STIMULATING AND SUPPORTING NEW BUSINESS IN IRELAND

Supporting The Marine Sector Through Successful Linkages And Knowledge Transfer

By Joan Fahey, July 26, 2010

A new EU project aimed at supporting the Marine Sector is underway, with WESTBIC leading the project activities in the West region of Ireland. Entitled KIMERAA – Knowledge transfer to Improve the Marine Economy in Regions from the Atlantic Area, the project is supported by the European Regional Development Fund through the Interreg IVB Atlantic Area Programme. It aims to develop economic niches of excellence through the creation of bridges and links between scientific knowledge and firms in the marine sector. To achieve this goal it is important to establish and develop knowledge transfer channels connecting the various institutional actors / knowledge providers that can support the Marine Economy across the Atlantic Area. In so doing, the project aims to transnational problem of transforming European research into profitable high value-added products and services.

In practice the project will entail the following activities:

• Identify the main centres of R&D linked to the Marine Sector in the participating regions
• Detect successful company spin-outs and marine SMEs in the regions
• Benchmark best practice in Marine Research and commercialisation of scientific knowledge in the marine sector
• Create an internet platform where R&D Centres and firms can match their interests to assist diffusion and trans-regional co-operation
• Create new opportunities through linkages between traditional sectors and applied innovation in marine science
• Improve competitiveness in the marine sector by facilitating the development of spin-outs, launching scientific partnerships and improving the modernisation/internationalisation of existing firms.

EU Project Partners:
Project Co-ordinator: University of Algarve, Portugal
Ireland: WESTBIC – Business & Innovation Centre
UK: Cardiff University
Portugal: University of Porto
Spain: University of Huelva and MIK (Mondragon Ikereta Kudeaketan)

Irish Partner Contact
Mr James Donlon, WESTBIC, Business & Innovation Centre, Roscommon Business Centre, Racecourse Road, Roscommon, Co. Roscommon, Ireland T: +353 (0) 9066 25196
jdonlon@westbic.ie