestment• Alreadydeveloped–provenin

another market• Shortertimetomarket• Possiblylowercost• Technicalassistance• Gainandaccessskills• Possibilitiesofsharingcostandrisk• Possibleaccesstoinnovationand

market• Technologylicensingcanenable

a firm to enter a foreign market quickly

• Reducedlegalandfinancialrisk(risk is shared to some extent)

• Overcomesanyexportbarriers.

the Ice workshops gave an overview of technology transfer options and explained the process of licensing.

the sessions also provided a walk-through of typical licensing provisions such as technology/Ip, territories, payment, further improvement, exclusivity, warranties, duration and legal considerations.

a large number of online search facilities are now available for searching for new technologies and patents and the enterprise europe network is one such facility. a representative from the enterprise europe network in each region provided an overview of this network at each of the Ice technology transfer Workshops. the enterprise europe network offers access to over 13,000 technology profiles from 50 countries.

Ice programme Manager Kieran Fegan said “Ice will deliver 5 licensing opportunities per year over 3 years to participant companies, through technology transfer from a variety of sources, partner institutes, inter-company or a portal such as the enterprise europe network”

Kieran continues “Ice is working with its participant companies, through the‘InnovationLearningProgramme’that is being delivered by innovation consultants team BDs to achieve licensing and technology transfer opportunities.“

Ice has received approximately €2.49 million of support under the eU’s INTERREGIVAProgramme,withassistance from scottish enterprise. It is spearheaded by the rDc at Dundalk Institute of technology (DkIt). representing a truly collaborative approach DkIt is implementing the project alongside the University of Ulster,theUniversityofGlasgowandGlasgowCaledonian,University.

For further information on Ice contact the regional Development centre at DkIt on t +353 42 9370425 or contact Kieran Fegan directly on t +353 87 417 4681. the Ice website can be found at www.iceprogramme.com

ICEWantsYouToGetYourSkatesOnIce is looking for new companies to participate in its intensive support programme

Is your company competing on innovation or on price? Are you good at coming up with and implementing product, service or process ideas? Do you need support to generate new ideas and get projects from conception to market to generating significant revenues? If so, you need look no further for assistance than ICe.

ICe (Innovation for Competitive enterprises) is a programme that helps smes develop their ideas and make them competitive and commercially viable. All the evidence shows that companies who innovate are much more likely to have higher productivity. This leads to greater prospects for long term growth and survival. ICe has been specifically designed with this in mind.

Participating companies will be offered an extensive, collaborative support programme, designed to help them develop and sustain their potential for innovation.

Over a period of up to a year, participating companies will receive expert help that will improve their capacity for identifying new ideas, assessing their potential and developing new products, services and processes – its these areas that will have greatest impact on competitiveness and profitability.

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sligo, Leitrim and Donegal, northern Ireland. In the West of scotland companies must normally be located in Ayrshire or Dumfries and Galloway.

The Application and selection ProcessCompanies who wish to be considered should contact the local ICe project manager who will provide further information. Places are limited and a regional selection panel will assess if companies are ready to participate.

What is the Cost?The ICe programme is Free to participating companies; however each must be prepared to give its time and commitment to the programme.

For further information contact

Kieran FeganDundalk Institute of Technologyt +353 87 4174681e [email protected]

ICe is for people who want to get ‘stuck in’ and succeed. To that end we’re looking for companies that will:• Participate in 10-12 in-house half day

sessions• Commit time and resources to work

through an innovation project• Take part in up to six group networking

sessions.

how Ice Works – Our ApproachICe offers a results-focused approach that aims to improve a business’s bottom line. Participating companies will have access to up to 12 half days, or equivalent, of tailored, in-house support from innovation experts Team BDs.

Team BDs has a significant track record in working with a wide variety of businesses, particularly smes, to identify commercially viable ideas and turn them into reality and profit.

This tailored support will enable each company to:• Identify and generate ideas for new

products, services, processes or new business models that can best drive profitability.

• Develop a tailor-made innovation plan to support implementation while still running core company activities.

• Improve long term capacity for innovation and commercialisation.

At the same time the Project Team will work with participating companies to help them:• Access additional specialist expertise

and knowledge from, for example, universities.

• Access technology transfer and licensing opportunities where appropriate.

• network with other participating companies throughout the three regions.

• Attend training opportunities to support innovation Implementation

eligible companies• must be smes with between 10

and 250 employees (or full time equivalent).

• Have moved past early stage development into the growth phase of their lifecycle.

