A new collaboration is to provide start-up businesses and small enterprises with access to world class research.
Lero, the Irish Software Research Centre and Nexus Innovation Centre, the University of Limerick’s innovation centre, have announced a new collaboration which is expected to help start-ups and SMEs. The development is being funded under Science Foundation Ireland’s (SFI) Research Centres programme.
Two companies have already signed up. Salaso Health Services, which currently employs six people, provides a connected health technology platform for the engagement of patients in self-management of exercise programmes to amplify physiotherapy services. Horizon Globex, which employs nine people, develops carrier grade VoIP solutions for mobile providers and smartphones.
Centre Manager with Nexus Innovation Centre, Gert O’Rourke remarked “Lero is recognised as one of the leading software research organisations in the world. Start-ups seldom have the opportunity to avail of such a world class resource”.
Nexus was established in 2011, it now houses almost thirty start-ups and employs one hundred and thirty five people. O’Rourke believes they will continue to help entrepreneurs. “We provide an environment where entrepreneurs can develop, collaborate and grow. The Centre aims to increase entrepreneurship with an international trading focus.”
To date Nexus clients, which range from award winning technology to safety equipment companies, have raised €9.4 million from angel and private investors. The centre is open to applications from innovative start-ups which have the potential to grow on international markets.
“We already work with a number of SMEs so this is a natural development for us,” added Joe Gibbs, business development manager, Lero. “The colocation of Nexus and Lero in the Tierney Building in UL will facilitate such future collaboration.”
Grainne Barry, COO, Salaso Health Services explained why they have signed up. “Collaborating with Lero is enabling us to ensure that our platform will have best practice software development processes that meet the highest standards of international healthcare regulatory compliance as a mobile medical device”.
Getting involved in this will help Horizon Globex Ireland in the long-term according to its founder and CEO, Brian Collins. “We are currently engaged with Lero in a research collaboration in the area of low bandwidth VoIP technologies, which will help to advance our long term R&D goals”.