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