• Be located in InTerreG IVA cooperation areas only. These are the six southern border counties of Ireland to include Louth, monaghan, Cavan,

What past and present participants are saying about Ice. . .

castlecool highly recommends the Ice programme. the company has gained in depth knowledge and understanding of innovation related processes and implemented new ideas which are already having a significant impact

paul shorttManaging Director of Castlecool, Monaghan, Ireland

Ice helped me explore and access new business models and markets beyond our traditional areas. this resulted in two way licensing agreements that are already impacting on turnover and profit

chris McMailManaging Director of Microtech Support Ltd, Kilmarnock, Scotland

telestack have benefited immensely from participation on the Ice programme by using the programme as a vehicle to strategically plan the business in partnership with independent consultants using a platform of formal /structured events to highlight specific business improvement areas. I would recommend participation to all forward thinking companies

adrian MccutcheonManaging Director, Telestack Ltd, Omagh, Northern Ireland

ICEWantsYouToGetYourSkatesOnIce is looking for new companies to participate in its intensive support programme

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since 2007, the regional Development Centre at Dundalk Institute of Technology (DkIT) has spearheaded the promotion of an enterprise Culture on the campus that included the launching of the student enterprise Intern (seI) Programme. since its inception the programme has grown from strength to strength currently including 2 cross faculty interns, Catherine murray and niall mcCabe, 1 embedded intern for the school of engineering, Fearghal Cotter, and 1 embedded intern for the school of Health and science, Lyubov Bragina. The role of the Intern is to work for 18 hours per week on the Programme whilst studying for a masters Degree which is funded through DkIT President’s scholarship.

Although student enterprise has a lot to offer the students, there is a massive emphasis put on encouraging and embedding a spirit of entrepreneurship within DkIT through enterprise competitions, guest speaking events and information clinics.

Other key DkIT student enterprise programme supports include: • The student Innovation Fund sponsored

by the Dundalk Credit union, has been in place since April 2009 and is aimed at providing ‘seed capital’ of up to €1,000 for individual student Projects.

• The right Ideas Programme (BIP) which is

a programme of interactive workshops that run through the month of June for prospective students to assist them develop business ideas.

• The ‘Ideas Lab’ is a workspace within the regional Development Centre at DkIT which is available to students

to work on their new venture or can act as a meeting point for engaging with external individuals. These initiatives, allow the student enterprise Programme to offer ‘concrete’ supports to student businesses and ideas. This has accelerated the seI programme enabling students to start businesses and develop projects.

DkIt student enterprise activities september 2011– June 2012

DkIT student enterprise kicked off their year with numerous information stands and clinics in the month of september, promoted at DkIT Opening Day, Clubs and societies Day, Fresher’s Week, Career Day events and creativity workshops. Having recently embraced social media as a medium to engage the student populace the new Facebook page and a forum on LinkedIn were launched.

For the second year running, in February 2012, DkIT student enterprise ran an enterprise Week. The aim of the week was to help students find out more about enterprise, the resources DkIT student enterprise provides students and to encourage participation. Gavin Duffy, serial entrepreneur and “Dragon” from rTe’s Dragons’ Den kicked off the week. Gavin talked about his journey as an entrepreneur, how he believes Ireland is an island of innovation and the opportunities that have been presented to him because of Dragons’ Den. This was an excellent event with over 300 students attending the Whitaker Theatre.

Other guest speakers have included Bobby Kerr, one of Irelands leading entrepreneurs and also a well known “Dragon” on rTe’s Dragons’ Den.

Additional guest speakers who have been focused at particular student groups have included niall O’Callaghan from OpenHydro, Ken stewart of Valley Forge and Derek roddy of Climote who all gave exciting and inspiring talks to over 100 students each within the engineering school at DkIT. ronan O’Brien, serial entrepreneur spoke to the Computing students about his entrepreneurial journey. ronan started out in business at the age of 16 as a Disc Jockey, while quickly realising that being an entrepreneur was for him. His first company was a telecom business and today ronan is involved in 6 additional businesses. Computing students were also treated to 2 guest speakers on enterprise Week 2012 who set up businesses from their interests; Jason mcGee who set up his web design and IT consultancy business and ellen Dudley founder of www.crowdscanner.com.

student enterprise at DkIt bigger and better in 2011/2012

student Interns

GavinDuffyaddressesDkITstudents

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The first prestigious cross faculty competition of the year was the €10 Challenge. The €10 Challenge involved students investing a maximum of €10 into their venture and then using that €10 to make the most money they possibly could before the deadline. students were rated not only on how much money they made but on how creative and innovative their idea was. After long deliberation the judges decided that third year business student Jessica O’Connor moneley would win the competition.

The Business Case Competition held earlier in the year involved 7 different class groups which were all working on business planning modules. The top group in each class were nominated by their lecturers and put forward to the Business Case Competition. many exciting and new ideas were presented to a panel of judges. each idea was unique, the standard was high and it was clear there was a great effort put in by all involved. Like all competitions there must be a winner and this decision was left to the judges. ‘The reusable Coffee Cup’ was announced the winner, this business idea was a social

enterprise developed by Cormac Woods, martin Tiernan and Ciaran Warnock, third year Business studies students.

