EVENT DEMONSTRATES HOW RESEARCH CAN BE COMMERCIALISED
DUBLIN, Ireland – Microelectronics Week – Nov. 6th 2013 – MIDAS Ireland, the industry led organisation responsible for promoting the microelectronics industry, today hosted a ‘Research in Action Forum’, as part of a series of events taking place to mark Microelectronics Week 2013. Targeted at academic researchers, the forum focused on sharing knowledge with researchers about how to commercialise their idea or research into a profitable business or product.
The line-up of speakers at today’s event included a number of high profile and successful entrepreneurs and experienced business people including Paddy McNally, CTO, Sonex Metrology and David Moloney, CTO, Movidius. The pair engaged with researchers through sharing their personal success stories and provided insights into how they went about commercialising their research to create the companies that exist today. Mark Barry, Director, Microelectronic Circuits Centre Ireland (MCCI) also spoke on the panel and offered suggestions of how best to make connections with industry when progressing research.
Welcoming attendees to today’s event, John Blake, Chairman of MIDAS Ireland said: “It is fantastic and so encouraging to see so much enthusiasm amongst our third level and graduate engineering community here. These researchers represent the next generation of entrepreneurs, and through events like this, MIDAS Ireland is providing the know-how, support, and confidence to enable this community to transform a spark of an idea into a real business – along with the potential for job creation. I would like to thank all our speakers who participated in today’s session for inspiring the future of our industry and leading the way through sharing their valuable experience.”
One of the key speakers at today’s event, David Moloney, CTO, Movidius, said: “As a semiconductor veteran with over 30 years of experience in the sector behind me, the energy and promise among the students and graduates in attendance today was very clear to see.
“My focus today is to highlight to attendees around the importance of software as a key and enabling component of embedded systems and semiconductors. Embedded systems include everything from smartphones and tablets to robots and cars which often contain hundreds of processors. The phone in your hand is nothing without the software. In Ireland there is a huge opportunity for Ireland to be leaders in the software development space. If you leave with one thought today I’d encourage you to look into this area, develop an idea and commercialise – it’s a win win market!”
Commenting on the importance of events such as today’s, Paul McCloskey, Enterprise Ireland said: “In order to encourage people to take the leap from researching to putting that research to use in a living, breathing enterprise with the potential to improve people’s lives through the creation of revolutionary new technologies, events such as the ‘Research in Action Forum’ are essential. It is only through meeting people who have successfully made the journey into industry that today’s young engineering students and researchers will see what is possible. And the possibilities are profound – the microelectronics sector, which already employs 8,000 in this country, has the potential to become an even greater employer and contributor to the exchequer in the years to come.”
Today’s ‘Research in Action Forum’ is one in a series of initiatives taking place as part of Microelectronics Week will is running from 4th to 8th of November. Other activities taking place during the week include the launch of an education competition aimed at third level sector, The MIDAS Annual Conference, and a series of open day events hosted by microelectronics industry companies, universities and associations.
