1. Innovation Supports for SMEs
InterTradeIreland
Innovation Supports for SMEs
Dianne Dundas
Project Manager
August 2017

2. InterTradeIreland – who we are
Funded by Both Governments
Supporting SMEs
Focus on Trade and Innovation
25,000 Companies assisted
6,000 Companies in programmes
3,000 Jobs created

3. Range of Services

4. InterTradeIreland’s FUSION Programme
Company
Improved capability
Cross-Border
Partnership
Technology
and Knowledge Transfer
Innovative project central to company’s needs
Graduate
Fast track career
Knowledge Centre
Increased
relevance to industry
Cost effective way for businesses to innovate

5. Are all companies eligible?
Small to medium size enterprises (SMEs) that:
Have a development need within the company.
Demonstrate lack of capability in a specific area and would benefit from expertise and support from an academic.
Have the resources and are financially able to complete and exploit the project.
Commitment from senior management.

6. How can FUSION help SMEs?
Typically through FUSION companies can:
Develop new products, processes or services to increase sales and enter new markets (18 month project)
Streamline processes to reduce costs, increase efficiencies and improve performance and profitability (12 month project)
The FUSION project will be innovative for the company and so
external expertise will be required

7. What does InterTradeIreland contribute?
Attractive Financial package worth £31,000 over 12 months or €44,250 over 18 months.
Support to complete the FUSION application.
Support to recruit the correct Graduate including advertising on appropriate graduate jobsites.
Project managed by an experienced consultant to oversee project once started.
Fully Funded Postgraduate Graduate Diploma course at QUB for newly recruited Graduate.

8. Summary of benefits to Company
Access to world-class expertise and R&D facilities in Universities, Colleges and Research Centres across the Island of Ireland.
Increase in performance, capability and profit.
Opportunity to attract and retain high calibre graduates.
Opportunities for strategic alliances through FUSION.
Over 600 companies have successfully participated in FUSION since 2002
75% of graduates remain with host company after FUSION

9. FUSION Exemplars
The award recognises exceptionally high levels of innovation and collaboration between a company, a graduate and an academic institution as part of InterTradeIreland’s FUSION programme.
2016 award winners Novegen Ltd, Dublin; Complete Laboratory Solutions, Galway; Aspira Ltd, Cork; Tyrone Fabrication, Tyrone and Copper Industries, Antrim. 
Between them, these five FUSION Exemplar companies have reported sales of more than £1.5M and savings of over £65,000 during their FUSION projects, with projected sales of upwards of £5.75M and savings of £466,000, over the next three years.

10. Case Study – Innovation Support
Tyrone Fabrication, Tyrone
Engineering company, based in Ballygawley.
They produce a wide range of advanced steel equipment enclosures for the transportation, communications and power supply industries.
Through FUSION, they employed a graduate & worked with Dundalk Institute of Technology.
The collaboration enabled the development of a range of Hybrid Power Units, aimed at providing a constant power supply to telecoms base stations, especially in remote locations.
Michael Montague, general manager at TFL, explained: “Without the assistance from the FUSION project, we would not have had the time or resources to be able to dedicate a full time member of staff to R&D and successfully bring this project to market. In addition, we simply didn’t have the necessary skills or in-house expertise to turn the initial idea into reality.

11. A system for picking ideas with the highest probability of success.
Challenge Programme
Create Ideas
Evaluate Ideas
Launch Ideas
A system for creating as many ideas as possible and capturing existing ideas.
A system for picking ideas with the highest probability of success.
A system for getting ideas to market with the minimum of time, money and risk.

12. Results from Challenge
Commonly 2-3 times faster to market; up to 6 times faster reported
Working on ideas that are twice as likely to succeed – better at spotting winners
75% increase in confidence in innovation process
3-fold increase in value of innovation pipeline

13. Co-Innovate Programme
Road map 

14. InterTradeIreland Support
to help Business Navigate Brexit