For 2012 we have developed an exciting partnership with our sister Incubator Centre – The LINC at IT Blanchardstown. Together we will provide the Enterprise Platform Programme 2012 – Phase 1 over 6 weeks and the Enterprise Platform Programme 2012 – Phase 2  extending for 6 months.

The first of the new Enterprise Platform Programme Phase 1’s will start in late March. This will bring new entrepreneurs through a 6 week programme to help them convert their ideas into Feasibility Studies.

This Phase 1 process will also help them to compete for a place on the intensive 6 month Phase 2 Programmes that we plan to start during May 2012.

For an application form and further details  see – http://www.synergycentre.ie/programmes/epp-phase-1

‘Good HR Practices: A Strategy for Success’

Speakers: Fredericka Sheppard & Joyce Rigby- Jones, Voltedge Human Resources

Fredericka Sheppard and Joyce Rigby-Jones have united in partnership to offer HR Consultancy with greater support and services providing an enterprising platform to engage with new and developing businesses. They feel that the benefits of effective Human Resources can be felt right through any business. Finding it the stimulant that makes the difference to performance, employee engagement, the work environment and to how the business is viewed by its customers and competitors. It is the most universal component across an organisation, in all industries and in all sectors, irrespective of size or business maturity.

Fredericka worked as a senior Human Resources Manager in a number of significant organisations since 1995. In September 2002, she left her then employer Entropy to set up the HR Consultancy arm of the ODCS Group. She has extensive experience developing HR Strategies for organisations, providing outsourced HR services and partnering with HR departments offering specific additional support and advice. While working across all industry sectors in the private sector, she has also won eTenders from Government Departments and Local Authorities.

Joyce is a Psychology graduate, and is currently a national committee member of CIPD in Ireland and a Fellow of the Institute. She has worked for many years in senior Human Resources positions for many significant multinational operations, including; Ericsson, Marconi, and Glaxo Wellcome/Glaxo SmithKline. Joyce has worked on a number of international assignments, hiring management teams, contributing to strategic plans and managing the HR function in business partnerships.

Hot Topics for Start-ups:

• Contracts of employment –are they in place? The different types of contract and correct uses.
• Benefits and options  - risks/opportunities
• Social Media and IT – covering all the risks/latest issues
• Essential Employee policies – Critical policies needed either in a contract of employment or  employee handbook
• Culture- what type of culture do you want/have?

*All breakfast briefings are free of charge but places should be reserved in advance. 

Contact  Onray.brainard@ittdublin.ie or call 01-404 2083.

Business Expansion Scheme (BES): New EII scheme

Speaker: Michael O’Scathaill, Newmarket Partnership

BES (Business Expansion Scheme) is being replaced by the new EII scheme and Seed Capital remains subject to some changes. These changes require EU approval which is at an advanced stage, but no formal approval has been given yet but likely to come by December 2011. Once approval is given Regulations under the European Communities Act 1972 will give effect to any necessary changes to section 33 Finance Act 2011. The Minister for Finance will then sign a Commencement Order to give effect to section 33 Finance Act 2011 as amended by Regulations.

Michael O’Scathaill holds an Honours B.Comm. Degree from NUI, Galway and is a Chartered Accountant and an Associate of the Irish Taxation Institute. He joined Newmarket Partnership in February 2004, having previously worked for KPMG’s taxation practice for a number of years and has extensive experience in Corporate, Personal and Capital Taxation as well as VAT and Stamp Duty. He has advised companies in the financial services, agribusiness, manufacturing and airline sectors as well as some of Ireland’s best-known High Net Worth individuals. He also has experience of property transactions, company reorganisations and pensions planning. He regularly attends tax conferences and seminars staying up to date on all current tax issues.

*All breakfast briefings are free of charge but places should be reserved in advance. 

Contact  Onray.brainard@ittdublin.ie or call 01-404 2083.

Innopharma Labs develop and integrate custom designed Process Analytical Tecnologies for pharmaceutical companies.

Innopharma Labs successfully develop and sell pharmaceutical process controlling technologies by providing customer directed instruments in a turn-key manner. These instruments will

1. Reduce batch losses

2. Reduce non-compliant batches

3. Support parametric release of products

4. Support pharmaceutical formulation research

5. Reduce scale-up costs

Innopharma Labs work with pharmaceutical manufacturing facilities to develop Robust Manufacturing Processes.

www.innopharmalabs.com

Minola Technology Limited leads the way for manufacturing companies using SAP ERP systems to automate their customs duty deferment management. In addition to providing Inward Processing Relief (IPR) and Processing under Customs Control (PCC) management and consulting, Minola Technology also provides SAP consulting, development, project management and training.

