School:University of Galway
Contents
Overview
Located in the heart of Galway City, University of Galway connects a vibrant community of students, teachers, and industry within the city. Our campus is responsible for producing change makers, innovators and problem solvers of the highest degree.
- Promoting student innovation and entrepreneurship: The research you conducted for your Landscape Canvas corresponds to the five parameters. Your research will be most robust in this section (Discover, Learn and Experiment), related to "Promoting student innovation and entrepreneurship."
- Encouraging faculty innovation and entrepreneurship: While it doesn't seem as though it directly impacts you, the extent to which faculty are encouraged to innovate and pursue entrepreneurial pathways really does help determine the extent to which they will encourage students to explore their innovative and entrepreneurial potential. Encouragement at the faculty level is one of the things that differentiates more developed I&E ecosystems. Under the "Encouraging faculty innovation and entrepreneurship" category, please provide a succinct view of whether faculty are supported to be entrepreneurial or commercialize their research.
- Actively supporting the university technology transfer function: Your research about IP policies in "Pursue" in the Landscape Canvas will give you a view into the resources your technology transfer office provides. Include this overview in "Actively supporting the university technology transfer function". If your school doesn't have a technology transfer office, you can skip this section.
- Facilitating university-industry collaboration: The "Spin Out" section of your Landscape Canvas relates to research centers, industrial parks and industry/mentor networks and will give you a sense of whether the University is "Facilitating University-Industry Collaboration."
- Engaging with regional and local economic development efforts: The "Spin Out" section of your Landscape Canvas also reveals the extent to which the University is engaging with regional and local economic development efforts. Many institutions also have an economic development office and staff whose responsibility it is to leverage the University's research and development for positive local economic benefit.
Our Innovation & Entrepreneurial Ecosystem
Promoting student innovation and entrepreneurship:
University of Galway has a vast range of degrees across multiple disciplines that promote the importance of innovation and entrepreneurship in the context of large subject areas such as Law, Human Rights, Business, Science, Construction Innovation to name a few. The university also hosts an annual workshop called I-Days in collaberation with EIT Health Europe. Within the university there are many marketing sources and communication strategies used such as SIN newspaper, websites, student newsletters, societies days, SU instagram and a whole range of other outlets. As well as this, the university has a range of targeted innovational and entrepreneurship based course such as Msc in International Marketing and Entrepreneurship, AgInnovatate (TechInnovate), BioInnovate (Stanford Biodesign affiliate) and Msc in Strategy, Innovation and People management. Furthermore, the university also offers specialised, profressional, micro-credential courses on innovation and entrepreneurship, broadening the scope of accessibility. Some extracurricular clubs and program offerings include Bachelor of Business with Entrepreneurship and Comm (enterprise stream) which can lead to on-campus competitions which are Enactus and Entresoc. There are a few dedicated on-campus innovation spaces which offer access to innovation and entrepreneurship opportunites outside of the classrooms. These are IdeasLab, Business Innovation Center and MakerSpace. These spaces offer experimental courses to apply enterprise skills, such courses include Enterprise Challegre, SCIFI CreateHer and ECO sprint. These are some of the many opportunities offered at the University of Galway which promote student innovation and entrepreneurship.
Encouraging faculty innovation and entrepreneurship
University of Galway encourages faculty innovation and entrepreneurship by setting up and sourcing funding for the on-campus innovation spaces. These include IdeasLab, Business Innovation Center and MakerSpace. These facilities encourage innovation and entrepreneurship amongst the student body. In these facilities faculty encourage parntership with industry experts and the faculty mentor the students to build on and improve there innovation and entrepreneurship skills. An example of this is the Enterprise Challenge ran by IdeasLab where faculty brings students and enterprise partners together to solve real world problems.
Facilitating university-industry collaboration
The University of Galway have a strong collaboration with industry partners around the city because they value the expertise these partners have to offer. This is provided through innovation bootcamps and impact accelerator. The University seeks capital funding from a wide range of regional sources such as Western Development, Kernell Capital, Elkstone, Atlantic Bridge and the Government of Ireland. This funding allows the expansion and development of innovation and entrepreneurship on campus. Aswell as that, there are strong mentoring relations between students and industry partners. This mentoring guides students to solutions and expands their network within industry.