The ‘rookie Challenge Competition’ took place during enterprise Week. The ‘rookie Challenge’ is like ‘The Apprentice’ on TV where in teams of three or four students compete against each other to win a prize by completing entrepreneurial tasks every day. This year 41 teams signed up for the ‘rookie Challenge’ to compete to win tablet computers. The final task involved “Developing a business idea be it a product or a service that will improve our everyday lives.” Four students from the school of Business, séan mcArdle, Thomas Quigley, Zara Atherton and Christopher Goslin were crowned the winners of the ‘rookie Challenge 2012’ while the runners up were David mcQuaid, eoin Healy and Aidan mathews second year software Development students.

The first Health and science specific competition was held within their school along with the help of the Water for Life project while the first year DkIT student enterprise held ‘enterprising student of the Year 2012’ competition. The students nominated for this prestigious title were actively involved in DkIT student enterprise activities throughout the year. On the 30th of April they were each given an envelope which contained the task and €20. For this task they were required to use the €20 to purchase up to 5 items, they had to add value to these 5 items and then sell these items within the college, with the intent of making a profit. Cormac Woods a third year student of Business studies was crowned

‘enterprising student of the Year 2012’. The runner up was Jessica O’Connor moneley who is also a third year Business studies student.

Great interest has been shown in the 2012 Bright Ideas Programme with 19 budding entrepreneurs participating in the programme that took place across the month of June on Tuesdays and Thursdays in the regional Development Centre. 2012 has witnessed a great balance from the student populace with participants from all DkIT schools. sponsored by Dundalk Credit union the programme was facilitated this year in part by the professional services of Gerry moan of Constructive Intervention and in part by the student enterprise Intern programme team on alternating days. An interactive programme, it challenges the student participants to developing their business ideas, from concept through to a credible ‘elevator pitch’ at the end of the programme where they present to a panel of judges in a ‘Dragons Den’ style environment. This year the programme has been afforded the opportunity to offer 2 business mentoring sessions (sponsored by the Louth County enterprise Board) to the best pitch and idea which was awarded to school of Health and science students Tracy Donegan and Daniel Oakes of neighbourhood midwives For more information on the student enterprise Programme Activities please go to: www.facebook.com/dkitstudententerprise

GavinDuffyaddressesDkITstudents

Mario McBlaine (centre) with winners of the RookieChallenge2012,ChristopherRobinGosling,Zara atherton, thomas Quigley, seán Mcardle

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The pilot initiative of the success Through succession (sTs) programme draws to a close having successfully navigated 22 companies through the challenges faced by family businesses affecting their sustainability.

The sTs Programme assisted family-owned businesses in the six southern border counties of Ireland to think about planning the future succession of the family empire. Whilst succession issues may not be at the forefront of daily operations in family businesses, it is thought to be the single biggest threat to sustainability of family businesses in Ireland. Often, family businesses don’t know where to start; they understand that issues exist but they don’t know how to go about tackling those. As a result succession strategies tend to be reactive as opposed to pro-actively planned. The latter better prepares the business and all individuals in the business and the family for the major changes which tend to accompany any succession outcome and the exit strategy of the founder. Therefore, there is an argument that succession planning increases the opportunities for family smes to succeed and innovate for future growth.

Participating companies in the success Through succession Programme were from many sectors including engineering, medical devices, construction, crafts, textiles, hospitality and transport. Free to participating companies, the sTs programme adopted a unique business psychology approach aimed at leading family businesses to work through their own individual succession issues. The Programme was centred on workshops, mentoring and customised training. The sTs programme team assisted the

participant companies in identifying their needs and working through an intensive programme to ensure the company received timely expert advice such as financial, legal, psychology and business mentoring relating to their unique challenges.

“The participants had varied concerns surrounding the strategy, succession and growth of their company. As a result of their involvement with the sTs Programme they have all made significant inroads into the unique challenges they faced in business and within the family circle.” says Dr Cecilia Hegarty, Project manager.

The advantage of having a structured programme such as the sTs programme according to Dr Hegarty is that “We have the advantage of looking in from an outside perspective and identify what the main issues are that are inhibiting the process – sometimes it is the senior generation who find it difficult to step back and sometimes it is the younger generation who don’t have the skills set to lead the organisation into the future.”

The sTs Programme focused on an initial audit of family smes in the region to identify the family business succession issues. Companies that were accepted onto the programme worked in conjunction with the sTs Programme Team to devise their own 12 month programme of activity in order to reach the goal of devising an appropriate

the sustainability of sMes through succession

succession plan or Family Constitution. The plan or Constitution provides a useful framework for the action required to realise the goals for family business succession. However, the process of engagement with each other, with other family businesses and with experts in the field, was invaluable in understanding the tools and techniques that equip individuals to work together to solve both the family and business challenges impacting upon succession.

aidan Browne, Project Manager, Success Through Succession

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directly from sts participants include:

the sts programme opened communication channels for us. the workshops were interesting and enjoyable with the ones targeted

at the younger generation particularly helpful. Senior Generation

I found the programme invaluable…our company has changed as a result. Senior Generation

…without the sts programme we would have been lost and the company would not have survived into the future because I, the family, the business, and the staff were not prepared for the

succession challenge.Younger Generation

…it was fantastic, I learned new things on the programme...Younger Generation

…it was very helpful, it gave us great direction…we weren’t sure how to go about succession before sts.

