On the 21st May 2010, the TEC Centre hosted its first Industry Open Day. Nine Irish companies attended and represented a cross-section of TEC Centre clients, ranging from small start-ups and indigenous SME’s through to multinational companies. Several Enterprise Ireland staff also attended in addition to the CIT Technology Transfer Office.
The TEC Centre, based in the Nimbus Centre, is funded by Enterprise Ireland as part of the ARE (Applied Research Enhancement) programme . The TEC Centre is the primary industry interface of the Nimbus Centre. The Centre’s main objective is to create a one-stop-facility for Industry R&D support in the region. This is being achieved by communicating state-of-the-art in research to industry, creating partnership activities, engaging researchers in industry relevant initiatives and providing effective prototyping facilities. The main areas of interest include wireless systems, wireless sensor networks, miniaturised hardware, software development and intelligent user interfaces
The Industry Open day focused on developing an industry relevant applied research strategy for the TEC Centre over the period 2011-2014. Companies were also invited to provide feedback on the operational performance of the TEC Centre, the strategic focus of the Centre, the extent of industrial collaborations and its impact on industry and emerging market opportunities for companies. The Open Day also featured an extensive poster session and demonstrations of active research projects underway in the Centre.
The Open day was viewed very positively by all participants as a means of facilitating an industry-led strategy for the Centre, offering a deeper understanding of the capabilities of the Centre and promoting the continuing interaction between industry and applied research teams.
