Create Ireland

To whom it may concern,

Please find my personal submission to the IT Task Force below. It has not been fully developed for the time being but I would welcome an opportunity to meet the task force to further expand my recommendations.

My submission is based on my education and professional experiences since 1999 in the area of digital media - cable, voip/carrier services, video processing, mobile media, European Union projects and evaluations, as well as extensive business developments at SME level.

I have been an employee of Dublin City University, the Institute of Art, Design & Technology, and the National Digital Research Centre but my role in TLIs has mainly been managing commercial requirements for more than 75 Digital Media SMEs since 2000.

I have been managing the Create Enterprise Platform Programme - www.createireland.ie - for small Digital Media companies since 2004. Create EPP is the only niche Enterprise Platform Programme (EPP) in Ireland and it offers incubation space in both the Digital Hub and IADT’s Media Cube. Create has become a cluster where training, mentoring, collaborations, and incubation is fully-managed over a 12-months period.

Create EPP achievements so far are:

- 80% success rate in granting chosen participants with EI CORD grant

- 20% of participants have applied incubation stage to their company

- 45% of all participants provide innovative services/products to their market

- 2 past participants approved for NDRC translational funding of R&D projects, in cooperation with academia

- 1 past participant recently won Eircom Innovation Funding

- 5 participants operating from outside the Dublin region committed to Create Dublin-based training and mentoring programme.

The following list of Create participants indicate the depth of digital media innovation selected at Create EPP recruitment stage:

www.igopeople.com: Social Media Network connecting companies with their clients

www.mercurygirlinc.com: Development House of Mobile Media Applications (iPhone, Android and Augmented Reality)

www.websplash.ie: End-to-end usability, design and content management for web-based and mobile workflows

www.gecoloco.com: design and software development for web-based systems

www.kavaleer.com: animation company

www.vrising.com: virtual world development company

www.pixelsoup.ie: design company

www.ballywiremedia.com: production company for news aggregators (newspapers and broadcasters)

www.apps.ie: online store for iphone application icons

www.sciencepicturecompany.com: e-commerce plaftform for high-end animations

www.eighty-twenty.com: 360 degrees production company

www.fountainhead.ie: design & usability company for installations

www.artworkbank.com: web-based ecommerce platform for private gallery

www.perfectcard.ie: e-commerce platform for gift vouchers

Recommendations specific to the Digital Media sector:

The Digital Media sector in Ireland needs a unified approach to seize national and international opportunities. Such an approach should be relevant to all stakeholders while being driven by fast-changing market and sectoral requirements.

A unified approach should be pursued by a competence-based think-thank group that is appointed every 18 months. This group could have representatives from TLIs, MNCs, IDA, EI and, more importantly, representatives of the digital media sector.

Past reports on national and international digital media markets need to be revised to propose relevant digital media areas of growth relevant to capabilities of Irish organisations. The whole sector should be defined based on content production, enabling digital media technologies, and user models (usage, distribution, business models). More importantly, Digital Media applications for vertical growth markets need to be revised to inform policy-making.

It is also important to provide input into the development of Third-Level Institution’s Curriculum with year-to-year market developments, drivers and trends. To address developments, drivers and trends, lecturers and teachers should be communicated relevant information, both in terms of market presentations and strategic analysis.

Broad Recommendations categorized under the Task Force Terms of Reference:

Incentives, Intellectual Property and Venture Capital

- Public grants and public funding of Intellectual Property filings & applications should be based on concrete commercial strategy pursued by the IP owners

- IPR developed with public funds that is not brought forward to commercialization stage should be made available to SMEs and MNCs free of charge for a limited period of time.

- IPR management framework proposed by semi-state agencies/bodies needs to be further defined to be applicable and sustained by researchers wishing to pursue commercialization.

- A group of relevant Business Angels among the Irish diaspora should be identified to act as mentors and advisors to leading Irish digital media companies.

- Financial resources (grants/funding) managed by semi-state agencies need to be made public so that that there is a match between policy making recommendations and SME strategy.

Commercialisation, technology transfer and converging technologies:

- TLIs should present their R&D strategy to government departments. Strategies should include a mix of basic and applied R&D that addresses convergence possibilities over medium to long-term periods.

- Applied R&D should be audited as a process by taking into account IPR management, publication, user testing, and demonstrators/prototypes. Audits could be based on IPR management and marketing training offered via EI.

