iHubs Newsletter May 2020
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 Responding to COVID-19...
As we prepare to return to work over the coming weeks the COVID-19 crisis continues to present challenges for business. Many companies are pivoting their business model and responding to the pandemic in innovative ways. We list a few of our companies who made headlines over the last few weeks.
GMIT iHub's are also adapting to the changing work environment with the latest cycle of our EMPOWER programme for Female Entrepreneurs to debut online this summer. Applications for the GROWTH programme are due to close this Friday May 29th.
Stay safe, George.
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Come Shape the Future with Us
We are here with George McCourt, Head of Innovation and Enterprise at GMIT to discuss the new extended Innovation Hub (iHub) due to open in Q3 2020.
George, before we discuss the extended iHub can you provide a little background to the the iHubs?
Sure. Since 2005 the iHubs have helped entrepreneurs to grow and scale their business. We offer a number of supports such as dedicated, co-working and virtual offices. In terms of business development supports we offer two business start-up programmes, New Frontiers Ireland’s national entrepreneur development programme, delivered at local level by Institutes of Technology and funded by Enterprise Ireland. The other is the EMPOWER Programme a female entrepreneur programme targeted at female entrepreneurs in Ireland North West.
In addition to these supports we also provide a number of collaboration opportunities such as introductions to researchers here on campus, and to our external agency and investor partners.
Sound great so have you had many successes to date?
Yes we have been very fortunate in the companies we selected to locate here. To date our member companies have supported the creation of over 750 jobs. Over 40 companies have been designated as high potential start ups with many going on to successfully raise investment funding. In fact iHub companies to date have raised over €170M in funding.
What's really interesting is that seven of these have been acquired and almost 80% of our member companies are still in business after 7 years.
Very impressive, what then will this newly extended iHub mean for these companies and others looking to join?
Good question. When finished the newly extended iHub will double the size of the Innovation Hub to about 2,400 sq m, providing space for an additional five dedicated MedTech R&D units each equipped with their own lab space and internal offices. We will also have an additional 15 incubation units for start-ups in the Software, Digital Tech and Connected Health sectors as well as a dedicated co-working space.
Finally we will have our own events space that we will use to build our community and to enable companies as well as externals to reach out and engage with their customer base.
Compared to the existing iHub we will have now have two board rooms as well as four other meeting spaces which we call Social Hubs.
In addition the extension will also host a dedicated Entrepreneurship Hub or E-hub where GMIT researchers, staff, students and Industry can work collaboratively on the creation and development of innovative ideas in support of an Open Innovation Strategy.
These spaces will be equipped with the latest in AV and video conferencing technology. The E-hub will have interactive whiteboards and some other impressive collaborative technology.
What about social spaces?
Aside from the social hubs, there will be a number of break out work spaces and pods. We are extending the existing canteen and there will also be a new coffee dock on the ground floor.
Have you had much interest to date from potential new members?
Yes, a number of the large Medtech units are now taken and we are in discussions with other companies for some of the other units. So if there are any companies in the Medtech or Digital Technologies sector lead by a strong promoter or team looking for a modern well equipped space to scale their business we would love to hear from them.
How can they reach you?
They can contact the iHub direct on +353 (0)91 742822 or email me at george.mccourt@gmit.ie . We are happy to meet, discuss their needs and give them a tour of the new facility so they can see for themselves what we have on offer.
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iHub client companies & business start-up programme participants repsond to COVID-19
In response to the Covid-19 pandemic and the ongoing challenges faced by GPs across the country, GMIT Mayo iHub med-tech company Full Health Medical has developed a new clinically-driven patient empowerment solution to create a safer and more efficient manner for GPs to treat patients and to free up procedural and administration time by up to 75%.
‘Flow’ is a software platform designed and driven by doctors to streamline patient care, freeing up time and resources, while facilitating preventative medicine.
Over recent weeks, the company’s technology has been repurposed to help specifically with the pandemic, incorporating a triage element that enables doctors and other healthcare professionals to complete Covid-19 screening before they proceed in assessing patients with other conditions.
Read the full story here.
Given the current Covid-19 crisis and the challenge’s it has brought GMIT New Frontiers participant YELOBLADE Ltd. has teamed up with GMIT iHubs Mayo's ProtoProducts Ltd. to develop and manufacture a low cost solution to enhance the safety of passengers in road vehicles.
