The October figures for the VQ are in. In this edition we have compared the weekly and daily trends for October and September to give more detailed insights. 

Over 80 participants from a diverse range of SMEs and Public Sector Organisations recently attended ENTIRE’s ‘AI Literacy and the AI Act: From AI, to Ethics, to Regulation’ course.

The European AI Act came into effect on August 1^st 2024. Article 4 of the Act places obligations in relation to AI literacy within organisations that provide or deploy AI systems. As such organisations must prioritize building AI literacy among staff and system operators to adapt to the evolving regulatory landscape.

Led by Professor Barry O’Sullivan from UCC, this interactive session offered: a robust framework for assessing AI systems—covering performance, fairness, bias, and robustness; a detailed exploration of the Seven Key Requirements for Trustworthy AI, Practical strategies for implementing the AI Act; as well as hands-on use of the Assessment List for Trustworthy AI.

If you want to learn more about the services on offer throught the ENTIRE European Digital Innovation Hub, visit: https://entire-edih.ie

University College Cork (UCC) research has received a grant to use modern computational methods to develop critical medicines for improving global health and equality.

A team of researchers at UCC has received €950,000 in funding from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to use artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) to accelerate the development of medicines for conditions that impact those in developing countries.

This project is co-funded by the Government of Ireland and the European Union through the ERDF Southern, Eastern & Midland Regional Programme 2021-2027 and was officially launched today by Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science Patrick O’Donovan TD. 

MTU currently has the largest research and innovation expenditure (€30m) and highest direct-funded research income from industry partnerships across the entire TU sector in Ireland. Research to Impact will see MTU expanding its team of research postgraduates and  postdoctoral researchers to continue to deliver the growth needed to support the university’s ambitious targets for the region.

Scientists and reseearchers from University College Cork are set to colaborate with academic and industry leaders from Ireland and the United States as part of the new "InTeleCat" initiative. The initiative aims to accelerate the development of pharmaceuticals.

The groundbreaking intiative seeks to showcase how Artificial Intelligence can be used to make drug production more efficient, economical, and sustainable.
The primary goal of InTeleCat is to leverage Machine Learning (ML) and Artificial Intelligence (AI) to optimise and predict catalytic processes that are critical in the pharmaceutical industry.

The Toy Library which is led by UCC researcher Giorgia Anile is Ireland's first digital toy library. The Toy Library offers a free way for families to refresh toy collections without spending money and reduce waste by giving unwanted toys a new lease of life. You can visit the Toy Library website at www.thetoylibrary.ie

The project is one of five innovative non-profit projects in Cork to receive support from the €400,000 SEFIT (Social Ecosystems for Fair and Inclusive Transitions) Challenge Fund.

In what is an example of the circular economy, Bokashi sees food waste and similar organic material converted into a soil treatment which adds nutrients and improves soil texture. The Bokashi method was first developed in Japan and is widley used across Asia.

The scheme which is currently being implemented in Cork City Hall sees food waste converted into a soil supplement which is then used to fertilise soils across Cork City. Every week, Cork City Council's canteen produces approximately 120 litres of food scraps. Since Christmas of last year, a large portion of this food waste has been coverted to Bokashi

Irelands first digital Toy Library has been developed by University College Cork based researcher Giorgia Anile, Founder and Director of The Toy Library and PhD student in Human Computer Interaction, funded by ADVANCE CRT at UCC School of Applied Psychology,

The innovative digital Toy Library aims to revolutionise the way families and children access toys has been launched. Ireland’s first digital toy exchange library aims to tackle the increasing problem of toy waste and make playtime more sustainable and accessible for all children.

Motorola Solutions is opening a new research and development centre in Cork, which is expected to lead to the creation of up to 200 jobs.

The R&D centre will focus on designing software for the company's land mobile radio (LMR) products, with plans for expansion across other technologies in the future.

Researchers at Tyndall National Institute, based at University Cork (UCC), have developed a groundbreaking sensor that will allow farmers to reduce their use of chemical fertilisers and optimise their farming operations. 

Researchers at University College Cork (UCC) and the Tyndall National Institute based at UCC have won a combined €2.3m in funding for projects on AI energy management and integrated photonics.

The funding has been awarded under the Frontiers for the Future Programme announced by Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science, Patrick O’Donovan TD.

Among the successful recipients are UCC’s Dr Barry Hayes, School of Engineering and Architecture/MaREI, the SFI Research Centre for Energy, Climate and Marine and Dr Emanuele Pelucchi, Tyndall National Institute.

Last Friday, Minister for Enterprise Trade and Employment, Simon Coveney launched "Business Development in Cork: An Entrepreneurs Guide 2024". This digital booklet was developed by the Local Enterprise Office, Cork City in collaboration with Cork Smart Gateway.

The booklet was launched at the final event of Local Enterprise Office, Cork City's Local Enterprise Week 2024. The event featured a Lunch & Learn panel discussion on "Resilience in Business". Speakers included Jonathan Healy (Red FM), Joan Lucey (Vibes and Scribes), Andrew O'Shaughnessy (Poppulo) and Donncha O'Callaghan (Former Ireland and Munster rugby player and UNICEF ambassador)

This digital booklet provides a comprehensive overview of the supports available to SMEs in Cork and the organisations dedicated to assisting SMEs at all stages. Cork's Entrepreneurs are fortunate to operate in a business eco-system which offers such a high level of support.

Last Friday, Minister for Enterprise Trade & Employment Simon Coveney launched Munster Technological University's new initiative Cyber Innovate which has been developed in collaboration with Enterprise Ireland MENA.

This €7M initiative will create a cyber security hub based in MTU's Rubicon Centre and has been designed to drive innovation and entrepreneurship in Ireland's cybersecurity sector over the next six years.

Cyber Innovate will accept 12-15 participants each year who will work full-time to identify innovative solutions to cybersecurity-related problems. The goal is for these innovative solutions to result in spin-out companies. Each participant will be supported with a tax-free €38,000 stipend and will be awarded a postgraduate diploma in cyber security innovation.

The Tyndall National Institute is set to lead a consortium of 15 partners on the EU INFRACHIP project. INFRACHIP is an ambitious project which will facilitate access to state-of-the-art technologies in the field of semiconductors to accelerate research and innovation to support the goals set out by the EU Chips Act.

The European Union has enacted a comprehensive set of measures to strengthen the EU’s semiconductor ecosystem through the European Chips Act which entered into force on 21st of September 2023. The proposed actions include investments in next-generation technologies, greater access across Europe to design tools and pilot lines for the prototyping, testing and experimentation of cutting-edge chips, and the fostering of skills, talent and innovation in microelectronics. These are crucial for Europe to strengthen EU’s R&I capacity as a globally competitive player in semiconductor technologies.

The National Transport Authority (NTA) is pleased to announce that it has awarded a contract to Trapeze to implement and support a national Automatic Vehicle Location solution for all Public Service buses in the Republic of Ireland.  This significant contract underscores the NTA’s commitment to improving the quality of bus service operations and the timeliness and the quality of real-time bus service information. 

Cork City secured a 3rd placew finsih at this years European Capital of Innovation Awards 2023. 

Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. a wholly owned subsidiary of Qualcomm Incorporated, has announced a $127M expansion of its Research and Development facility in Cork City. The investment is expected to create more than 150 highly skilled engineering roles over the next four years. 

Cork and Dublin are among six cities shortlisted for the 2024 European Capital of Smart Tourism award.

The award will be granted to the city that demonstrates "an extraordinary commitment to shaping the future of sustainable and innovative tourism."