- A process for technology transfer should be put in place so that technology that is ready for transfer does not require further customisation by the licensee. That process is likely to increase the value of the license and create a more relevant commercial partnership with the licensee.

Ireland as an Innovation Island

- The IDA should target international start-ups at their early stage of development (between 1st and 2nd round of funding). These international targets might benefit from innovation at product development stages.

- Innovation brought by digital media technologies, content, and business models need to be qualified and quantified so that policy-making has relevance both at regulatory and market levels.

- The definition of Digital Media innovation needs to be positioned on a continuum based on basic & applied research, prototype development, user-based beta systems and services/products.

- Innovation in Digital Media should be promoted via a National Brand

International Innovation Development Hub

- Having presented Dublin-based Digital Media innovation to many foreign delegations and R&D groups of MNCs, it would be of benefit to have a national brand for Digital Media innovation. Such a brand could promote innovation in R&D (both public and commercial), in SME, and Irish companies with foreign offices.

- Ireland as an International Innovation Development Hub should identify creative and innovative regions abroad (Montreal, Vancouver, Singapore, Amsterdam, Barcelona, Birmingham, Silicon Valley…) and Innovation partnerships should be market-led and link to product development of MNCs based in Ireland and to the Irish Digital Media eco-system.

I hope my recommendations will inform the Task Force thinking in terms of repositioning Ireland into international markets. You can also find my resume attached to this email.

Regards, Frederic

Frederic Herrera

- Don’t market your services in exchange of shareholding in client companies

- Define R&D strategy both as an Incubator and as a broker for client companies

- Get your consultants/contractors to engage with potential client companies in your pipeline and spec services over 12 months period. 

- Sort out your current systems: 100% uptime needed for commercial requirements

- Think like three types of SMEs (individual, company with 2-8 employees, company with more than 8 employees) to understand what you have to offer. This thinking is fast-changing and makes the difference.

- Promote business development beyond your client companies. Ireland is small and targeted partnerships are needed to gain scope.

- Don’t promote services that create paperwork for client companies

- Buy coffee/tea and bake pastries on Fridays. Nice for tenants and great for weekly update chats.

These suggestions are based on my direct personal experience of 3 incubators since 2000 and overall knowledge of the concept of business incubation both nationally and in Europe.
Fred

I attended FP7 info session for SMEs (FP7-2010-1 Call Promotion) yesterday. Very good presentation from EI’s Sean Burke I thought. The EI FP7 team seems to do a good job.

Here are my notes:

- IRL tops 09 call

- 70% of SMEs were micro-enterprises (less than 10 employees I think)

- Direct SME funding relates to three areas: 1) Industry-academia, 2) Research for benefits of SME, 3) Regions of Knowledge

- 81 Irish SMEs got a total of 20mm in direct grants related to total worth of 350mm in projects ; pretty good ratio of 17.5% to develop & access European-wide IPR

- Irish proposers have an highly impressive success rate of 27% in 09; 104 Irish organisations across 89 projects.

- Two types of potential proposers: SME and/or SME associations that propose a project including RTD-performers (academia and/or companies) and other companies and/or end-user groups

- Project from SME proposer is between one and two years and involves between 5 and 10 partners

- Project from SME association is between two and three years and involves between 10-15 partners

- Project outputs are R&D, demos, and management

- Focus of project impact

- Eligible costs and direct and indirect costs

- It is possible for 4-employees company to lead a project

- External project manager can be hired

 

Why should SME consider this:

- Get into R&D that involves your partners, suppliers, and customers.

- Disseminate IPR based on a vertical European network

- Value: allocate company time and get a potential of 5 times its value in granted R&D money

- Have strong tested tech prototype for pre-sales

- Banks funding & VC money is nowhere to be seen these days

- Anchor project that raise profile for a SME

 

http://www.fp7ireland.com/ for more info, Fred

More than 25 topics will be covered by the Create Programme between September 2009 and August 2010. The outline below is being developed specifically for small digital media companies that need to kick-start their business development asap. It also covers areas of growing importance - innovation, policy-making for the sector and SMEs, and R&D - in an economy that needs to be more competitive both nationally and internationally. The outline is also developed for a dynamic entrepreneurial sector that needs to get relevant support from semi-state agencies. New Create businesses to be promoted in the coming weeks will become more aware of the following topics: Business Planning - Sales Management - Branding & Marketing via Online Channels - Presentation Skills - Time & Project Management - Online Advertising/SEO - Social Media Platforms & Principles - Blogging - Starting-Up a Digital Media Company - Digital Media R&D - Proposal Management - Digital Media Stakeholders & Policies - Leadership & Partnership Management - IPR for Media - Digital Media Trends - Gaming - Programming & Database Environments - Mobile Media Content & Platforms - Design - Usability This training can only do so much for selected companies. They’ll need to be flexible in testing and proving their development over the next 12 months. Their partnership model will be important to build medium-term value beyond the downturn. It’ll be full on from our first session on September 8th.