Car Cocoon is an innovative protection screen designed to be used in all vehicles to prevent the spread of COVID-19. The Car Cocoon enables social distancing /infection control measures to be maintained when more than one occupant is using a standard vehicle.
The Car Cocoon can be installed or un-installed from a vehicle within minutes. This allows the vehicle operator to clean or disinfect the screen regularly and have the vehicle available for use as required.
Full details on Car Cocoon here.
COVID Switch – Cosmetic company that switched to making sanitiser already producing 150,000 units a week
Cosmetic Creation, which led the field in turning over it’s cosmetic production lines to manufacturing sanitiser, is already producing 150,000 units a week.
Cosmetic Creations owned by husband and wife team Aiden (Aiden was a past participant of GMIT iHubs New Frontiers programme) and Lorraine Corcoran (Lorraine was an EMPOWER Growth participant), based in Cork and Mayo vowed to absorb as much of the cost of producing its newly launched hand sanitiser, Airmedica, so that it will be accessible to the general public at a reasonable cost.
They plan to produce 200,000 Units in the coming weeks, due to continued demand created by Covid-19. The company has taken on 20 more staff, 20 new contractors and redeployed its sites to meet the demand for Airmedica, which was launched just over a month ago. (Source: The Irish Sun)
GMIT New Frontiers company and previous EMPOWER participant Prepare Me creates web resource to help vulnerable people with stressful events.
Prepare Me, which fits into the social enterprise niche, uses a combination of picture stories, video models, visual schedules, gaming and multi-sensory resource packs supported by a soon-to-be-launched interactive web platform to help parents, teachers and carers build bespoke resources for the person they are supporting. The company is also developing a series of ready-to-go packs and the first of these, Visiting the Doctor, was launched in February and has sold multiple copies to date.
The company’s platform is being tested at the moment, and rather than creating hypothetical scenarios the testing was based on real life needs as submitted by families. “Over the last few weeks, the big demand has been for ways to explain Covid-19 so we’ve engaged with that and are also looking at assembling a pack for managing the transition back to school and/or the normal routine when the crisis is over,” say Prepare Me owner Caitriona Watters-Crehan. (Source: Irish Times)
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Digital Marketing Mayo - The Road to Business Recovery (Online Event)
Digital Marketing Mayo is delighted to announce the latest event in the DMM series of business talks which will take place this Wednesday, May 27th.
This will be a different type of event for DMM but one that we have all become accustomed to in recent months as we present “The Road to Business Recovery” via an online Zoom presentation.
The event begins at 7pm (Wednesday 27th) and we are delighted that the event will feature three fantastic speakers in Samantha Kelly, Elaine Fahy and Liam Horan who will give us an insight into their respective thoughts on the changing landscape for individuals and businesses both local and national.
Samantha Kelly is a Twitter expert, author and founder of the Women’s Inspire Network, will discuss how to build and grow a loyal online audience. The Women’s Inspire network which Sam runs is a global network of female entrepreneurs, each from different backgrounds and businesses. Samantha grew this online network long before the pandemic began, and before webinars, online meetups and virtual coffees were the only way of doing business while in lock down. Of course, she has seen members of this network have their ups and downs during this turbulent time, and she will talk about how she helped these businesses stand out from the crowd in a rapidly changing environment. Not only did she continue to build the network during this time, she helped members and her own clients grow their customer base too. Named as one of the top marketing influencers on many global lists, Samantha has an engaged following of 52k and is an international speaker.
Elaine Fahy is an experienced Sales and Media Specialist with career spanning in Lifestyle Magazines, Print, Digital, Media and Radio. She is a qualified Graphic Designer with a flair for digital and multi platforms campaigns through radio platform.
Elaine will discuss the challenges facing the industries she deals with and has operated in, and how they have had to restructure and change. She will look at how they operate through this pandemic in order to keep their business open to the public. Each business she deals with have very different frustrations and are re-adjusting to the new normal to keep staff employed and their doors open. Elaine will let us know what businesses are busier than ever and the ones who are closed and are anxious about the next few weeks & when they can open again.
Liam Horan is one of the best known names in Irish sports media, working for and editing some of the biggest newspapers in the country before he branched off, setting up Sli Nua Careers, one of Ireland’s leading career training agencies, LocalSteaming one of the first sports streaming services in the country, lecturing at NUIG & more recently The Horan Stand, an interactive online venue which has proved a massive hit during the lock down.
