MACSI warmly welcomes the opportunity to collaborate with companies of different sizes from start-ups and SMEs to large multinational companies.
Many of the joint projects we undertake with industry result in increases in understanding of processes and productivity while reducing costs, which ultimately enhances competitiveness for our industrial partners.
There are many ways of funding:
We are also happy to work with you and your team to design a bespoke programme to suit your company’s needs.
Please see below some avenues that could be explored.
Enterprise Ireland
Innovation Vouchers
Innovation Vouchers worth €5,000 are available to assist a company or companies to explore a business opportunity or problem with a registered knowledge provider (like MACSI in UL). Calls generally run quarterly. https://www.enterprise-ireland.com/en/research-innovation/companies/collaborate-with-companies-research-institutes/innovation-voucher.shortcut.html
Innovation Partnership Programme
The Innovation Partnership Programme can provide between 40 and 80% of the cost of research work to develop new and improved products, processes or services, or generate new
knowledge and know-how. The stipends/salaries of persons employed to work directly on the company project are eligible for EI grant support. http://www.enterprise-ireland.com/en/Funding-Supports/Researcher/Funding-to-Collaborate-with-Industry-in-Ireland/Innovation-Partnerships.shortcut.html
Irish Research Council
Irish Research Council Employment Based Postgraduate Programme
The aim of the Scholarship is to educate Scholars at either Masters or PhD level whilst simultaneously providing the Scholar with an insight into the professional aspects of working in a range of research and innovation environments; and facilitate research collaboration, knowledge transfer and networking between Scholars at Irish HEIs and Irish based employers. The company would employ the Scholar (new or existing hire) for the duration of the award and the Scholar would be embedded within the company for 50-70% of the time.
Please see http://www.research.ie/scheme/employment-based-programme . This scheme usually opens in December.
Irish Research Council Enterprise Based Postgraduate Programme
The aim of the Scholarship is to educate Scholars at either Masters or PhD level whilst simultaneously providing the Scholar with an insight into the professional aspects of working in a range of research and innovation environments; and facilitate research collaboration, knowledge transfer and networking between Scholars at Irish HEIs and Irish based employers. The company would employ the Scholar (new or existing hire) for the duration of the award and the Scholar would be embedded within the company for 30-50% of the time.
Please see http://www.research.ie/scheme/enterprise-partnership-scheme-postgraduate-2016-pre-call-notice. This call usually opens in March.
There are similar programmes to the above for postdoctoral researchers (experience researhers who already have a PhD). http://www.research.ie/scheme/enterprise-partnership-scheme-postdoctoral-2016-pre-call-notice
SFI industry fellowship
The aim of the Programme is to stimulate excellence through knowledge transfer and training, thereby building critical mass in areas of strategic importance for Ireland and enabling economic and
societal challenges to be tackled. Fellowships can be awarded to academic researchers wishing to spend time in industry worldwide.
The Industry Fellowship programme is an element of SFI’s Agenda 2020 which aims to build strategic partnerships between industry and academic institutions, to encourage cutting-edge research and further grow Ireland’s competitive advantage. The maximum SFI contribution to an Industry Fellowship award is €120,000 direct costs over a period of between 1 and 12 months full time or between 2 and 24 months part time. Anyone who has a PhD is eligible (postdoc to Professor).
Deadlines in June and December 2016. http://www.sfi.ie/funding/funding-calls/closed-calls/sfi-industry-fellowship-programme-2015.html
Secondment Model
Where an existing MACSI PhD student would be seconded from MACSI into a company for a specific length of time e.g. one year. MACSI have already employed this model with Johnson and Johnson where a PhD student spent the second year of their PhD embedded in the Johnson and Johnson facility.
European Study Group with Industry (ESGI)
The study group brings together leading mathematicians and statisticians from around the world with a wide range of backgrounds to work intensively on real-world problems, they hae been called "Hackathons for Mathematics". A study groups can accommodate 4-8 industrial problems, which are tackled by 40-80 academic's ranging from PhD students to professors. These events were first brought to Ireland by MACSI in 2008. Irish study groups usually takes place in June/ July. There is more information here.
Consultancy
For any problems that require a quick turn-around MACSI have a consultancy unit where an industrial partner can avail of directly funding problem solving. This Industrial Mathematics Unit at MACSI is directed by Dr. Kevin Burke and Sinéad Burke.