Younger Generation

…we had no structure in place to help with the handover of the company… as a result of the sts programme we now

have plans in place to ease the handover…Younger Generation

...through the sts programme we have established clear management procedures and a clear plan for future succession and growth…the sts

programme was hugely beneficial in enabling us to identify failings in our business and establishing procedures to correct them…

Senior Generation

…we found the expertise and advice given invaluable in the future planning and workings of the company…It was an opportunity to gain valuable guidance in many aspects of running the business and forward

planning for the future. a worthwhile and enjoyable experience…Senior Generation

…we were not sure what steps to take in handing over the company…the sts programme has made us get our house in order

Younger Generation

Through the sTs Programme, participant companies also benefited from customised training events in the area offinance, leadership, sales and marketing, life beyond succession, family business values, wealth management, developing and professionalisation of the business and governance and accountability.

One of the indirect benefits of the sTs Programme which emerged for participants was the value of the family business network since many family business owners had a dawning realisation that they were not alone and others faced similar concerns. The Programme team held a series of tri-regional events for all businesses assisted during the success Through succession Programme. recent events held included a family business conference around the theme of internationalisation and best practice visits to highly successful family businesses such as norbrook Laboratoriesin newry in northern Ireland and silverhill Foods in emyvale, County monaghan. The sTs Programme team in Ireland held its end of programme conference, on the 6th July. A published work of case studies was made available documenting the diverse challenges faced by participant companies on the sTs Programme.If you are interested in finding out more please contact the regional Development Centre via email to [email protected] information is also available at the Programme tri-regional website at www.successthroughsuccession.com.

The success Through succession (sTs) programme is a 3 year programme with total project funding of €1.74m under the eu InTerreG Programme and is a collaborative partnership between the regional Development Centre at DkIT, Glasgow Caledonian university, and the lead partner, the university of ulster.

some additional thoughts

aidan Browne, Project Manager, Success Through Succession

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the accelerating campus entrepreneurship (ace) launched the sIF ace evaluation report on tuesday 3 april 2012 at the hetac conference onLeaders’PerspectivesonEnterpriseand entrepreneurial education in Dublin castle, Dublin. the event was recorded and is available for download at the hetac website: http://www.hetac.ie/events.htm

AttheLauncheventDrCeciliahegarty, Manager of the ace consortium gave a keynote speech to the audience of leaders in heIs stating the important findings of the ace evaluation, “after an intensive process of engagement and deliberation, the ace evaluation report was published and refers to nearly 200 stakeholder responses from various stakeholder groupings relating to campus entrepreneurship within higher education from senior management to student groupings”.

the ace Initiative utilised a blend of bottom-up and top-down approaches where the process for embedding entrepreneurship education required a re-orientation of traditional models. the ace initiative launched in 2008 as a joint collaboration between five higher education Institutions in Ireland.

the project aimed to provide innovative approaches to

entrepreneurship education to ensure students from non-business programmes have the opportunity to study enterprise related modules with the aim of creating the entrepreneurial graduate. the initiative sought to embed entrepreneurial education in non-business disciplines through a 4-targeted approach as follows:

• Targeted Action 1: pedagogies, teaching and curriculum development.

• Targeted Action 2: cross-faculty multi-disciplinary approaches.

• Targeted Action 3: embedding technology entrepreneurship into engineering education, leveraging of non-curriculum activities from Incubation centres/technology transfer offices.

• Targeted Action 4: educational organisation and culture change towards the development of more entre and intra-preneurial approaches.

the ace evaluation programme was developed to assess the performance of the ace initiative. this included assessing the extent to which the Initiative achieved its specified output targets, capturing the observations and/or learning experiences of sample key stakeholders – ranging from senior management to technology transfer officers to students. the measurable outputs are captured in

the table below.

this report is thought-provoking for enterprise leaders and educators in any sector of education but particularly higher education; it encourages practitioners to critically reflect on entrepreneurship education in Ireland.

It is now widely accepted that the competitiveness and future prosperity of the Irish economy depends on the application of knowledge, innovation, and entrepreneurship. GovernmentinIrelandhascontinually reiterated the need for developing the entrepreneurial talent of our third level graduates in the context of the current economic climate. over the next 5 year period there is a need to provide a sufficient quantity of skills to fill the emergent employment opportunities. In the business context, there is a need to provide the quality of skills required to drive business growth and provide the diversity of skills to reflect the complexity of business. It is envisaged that more individuals, including graduates, at some time during their career will be self-employed or set up their own business. More will work in the sMe sector and more employers will require employees with enterprising skills. Whilst this has real implications in education it is equally important in the voluntary and public sectors as in business. Individuals