Minola Technology provides an unmatched level of SAP ERP R/3 product expertise and consulting experience. No other SAP consulting company specialises in EU duty relief processes. We have developed an integrated SAP solution that expertly manages a customer’s Duty liabilities and revenue compliance. Our consultants are dedicated experts in their respective fields and are the best the industry has to offer.

We deliver a comprehensive packaged service of software and consulting. Whether you are an existing IPR/PCC user or not yet embarked on this cost saving initiative, our mission is to help our clients reduce their costs, improve their cash flow and productivity while at the same time insuring that they are totally compliant with Custom & Excise Duty requirements.

Fijowave provide electronic hardware product design services to companies in all phases of a product development life cycle from concept stage through to feasibility, design, verification, approvals, trials and product launch.

Fijowave has a team of highly experienced experts in the world of telecommunications spanning cutting edge wired and wireless technologies.  With a combined industry experience of more than 50 years, the team’s expertise has resulted in the design and launch of several highly successful telecom products for national carriers in European, Australian and American markets.

Fijowave have a proven track record of taking products from design concept, testing and regulatory approvals through to launch in all these markets.  With strong project management expertise in designing embedded product solutions for major network providers.

We also work in partnership with companies looking to enter new markets, guiding them through the complete development cycle leading to successful product launches.

 Procurement:

 Simon Bradshaw: Senior Market Adviser, Public Procurement Unit, Enterprise Ireland

Simon trained as an Aerospace Engineer (BEng Hons) specialising in aircraft incident recovery and assessment. After completing a bilingual MBA in Turin, Simon managed aerospace and automotive export clusters in Piedmonte, Italy before moving to Ireland in 1996. After one unsuccessful and two successful ventures in Dublin, in 2008, Simon set up the Public Procurement Unit in Enterprise Ireland which today has a staff of eight.

The Public Procurement Unit pro actively engages with the Irish SME community, government departments and state agencies to facilitate and maximise contract opportunities for SMEs available through the domestic public sector.

Simon’s portfolios include Cleantech and Construction clients with particular emphasis on Tier 1 aggregators as conduits to budget holders. He has specific responsibility targeting Local Government tender opportunities for SMEs in energy, water, housing and waste. Simon is considered as a thought-leader in the field of market-driven procurement solutions.

The Public Sector still has many opportunities to offer – citizens have to be cared for, transported, protected, educated etc. In a well-functioning public sector, leveraging domestic public sector contracts (valued in Ireland at €13 billion annually) to convert into export markets (the EU budget for goods and services alone is €2.1trillion) is an irresistible challenge that any SME should rise to. Encouraging and guiding budget-holders to responsibly buy innovative solutions locally will provide one of the cornerstones of a well functioning society

*All breakfast briefings are free of charge but places should be reserved in advance. 

Contact  Onray.brainard@ittdublin.ie or call 01-404 2083.

Emma Fidgeon-Kavanagh, Tax Manager at KPMG in Ireland, discuss and shares the expertise of her department covering R&D Tax Incentives Practice

When innovation is crucial and cash is king, R&D incentives such as the R&D Tax Credit could give your company the support it needs in these uncertain times. So whether you’re a start-up wondering if the R&D Tax Credit is applicable to you, or an established SME already claiming the credit, it pays to make sure you get the most out of your claim.

As part of their Innovation Series, KPMG presents The Synergy Centre ‘Juice’  for an R&D Tax Credit seminar and walk-in clinic. As part of this free event, you can attend a one-to-one consultation for expert advice on an existing or potential R&D Tax Credit claim and learn how to maximise your cash payment and prepare for a Revenue audit.

Emma Fidgeon-Kavanagh, AITI, ACA, heads up KPMG’s SME R&D Tax Incentives Practice. Emma has extensive experience in this specialist area, having managed R&D tax credit claims for multinational groups, large Irish indigenous companies, SMEs, and start-ups. Emma is actively involved with key industry groups such as IBEC, ISME, and the American Chamber of Commerce; she has also written articles and been quoted widely on the topic of R&D tax credits in publications such as The Irish Times, Sunday Business Post, and Irish Tax Review.

*All breakfast briefings are free of charge but places should be reserved in advance.

Contact  Onray.brainard@ittdublin.ie or call 01-404 2083.