Engaging with regional and local economic development efforts
The University of Galway engages with regional and local economic development efforts by providing programmes such as BioInnovate and AgInnovate in partnership with Enterprise Ireland. There are many successful start-ups that have come through these programmes. Among them, Aquila Bioscience is at the forefront of developing groundbreaking decontamination technologies, crucial for protecting against harmful pathogens like the coronavirus. AtriAN Medical is dedicated to combating Atrial Fibrillation, a common heart rhythm disorder, with its pioneering treatment. Aurigen Medical is revolutionizing the management of atrial fibrillation by developing the first implant that addresses both stroke and arrhythmia risks. Some more businesses include Bioprobe Diagnostics, Derilinx, Endowave, FeelTect, Kite Medical, Loci Orthopaedics, Neurent Medical, NVP Energy, OneProjects, Onk Therapeutics, Orbsen Therapeutics, Peracton, Qpercom, Sedicii Innovations, Signum Surgical, SymPhysis Medical, Tympany Medical, InVera Medical, Vetex Medical and WestWay Health just to name a few. These spin-out companies from the University of Galway showcase a diverse range of expertise and innovation across various fields. Some of these companies have provided large scale employment within the local eco system. Galway is notorious for its MedTech and Tech sector, much of which would not be possible without the engagement and provision of suitable courses from our university.
Actively supporting the Universities Technology Transfer Function: (2024)
The University of Galway actively supports the technology transfer function through its Innovation Office, which plays a critical role in guiding research and innovation on campus. This office is dedicated to creating positive impacts from the university's research, expertise, and infrastructure. It works closely with the research community to track, develop, and protect new inventions and breakthroughs, while also fostering partnerships that enhance innovation and economic development both locally and globally
The Innovation Office at the University of Galway is also crucial in helping entrepreneurs and university spin-outs by providing tailored supports in their Business Innovation Centre (BIC). The BIC is home to over 35 companies and focuses on scaling and growing the start-up community within the campus and the broader region. This hub not only supports the commercialisation of research but also engages with various stakeholders to maximise the societal and economic impacts of university research
The purpose of our researchand innovation is to benefit humanity, society and the economy. We work to build a foundation of people-centred knowledge so that policy frameworks and economic approaches can be improved for the benefit of society.
Our people are creative in their thinking and collaborative in their approach. Through engaged research with communities, we focus on inclusive societies, children, families and human rights. Through our work with businesses and government agencies, our people carry out research in fields such as health policy and economics, sustainable economic development, business innovation and entrepreneurship.
Our place is distinct - a vibrant region on the edge of Europe - connected globally. Our international reputation is supported by research from across our Colleges and by our Institute for Lifecourse and Society.
Institute of Life Course
The Institute for Lifecourse and Society (ILAS) is a newly designated research institute for the applied social sciences at University of Galway. The Institute supports applied research that informs policy development and practice to make a positive difference to people’s lives. ILAS brings together existing work in relation to targeted populations, such as older persons, children and families, and persons with disabilities into one domain of research, teaching and policy. The core function of the Institute is the pursuit of interdisciplinary research in the social sciences by creatively integrating the rich and diverse intellectual resources from within the University and beyond.
IdeasLab
IdeasLab is University of Galway's student innovation hub. IdeasLab is an open collaborative environment for our campus community to explore and accelerate ideas. At the heart of innovation, we enhance our entrepreneurial ecosystem in partnership with our community. If you want to meet new people, develop skills and behaviours, work to solve global challenges or set up a new business, IdeasLab is the place to start.
IdeasLab uses a design lens to explore and accelerate ideas. We see design as a way to:
- Define problems
- Solve problems
- Enhance creativity
- Develop Innovative capacity
- Learn and grow
- Shape the future
Innovation Office
The Innovation Office at our university catalyses and accelerates the impact of research and innovation. This is done by engaging with external stakeholders, working closely with our research community, and supporting new ventures. Working closely with our research community to help identify, develop and protect research breakthroughs - and collaborate externally with industry and other partners to find the best pathway to impact. We provide information on the following; - Funding and mechanisms and other opportunities. - Tracking, identifying, developing and protecting new inventions and research breakthroughs. - Collaborative research and industry engagements.
Business Innovation Center
University of Galway's Business Innovation Centre - developing, scaling and growing the start-up community on campus and in our region.
Our Business Innovation Centre is at the heart of our university's innovation ecosystem. We are home to numerous companies which have spun-out of our research activity and many more start-ups which have spun-in to collaborate and engage with our research community.
With three locations across campus, we provide extensive facilities including laboratories, wet-labs, dedicated offices, co-working spaces and research infrastructure. Through a programme of supports designed for ambitious start-ups, our team members offer mentoring, business development guidance, commercial and IP guidance - as well as access to research expertise.
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