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Dr. padraig Walsh, Chief Executive Designate, Qualifications and Quality Assurance Ireland (QQAI) at podium with Mr. Kieran Moynihan, Entrepreneur-in-Residence, Cork Institute of Technology. professor Madeleine atkins, CBE, Vice-Chancellor, Coventry University. professor pauric McGowan,Professor of Entrepreneurship and Business Development, University of Ulster, Mr. sean sherlock, TD, Minister for Research and Innovation, and professor Brian norton, President, Dublin Institute of Technology

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11Enterprise

will also need to be more enterprising to cope with the necessity of a more self-reliant and changeable lifestyle. Given these changes, it is essential that students in formal education are given the opportunity to develop their entrepreneurial skills set regardless of discipline of study. To this effect, Higher education Institutions in Ireland have ground to make up in developing a spirit and culture of enterprise and entrepreneurship on a cross-campus basis. Through cost-effective initiatives such as the ACe Initiative, the enterprise agenda can be developed and entrepreneurship activity supported in order to drive the institutional support for innovation, entrepreneurship and engagement. It has long since been recognised that the education sector plays a critical role in driving national competitiveness.

The ACe initiative directly addresses the aims and objective of the recently published national strategy for Irish Higher education to 2030 in terms of its:• Collaborative approach• Wider engagement with Industry • Development of the student

experience to encompass wider generic skills as well as discipline specific skills

The overall aim, going forward, is to develop on the work and achievements to date by broadening the participation to other HeIs and industry and ensuring long term sustainability of the core defining achievements of the ACe initiative.

During the HeTAC Conference the Draft Guidelines and Key Criteria for the review of enterprise and

Deliverable target achieved

staff involved in working on programme development and delivery

40 158

science and Technology students engaged in entrepreneurship accredited training

100 336

Other students involved in related activities over the ACe programme’s lifetime

500 11,838

Academics and non-academics involved in entrepreneurship staff development programmes

60 123

student internships 5 17

entrepreneurs in residence (not a funded requirement) 0 4

student business projects exploring commercialisation opportunities through Incubation Centres/TTOs

20 349

new ventures established in the last three years based on technology transfer

10 66

Conference papers developed and presented based on data emanating from the ACe initiative

5 13

entrepreneurship education (eee) were also launched. The purpose of the consultation is to gather further feedback from a broader range of stakeholders prior to publication.

The sIF ACe Initiative is a joint collaboration of Cork Institute of Technology, sligo Institute of Technology, Institute of Technology Blanchardstown and national university of Ireland Galway and is being led by Dundalk Institute of Technology and funded through the HeA’s strategic Innovation Fund.

For further information contact the ACe Project manager Dr Cecilia Hegarty by email to [email protected]

achievement of the Measurable Indicators

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The rDC provides a crucial link between the applied research and innovation needs of industry and the diverse research capabilities of Dundalk Institute of Technology.

An “Innovation Breakfast” hosted by the rDC and attended by over 40 participants took place on June 13th 2012. It provided free advice from programme providers on the various funded innovation support programmes available to smes and entrepreneurs.

Detailed presentations were made by

Innovation partnership programme

Fusion programme

Dr Tom Bannon of enterprise Ireland as well as mr Peter Grant of Helix Innovation. Tom outlined the various funded programmes available through Innovation Vouchers, the Innovation Partnership Programme and the r&D Fund. He indicated that the call for the next round of Innovation Vouchers was september 2012. An application for an Innovation Partnership can be made at any time. Peter detailed how the Fusion Programme, funded by InterTradeIreland, has been a major success since it’s launch over 8 years ago. The latest programme will enable a company to recruit a

technology graduate for an 18 month project.

Attendees heard of the wide range of innovation supports available to inventors, entrepreneurs, smes and large companies over a wide range of sectors. This can be by way of simple advice on a technical issue through to comprehensive participation in a fully staffed and funded applied research collaborative project over a one to two year period.

Innovation

The Fusion Programme has been operated by InterTradeIreland since 2003. now in its tenth year, it too has proven to be a major success with smes.

essentially it allows a company in the manufacturing sector to hire a technology graduate with the added benefit of having a third level Academic consultant to act as part-time technical advisor to the new recruit as well as the company.

Again it often allows small companies

to hire their first graduate as well as opening the doors to the diversity of technical expertise available in the third level sector.

Geography, combined with a pro-active approach adopted by the rDC, has secured for DkIT the leading position amongst third level Institutes/universities in the provision of Fusion projects in northern Ireland. In 2011, for example, DkIT initiated 10 new projects – either in engineering or ICT. Currently projects are operational in 5 of the 6 northern

counties. To date over 31 Fusion projects covering a very diverse range of companies have been secured by DkIT. The programme operates on a cross- border basis and so DkIT collaborates with smes based in northern Ireland.

Companies such as media Light Box based in newry, mallaghan engineering in Dungannon, and stiona software in Belfast have all benefited from a successful Fusion Partnership with DkIT in the recent past.