Synergy EPP Delivery Team

Anne Bateman: Legal & IP

Anne joined Phillip Lee solicitors in 2008, having worked for over 7 years for A&L Goodbody Solicitors and, prior to this, for 2 years for FR Kelly & Co., the leading Irish firm of patent and trade mark attorneys.

Anne is a specialist in large-scale regulatory litigation, having acted for a number of private businesses in judicial review proceedings against various public bodies, including most recently in the High Court and Supreme Court for health insurer BUPA Ireland in its successful challenge to the Irish risk equalisation legislation, and for Ryanair in disputes with the Dublin Airport Authority and with the Commission for Aviation Regulation.  She now advises a number of public bodies on regulatory matters, including the Dublin local authorities and the Health Services Executive, and acts in defence of public law litigation.

She has also acted for clients on non-contentious regulatory and corporate issues, including in the context of submissions to Government Departments, consultations on legislation and in relation to clients’ regulatory dealings with the likes of the Irish Medicines Board, the Food Safety Authority of Ireland, the Data Protection Commissioner and the Advertising Standards Authority of Ireland.

Anne is also a recognised Irish expert in intellectual property law, information technology law, and in pharmaceutical, regulatory and food law, both as a litigator and an advisor on corporate deals, contractual issues and for general advisory work.  She has acted for/advised a large number of international businesses whose key assets are intellectual property and technology, as well as for a large number of multinational pharmaceutical companies.

Anne graduated from University College Dublin in 1995 with an Honours Degree in Law and from King’s College London with a specialist Masters in Intellectual Property and Information Technology Law in 1996.  Anne was called to the Irish Bar in July 1999, and is currently re-qualifying as a solicitor.  Anne is a registered Irish Trade Mark Agent and Community Trade Mark Agent, and is a recent former member of the Ethics Committee of the Rotunda Hospital, Dublin.  Anne lectured in Information Technology Law to the Department of Computer Science of Trinity College Dublin from 2002 – 2007, and was a tutor and lecturer of Commercial Law and Intellectual Property Law in University College Dublin between 1996 – 2001

David Brophy: Intellectual Property

David joined the profession in 1993 and moved to FR Kelly in 1998, joining the Partnership in 2002.

David divides his practice between patents and designs. His patent work specialises in telecommunications and software-related inventions, medical devices and mechanical inventions. He has extensive experience of European and PCT patent law and practice.

David acted on behalf of the EPO for several years on its Committee responsible for setting and marking the final qualifying examination in European Patent Law which is taken by all prospective European Patent Attorneys. He has written and spoken widely on topics in patent and design law, and he is Honorary Secretary of the Association of Patent and Trade Mark Attorneys.

In his spare time, he is currently studying for a Masters degree in UK, EC and US Copyright Law with Kings College London.

BA (Mod) (Exp. Physics), Chartered Physicist, European Patent Attorney, Community Trade Mark Attorney

Gerry Delaney: Finance & Funding

Gerry started Delaney Financial Consultancy in 2000 to provide financial and operational advice and support to entrepreneurs through incubation programmes and to established businesses.

Gerry trained with a leading international firm of chartered accountants before joining Ernst & Young and was subsequently Smurfit Finance & Leasing’s Finance Director for 10 years. In 1991, he co-founded and became Director and Company Secretary of the Smurfit Job Creation and Enterprise Fund, a joint venture with Enterprise Ireland.

Gerry is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in Ireland and a graduate in Economics & Accounting from Queens University Belfast. He has lectured in Finance and Management Accounting and was a member of the Smurfit Financial Council for two years. He is an active committee member in The Institute of Chartered Accountants in Ireland and Dublin Chamber of Commerce. Gerry has sat on both sides of the Venture Capital table and looks at businesses from an investor’s perspective. He helps entrepreneurs to develop robust business plans for operations, to make their plans investment ready and to prepare them for talking to prospective investors.

Denise Doran: Marketing Branding

Prior to establishing Marketing on Demand Ltd in 2001, Denise Doran worked for fourteen years in international marketing gained with Hitachi, Nortel and Dell in Dublin, London and Paris. In her last multinational role, Denise was Marketing Communications Manager for Dell (UK and Ireland), with an annual budget of €40 million. During this time, Denise and her team doubled the amount of inbound phone calls into Dell’s business and consumer call centre through a wide variety of marketing initiatives.

Academic qualifications include Bachelor of Business Studies and MBA degrees from Dublin City University, as well as a post-graduate diploma from the Henley School of Management in the UK and a Certificate in Training and Education from NUI, Maynooth.

