It was announced today that NDRC, in partnership with Enterprise Ireland and Science Foundation Ireland, is to run a five-month pre-commercialisation programme. The Programme aims to prepare researchers to focus beyond academia and help them to transition their intellectual activities into the marketplace.

Now in its third year, the programme plays a key role in NDRC’s mandate to ensure digital entrepreneurship is a growing and vibrant part of the economy. For participants, it plays a crucial role in progressing them on to next stage funding on the path to commercialising their research.

The programme, which runs for five months, will see the teams develop key business skills, explore ways to commercialise deep research and, ultimately, connect academic researchers with the technological, entrepreneurial and business communities within the startup ecosystem.

Fourteen teams of researchers descended on NDRC’s Dublin base this week, with participants from two SFI Research Centres - Irish Photonic Integration Centre (IPIC) and CONNECT Centre, Dublin Institute of Technology, Waterford Institute of Technology, Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, University of Limerick, Maynooth University, Trinity College Dublin and Dublin City University.

Speaking this week, CEO of NDRC, Ben Hurley said, "NDRC is delighted to welcome these teams onto our pre-commercialisation programme. With universities and institutes involved from Dublin, Limerick, Cork, Waterford and Kildare, this is a programme with national reach. We are particularly pleased to welcome four female-led teams on this year’s cohort.  The quality of previous participants has proven just how vibrant the research ecosystem is and we expect it to be no different this time. What is of paramount importance, now, is to help turn these pieces of research into viable, scalable businesses."

Senior Commercialisation Specialist at Enterprise Ireland, Kevin Burke added, "Enterprise Ireland supports the commercialisation of publicly funded research and builds connections between Research Performing Organisations, businesses and entrepreneurs. This pre-commercialisation initiative is well aligned with the range of commercialisation supports available from Enterprise Ireland and programme participants will acquire new skills and insights in developing high quality commercialisation fund applications."

Source: www.businessworld.ie