For those seeking funding for a much larger collaborative r&D Project with DkIT, enterprise Ireland’s Invovation Partnership Programme may be the most suitable vehicle. With grant funding of up to 80 per cent and typical project sizes of €200,000, this is a very attractive option for research focused companies.

Typical of an Innovation partnership project is “CArAwellness”, enabling remote care in the home. The CArAwellness project will enable healthcare and care providers to design a care programme and remotely monitor their patients and clients at home

via cloud technology.

The project is being managed by DkIT, through the CAsALA Centre, in partnership with leading indigenous companies rigney Dolphin and ADA securities.

The partners have come together under an Innovation Partnership funded by enterprise Ireland and the industry partners.

The 18 month Innovation Project will see 300 deployments into people’s homes,

LeadingtheWayinIndustryResearch

having been referred by clinical and care specialists, from the acute sector, primary and community care centres nationwide. A primary function will be to assist older people to age in place, but the product will be used for all ages, and will be of huge benefit in areas such as early discharges, and preventative and wellness programmes.

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Voucher Programmeenterprise Ireland’s Innovation voucher programme enables a limited liability company (irrespective of sector or size) to secure up to 80 hours of specialist technical advice fromaThirdLevelInstituteorUniversity located anywhere on the island of Ireland. the scheme involves a minimum of paperwork and to date has proven to be a real success.

so far DkIt has completed 83 voucher projects for companies located throughout Ireland. the rDc, as point of contact for companies, acts as the ‘broker’ for setting up and managing voucher projects. companies are entitled to a maximum of two consecutive standard vouchers valued at €5,000 each.

application calls are usually made

by enterprise Ireland 2 to 3 times per annum. In addition, there is also a “Fast-track” voucher available whereby the company contributes 50 per cent towards the total cost of a €10,000 project.

companies can apply for these fast-track vouchers at anytime of the year. Finally, group voucher projects are also encouraged and recently DkIt’s Freshwater research centre completed a 5 way voucher valued at €25,000 for 5 different companies who each shared the output and results of the project.

typical voucher projects have encompassed such areas as product design, software development and testing of prototypes. companies have included seniors at home in Waterford (carried out by the

CASALA applied research enhanced centre at DkIt), eurolec in Dundalk, BellurganEngineeringinCoLouthto Biostor in co Wexford (carried out by the IcBc applied research enhancement centre at DkIt).

the next call for eI voucher applications is 10 september 2012 – 30 september 2012.

For further information please contact: Sean MacEntee, Incubation Centre Manager. e [email protected] +353 42 9370453

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Dr Costin Camarasu, Commercialisation manager of DkIT’s Biotechnology Centre talks about when it comes to research big is not always necessary better.

Which is potentially more productive, effective and efficient – a pharmaceutical giant that has billions to spend on r&D or a small college-driven centre with a couple of million euro budget?The answer is, surprisingly, the latter. so says Dr Costin Camarasu, Commercialisation manager for the Ion Channel Biotechnology Centre (ICBC). The centre was set up in DkIT 2 years ago to develop new drugs to tackle medical conditions. Dr Camarasu was appointed Commercialisation manager this year. Costin comes from a science background (organic, biotechnology and analytical chemistry) and has worked in academia as an assistant professor and in the pharmaceutical industry in a variety of roles from being a principal scientist, analytical development manager and senior manager.

The Commercialisation manager has three tiers to his job: business development, intellectual property (IP) identification and protection and centre administration.

Dr Camarasu said in relation to business and development that his job is to facilitate the activities of the Centre and put together business plans and develop business relationships with partner companies and organisations. “I’m trying to identify any contract research opportunities for the Centre, initiate marketing activities, planning and communicating on developing licensing opportunities and writing grants from enterprise Ireland (eI), science Foundation Ireland (sFI) and other organisations that could provide financing to the team.”

On IP identification, Dr Camarasu said he oversees the IP protection, including research documentation and recording. “Good records and documentation is the basis of any IP. Then we need to identify what can be used as original IP and talk to lawyers and ensure the original research results are all addressed and suitably protected. Then file patents and make the IP visible to anyone who is interested in licensing it.”

In terms of centre administration Dr Camarsu said he has a small number of people reporting to him and the management structure was very “flat”. “This kind of management and structure is very innovative. I come from industry and the same efficiency could only have been reached there with 10 times more people and 100 times more money. What we’ve done in 2 years is absolutely innovative and I will say that this is due to a very interesting model: highly cross functional teamwork and collaboration. It’s not a new concept; however its implementation is inherently difficult in a multi-layer corporate environment.”

Dr Camarasu explained that big industry pharmaceutical companies are often not cross functional, have too many management layers and too many people. “Our team is really cross-functional. We have one chemist that synthesises the drugs and has a bio-chemistry background. We have one electrophysiologist that is testing the efficacy part looking at the drugs and seeing if they have any effect on the cells. We have one molecular biologist who is dealing with cells and if we need some sort of mutation the molecular biologist can do it. Then we have 4 principal investigators that take care of every scientific aspect. All of us are extremely aware of each other’s project-related problems and we work on addressing in a much focused way on what exactly is needed. This enables us to work at a very fast rate.”