Denise has lectured in marketing and is a mentor with Enterprise Ireland and County Enterprise Boards, is a FAS and Enterprise Ireland registered trainer and a facilitator with Plato.

Ian Cleary: eMarketing

Ian Cleary is the founder of RazorCoast and provides training, consultancy and product development in social media and social networking. Ian has over 20 years experience working in senior management positions within the IT industry and has strong business and technology skills.

He is an experienced business professional with a deep understanding of how companies can leverage social technology to market and grow their business online.
Specialising in social media and internet marketing and as well as Consulting, Training and Project Management he is currently developing a social marketing application based on experience working with customers.
Ian is very passionate about networking and his goal when meeting people is to see how he can genuinely help you. If I can introduce you to anyone that will be of value he will also try to do this.

Specialties

Mary Cryan: Sales & Marketing

Mary Cryan has been an independent advisor and consultant to the Software and Technology sectors for over 25 years, she has worked with over 100 CEO’s of early stage companies: focusing on strategy development and execution, sales planning, marketing, fundraising and exit planning.

Mary has advised leading organisations including, Information Mosaic, Statistical Solutions, Nowcasting Technologies, Enterprise Ireland, IBEC, AIB , Eurologic, Realtime Technologies and Baltimore Technologies. Mary also has conducted due diligence on behalf of potential investors, both public and private. She has been an NED of several technology companies and is currently non executive Chairman of Statistical Solutions and a NED of Brussels Matters.

As a result of her experience and knowledge of the indigenous technology sector, Mary was appointed Chair of the Irish Software Association and a member of the IBEC National Executive Council from 1999 to 2000. In 1996, Minister Michael Martin appointed Mary to chair the Advisory Science Council for a four year period which concluded this year.
She is the author of “The New Pioneers, Building a Winning Company in the US High-Tech Market”. She has developed several regional ICT strategies, including the development of “IT’s the Future, a strategy for the Software Industry in Northern Ireland”.

Mary’s primary activity has been as a consultant and a coach/mentor to early stage technology companies, both independently and as a member of the EI mentor network. The focus is on: Market Assesment, Fund Raising, Strategy and trouble-shooting and Exit Planning.

Brian O’Kane: Strategy Development

Brian O’Kane is founder and managing director of Oak Tree Press, Ireland’s leading business book publisher. He is author or co-author of over a dozen books, including key Irish business planning texts. He lectures widely on business planning and strategy. Trained as a chartered accountant with Price Waterhouse Coopers, Brian has edited Accountancy and Certified Accountant, the professional member magazines of two of the world’s largest accountancy bodies. He holds a Comm. from University College Dublin and is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in Ireland, and a member of the Marketing Institute of Ireland, the Institute of Business Advisers, the British Association of Communicators in Business and MENSA. He is a member of the National Executive Council of the Small Firms Association and of the Council of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in Ireland. Brian specialises in the identification and development of the most appropriate strategies for businesses at start-up and later to ensure continued and sustained growth, and is expert in current best practice in strategy, planning and operations.

Toby Scott: innovation

Toby was founding director of the Centre for Design Innovation (www.designinnovation.ie), the first body to support the use of design within companies in Ireland. Previously he was a Director of the Design Council in the UK (www.designcouncil.org.uk) where he played a key role in placing design on the agenda of Government and business as a means of generating competitive advantage.

Most recently, Toby has been advising the city of Bologna on how best to support innovation amongst SMEs and is helping to establish a Centre for Design Innovation in Scotland. Toby is now taking the learning from these roles and applying them through an international business school that places design-thinking at the heart of business success (www.pentaclethevbs.com). He is passionate about innovation within small and medium sized companies and helps develop concrete ideas that are affordable and work in practice. In an earlier life he has been a theatre director, truck driver and wine taster.

Microsensors for Clinical Research and Analysis (MiCRA)

The centre is located in the Institute of Technology Tallaght (ITT). The object of the centre is to enable specific Irish industries to increase their competitiveness on the national and international arena by utilising the expertise within academia.

The primary aim of MiCRA is to collaborate with industry to develop commercially viable research. To achieve this, MiCRA is developing a research profile and offers expertise within the following subject areas:

• Micro-fabrication of Micro-electromechanical systems (MEMS)
• Synthesis of novel organic compounds including metallo-organics
• Biosensor functionalisation and Assay development
• Sample delivery systems/micro-fluidics
• Biosensor design and development