I’ve met most of new Create participants for one-to-one assessment meetings before the programme begins in September with my induction session. I’ll introduce participants in September.

The Create Enterprise Platform Programme is starting its 6th year in September and has now significant number of past participants to fully-develop clustering objectives like thematic sessions, networking, skills exchanges, and internal and external project collaborations.

In the meantime, I’m looking to increase the level of skills and knowledge communicated via training sessions and mentoring sessions. Skills can be applicable to high-level business development, specifics business issues and/or digital media services.

I value a lot trainers and mentors inputing their info as there’s goodwill in helping companies confirm their early business development. I brief trainers and mentors on specific needs and no bad feeling if termination between mentors/mentee occurs. It hasn’t so far over last 5 years. I keep all info confidential and fees of sessions are not the sole factor driving assignment of trainers and mentors. There’s more than 25 trainers/mentors in our cluster so far.

So go on and take two minutes to answers this questionnaire:

http://spreadsheets.google.com/viewform?key=pcEWkV1F3SgPcmNJeSTpzCA

Thank you, Fred

Irish will be voting again for or against the Lisbon Treaty in the autumn. Might as well brief you on things I have been learning doing more than 70 EU project revisions.

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EI has a role in scaling Internet Businesses. Scaling up is difference between ebusiness and Internet business - Colm Lyons

I wouldn’t mind them calling me to get my impression on how they can help Internet Businesses - 7 past Create participants need support in scaling up and 2 of them got support…

 

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I’m getting phone enquiries for the programme training outline.

Here’s an example of a mixed topic training session on June 4th:

Lunch – 12.30pm: 1.30pm
IPR: 1.30pm – 4pm
iPhone Development: 4pm – 4.45pm
Usability & Cyber-psychology: 5pm-6pm
IADT Annual Exhibition: 6.30pm

The structure of the day is for participants to have overviews and then request personal mentoring sessions.

I have two places on the day for potential applicants who haven’t made their mind if they want to apply. Contact me on frederic dot herrera at iadt dot ie if you want to attend. 

Fred

• Access to informal network of 70 trainers/mentors/past participants.
• Trainers and mentors are briefed by me so no time is waisted.
• Step and facilitation to EI cord grant - 50% of previous accounted salary up to 30K/year + 6K of marketing spend. I manage the paperwork.
• Access to desk space free of charge in the Digital Hub & IADT’s Media Cube
• Training & Mentoring are personalised to suit digital media companies
• Training & Mentoring are personalised for respective stage of development of participant
• 13 generic business topics + 8 specialised digital media topics
• It’s part-time programme so your daily business operations are given priority
• Great companies have been started in downturns
• You need your business to be reviewed continuously in one the following 3 areas: business, tech, and creative processes
• If you’ve kept reading this list, that means you’re interested so contact me on frederic dot herrera at iadt dot ie

Yeah! My first post thanks to Darran’s (of poly) - install of a blogging system Create participants.

So, this blog is to exchange opinions about the ups & downs of starting digital media businesses in Ireland. I hope that past and current Create participants will join in with their own blogs, linked in profiles, tweets, and other online social media pointers. Trainers and mentors as well. There’s probably more than 40 of us in total.

I should have supported this before since Create has been in business since mid 2004 and a lot of good training and mentoring material of the past years has been informed by blogs. It’s just that I didn’t have the guts to do it and the focus to assign time to blogging. I tried a few times but lost steam.

So, I find myself in the second month of recruitment for the Create Enterprise Platform Programme (EPP) for digital media companies.

Surely, entrepreneurial individuals won’t stay on the dole or in a declining job situation.

They’ll make the jump into the most personalised training programme in the country. It’s free and they can meet like-minded individuals developing and selling services and products.

Anyway, drop me a mail at frederic dot herrera at iadt dot ie if you want to have a chat about the programme.

That first post wasn’t too bad after all. I might schedule the next one now. I have a list of things to blog about.

Thanks for dropping in and I hope I’m worthy of your rss subscritions.