Dr Camarasu explained that in large r&D companies between 50,000-100,000 drugs can be screened in order to arrive to one lead compound, whereas at ICBC they’re looking at five to ten compounds to reach the same goal. “We are going by quality and design which means you don’t need to test exhaustively. use sound science, don’t leave it to randomness, think about what you are doing and do exactly what you are supposed to do. That is an innovative concept on how to do r&D. In big pharma companies you have huge departments that are not cross functional. We are.”

The commercial end of scientific r&D, particularly the drugs field, is a high pressure environment. With ICBC availing of public funds is there pressure on them to succeed? “There is always pressure in industry or academia,” said Dr Camarasu. “Where does it come from? The simple fact that if you have a new drug with reasonable market reach do you know how much you lose daily if you fail to register it? You’re losing one million dollars per day.”

“In good research the principle is fail fast and move on fast. Don’t tamper with a failing project. Kill it, move on and try and focus on if what you’ve done has any possible applications in the next project. In industry they can’t do that. They have quality systems which say that if something is failing - stop and investigate and put together a report why it failed. But that’s not r&D.”

so why is commercialisation of r&D so crucial for the r&D process at DkIT? According to Dr Camarasu it is absolutely critical because academia doesn’t have the financial resources of industry. “Commercialisation is an art - why? Because you need to have a working prototype when you go and talk to industry. In order to get the working prototype you need funding. eI funding, is suited to create the framework around you. During r&D you’ll have significant costs: you need to buy materials and have instruments in good working order. so, your funding might need to come from other sources such as industry partnerships. so it’s an art when to go to industry and how much eI and other bodies’ funding you’ll need to continue the effort and get a working prototype.”

At the moment the ICBC is working on a number of projects and has several lead compounds that are just about to go into in-vivo trials. “What is the potential of our drugs? Well it might solve hypertension problems high blood pressure. It might help asthma; it could be the next Viagra or the next drug that treats an overactive bladder. But we won’t know until we test it in vivo.”

“With the small group we have and the limited budget this team has achieved the near impossible. The future is very exciting for the ICBC.”

a chemical reaction at DkIt D

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2012 summer Undergraduate research programme Launched

Ict health and ageing

• Inhibition of a cell survival proteininHodgkin’sLymphomacancer cells during reduced-dose chemotherapy treatment

• sar study in derivatives of the n-aryl-maleimide core for the inhibition of a cell survival protein inHodgkin’sLymphomacancercells

• Kinetic Falls Detection

• ipad application Development

• cave playback

• Data collection and analysis within a telehealth ageing project

• an exploration of the benefits of engagement in learning beyond the workplace to the wellbeing of older men

• age-Friendly communities study

energy and environment

• environmental sensor systems for Water Quality

• Development of electrochemical Based Biosensor systems for health applications

• assessment of macroinvertebrate communities within freshwater wetlands in the Border counties of Ireland

• the use of polymerase chain reaction (pcr) for the source-identification of faecal comtamination

• heavy metals sequestration by compost

• Development of visitor’s programme for creDIt and the campus Wind turbine

creative arts

• tangible tools for the creative Individual

• tv50? examining the changing face of rte television’s context in contemporary Ireland

• Music transcription project

• Music Digitisation project

• Music editions project

enterprise and Innovation

• to analyze the success of the regional Development centre’s enterprise & Innovation programmes

• to research cluster models for the creative industries

• Doing Business in emerging Markets

recently the research Office launched this year’s summer undergraduate research Programme (surP) through which 25 of the Institute’s undergraduate students, from both 3rd and 4th year, are being supported. The primary aim of this scheme is to embed a research culture within the undergraduate population. This scheme allows students to undertake a 6 week research project in collaboration with one of the Institutes’ research centres / groups. Projects are interdisciplinary in nature and they cut across the research domains of ICT, Health, Ageing, energy, environment, Creative Arts, entrepreneurship and Innovation. each student is directly

supervised by a team of experienced researchers and are physically located within their respective research centre/group. The students not only receive discipline specific training from their project supervisors but they are also given structured generic “transferable skills” training through the research Office, covering areas such as Intellectual Property, research ethics and “undertaking a PhD”. This brings to over 55 the number of undergraduate students whom have been supported through this programme since summer 2009. The full list of projects being supported for 2012 are detailed in the table below.

visiting researcher scheme launched at DkIt the research office has recently announced the launch of this years “visiting researcher scheme” whose primary aim is to underpin the international dimension to the Institutes’ research centres and groups established and emerging collaborations. It is employed to cement existing strategic collaborations and to investigate possible emerging relationships. this scheme is whereby principal investigators from within the Institute’s research centres and groups can apply for funding to support short term visits, to the Institute, by international experts in the relevant area of expertise. this year 4 awards have been made within the areas of health, Music and energy, thereby representing an initial investment of close to €10,000. research visits from relevant experts in the University of Durham in the UK, the new england conservatory of Music in the Us, University of nevada in the Us and the national renewable EnergyLaboratoryintheUSareallbeing supported. at the end of visit, each awardee will deliver a lecture on the outcome of their visit and their research activity to the Institutes’ staff and students.