Liam will talk about dealing with the challenges presented by ‘change’ – and how sometimes you have to go with instinct. Not everything can be planned to within an inch of its life. He is speaking at a time when he has diversified to keep his own business afloat during Covid-19. This change is ongoing and he’s not fully sure where it might lead – in this way, he will be speaking from ‘real time’ experiences rather than from the comfort of hindsight. He will also talk about technologies that he has found useful during this time of change.
We are delighted to have three speakers of such experience and insight who will no doubt inspire and offer some great advice to everyone out there who is looking how best to make the best of the current situation.
Event Title:
The Road To Business Recovery
Talk Titles:
Challenges facing businesses in this unprecedented time (Elaine)
Utilizing digital technologies for your business (Liam)
How to build and grow a loyal online audience (Sam)
Eventbrite Link:
https://www.eventbrite.ie/e/the-road-to-business-recovery-tickets-104690377738
GMIT iHubs is a Digital Marketing Mayo Gold partner.
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Women's EMPOWER entrepreneurship programme heads online this summer.
The women’s entrepreneurship EMPOWER programme delivered by GMIT across the west of Ireland is going online when it returns this June due to ongoing Covid-19 restrictions.
The EMPOWER entrepreneurship programme has been running in the Galway and Mayo GMIT iHubs since 2017 to support women in the west of Ireland establishing businesses.
This year the programme will rolled out in Sligo, Leitrim and Donegal under the Connacht-Ulster Alliance.
GMIT President Dr Orla Flynn says “In Ireland, female-led businesses remain an underdeveloped source of economic growth and jobs.
“Bringing more women entrepreneurs into the economy will help improve economic growth and stability and is particularly needed in the rural and peripheral West and North-West of Ireland.”
All participants will need to have access to a device (PC or laptop) and have good broadband in order to fully participate in the online courses.
Selected participants will engage online in group discussions and in one-to-one mentoring sessions. Role models will also be introduced along with new modules on Leadership and Sales.
Sandra Nolan, recently appointed EMPOWER Programme Manager, says that it helps women to build confidence and skills needed to start and scale up businesses.
Prior to joining EMPOWER Sandra ran her own store in Galway city before moving the business online. Skilled in entrepreneurship, strategic planning, online sales industrial engineering and management, Sandra has strong business development skills she holds an MBA focused on leadership development, globalisation and management from NUI Galway J.E. Cairnes School of Business & Economics.
The EMPOWER programme is funded by the Irish Government and the European Social Fund as part of the Programme for Employability, Inclusion and Learning 2014-2020. Over 60 women in the west have completed the programme in its first three years, and their businesses employ 146 people full time.
The application deadline for this year’s programme has been extended to Friday, May 29.
To apply for the new EMPOWER Programme visit the EMPOWER Website www.empowerher.ie.
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News In Brief
A roundup of news stories, job openings and events of interest this month:
- Digital West Rewind
Relive the 2020 Digital West event which focused on remote working, wellness and opportunities and is now available to watch online.
- #JOBFAIRY
GMIT are currently advertising for 28 job positions across a range of disciplines including a 12 month research position. To see the full list visit: https://www.gmit.ie/jobs-gmit
- GMIT Team Lead Development of New Low-Cost Emergency Ventilator
Staff within the GMIT School of Engineering have designed and developed a new type of emergency ventilator that can be produced rapidly and inexpensively to assist the medical profession in the treatment of COIVD-19 patients.
- COVID-19 Business Supports
A full range of supports for SME's available here.
- NEW: MSc in Design and Innovation
GMIT plan to deliver a Master in Design and Innovation beginning in September 2020. This new programme has been designed for people from varied backgrounds who want to develop their innovation, design, management and leadership skills. The course has been developed for people in full or part-time employment.
An Opening Evening Webinar will be held on Thursday May 28th at 6pm.
Full details are available on the Master’s webpage https://www.gmit.ie/design-and-innovation/msc-design-and-innovation or download a brochure here.
Closing date for applications is June 19th 2020.
If you would like to know more, please contact Dr Gabriel J. Costello gabrielj.costello@gmit.ie
For more news please visit our Facebook page.
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