15RESEARCH

Douglas joins the centre from the Dublin Institute of technology were he worked as a researcher on the higher education project. he has extensive experience working as a lecturer and researcher in entrepreneurship and Management.

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the regional Development centre welcomes Dr Douglas nanka-Bruce to the team.

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element design t 042 9327943 e [email protected]

LyubovBraginabecomesthefirst DkIt student to receive Ircset funds.

Dundalk Institute of technology (DkIt) scored another first when one of its students grabbed a coveted scholarship award from the Irish research council for science, engineering and technology (Ircset) to undertake postgraduate research in the centre for Freshwater and environmental studies (cFes) at DkIt. this is the first time any student from DkIt has got this award and even more remarkable has been Lyubov’sjourneytothisparticularpoint in her student life.

LyubovhailsfromUkrainewhereshe obtained her original degree. she then came over to Ireland and realised she would need to go back to college and get an Irish qualification as well. “I made the decision to continue my education for two reasons: 1 I wished to further my insights into

specific effects that agriculture might have on the environment and,

2 I needed to obtain a qualification that would be recognised in an eU state that would ultimately allow me to pursue my ambition of a postgraduate degree.”

“to achieve this, I applied for entry to DkIt’s agriculture programme (delivered in partnership with Ballyhaise agricultural college) and was successfully selected. although I enjoyed the course, a huge challenge for me was the english language - not my native language. however, throughout my first year my confidence, communication skills and command of the language expanded rapidly through a combination of social interaction

and sheer hard work.”

ThetopicofLyubov’sresearchis‘assessing water quality in a rural catchment using automated high frequency monitoring’ with the main emphasis being on potentially toxic cyanobacteria blooms and relationships between extreme weather conditions and contamination of the water supply with pathogenic bacteria. as she explained, water quality is now a hugely important issue locally and worldwide. “Water quality is of concern, not only for environmental reasons, but also because many lakes are used as drinkingwatersources.Lakesareimportant water resources. In many rural areas of Ireland they are used to provide water to locally managed groupwaterschemes,”saidLyubov.

“however the quality of this water can be affected by contamination from local agricultural activity, for example, though release of nutrients that fuel algal blooms, and contamination with pathogenic microorganisms from livestock. high resolution automatic monitoring stations on lakes, that use in-situ sensors and have wireless access to the data, can provide new insights into the factors that are most important in controlling these issues. one such station has just been installed onMilltownLake,Co.Monaghanin collaboration with Dublin city University and with the collaboration of the local group water scheme. this will be used in the study, together with field monitoring, to investigate key water quality issues and to inform the local community and the group water schemes on best management practice for the lake.”

TwosupervisorswillassistLyubovwiththe research: Dr eleanor Jennings (environmental and Freshwater

studies) and Dr. orla sherlock (Microbiology).

Dr Jennings, a lecturer at the Department of applied sciences and CFES,isnaturallypleasedforLyubovand said she saw her potential as a researcher during her Degree course. “Lyubovcameintoourthirdyearinour Bachelors Degree in agricultural science and then did the honours Degree in sustainable agriculture. she came top of the class in her year so she had a First class honours Degree from the Ukraine and a first class honours Degree from DkIt. so she was an ideal candidate to go forward for this scholarship.

“I approached her to go forward for ithavinglecturedLyubovonsomeof her courses on the environmental side. I noticed she had potential as a researcher and asked her was she interested in the scholarship scheme. We then applied through the online system with a personal statement and a project proposal that we would have worked on together. We were successful which was great because it’s a very tough process to get the Ircset scholarship.”

Dr Jennings explained that the award was slightly different to other post graduate funding nationally: “this scheme is based on the student’s track record, cv, their own personal statement, supervisors’ track record and the project. so it’s much more of a scholarship rather than a funding award.”

Dr Jennings said that the venture will be tie in with Dr suzanne Linnane’s(DirectoroftheCFES)5year project that looked at source water protection and how you engage communities to protect its local water sources. that project was in collaboration with the NationalFederationofGroupWaterschemes. “In a lot of these areas a big problem is agricultural sources of excess nutrients such as nitrogen and phosphorus polluting the water. the other problem with agriculture can be pollution from pathogens such as faecal coliforms from cattle slurry.”Dr Jennings is also actively researchingonMilltownLake.“Wehave put out an automated buoy for measuring ph, dissolved oxygen and water temperature. We get streams of realtime data live from the lake via the monitoring stations. sites like this arepartoftheGlobalLakeEcologicalObservatoryNetwork.AndLyubovwill also be able to use this system as part of her project.”

DkIt student nabs scholarship award

LyubovBraginawithDrEleanorJennings