May 22 Member’s Update
The Innovation Exchange has got off to a flying start and we’re delighted to say that we have 150 SMEs involved. There are now nine corporate innovation challenges confirmed, with more being added all the time. At the beginning of each month, we will send you an email to highlight key dates for the month ahead. Please note that we add innovation challenges and training modules to the calendar weekly, so please keep an eye on the member hub of www.theinnovationexchange.ie for the most up to date information. Events in May Corporate Challenges The Ryanair Challenge – 4th May @ 11:30am The Carbery Challenge – 11th May @ 10:00am The An Post Challenge – 11th May @ 2.00pm Masterclass Perfect Your Pitch – 10th May @ 11:00am Tailor-made Training The Innovation Exchange gives you access to training, tailor-made for SMEs selling to large corporates. Training modules are added to the member hub on a regular basis so we would recommend you get started! The modules are brief so do not require a big time commitment. Currently available: Building Credibility Market Led Innovation Disruptive Innovation Strategy and Scaling In Other News Innovation Challenges We are pleased to inform you that we will be adding corporate partners to the programme on an ongoing basis and, in 2022, The Innovation Exchange will deliver a minimum of 20 digital transformation challenges to our SME participants. To date we have: Musgrave Group, Ryanair, IBM, Select USA, An Post, Carbery, Glanbia, Health Innovation Hub and HSE. Watch this space for more updates. Transformative Solutions in Healthcare A second call-for-solutions from The Innovation Exchange will be launched on May 10th. This call is looking for ‘Transformative Solutions in Healthcare’ and is aimed at SMEs that that can deliver innovative solutions to large businesses and organisations in the healthcare and health delivery space, including process and digital solutions. As a participant you are eligible to get involved in all the challenges from all calls. The Glanbia Challenge Webinar Digital Incubation Hub Manager at Glanbia, Brian Leahy, gave an overview of the Glanbia business and provided some valuable insights into trends in the food industry. He outlined some of the digital challenges facing the business and issued details about specific challenges. Good luck to those who submit a challenge response. The Musgrave Challenge Webinar Edel Russell, Insight and Innovation Director with Musgrave Group, led the first retail challenge. Edel outlined the importance of putting the customer at the centre of their business and optimising the shoppers experience across multiple retail brands while also delivering a bottom-line return. Again, good luck to those who submit a challenge response. Select USA Masterclass Conor Kenny, Regional Investment Advisor at Select USA, led a masterclass on scaling stateside. He has offered his services including advice and connections to any participants interested in breaking into the US market. Conor will run this masterclass again on the 15th June. IBM Collaboration Webinar Noel Crawford, Cloud Sales Leader with IBM, led a webinar on how IBM partners with start-ups and SMEs and the benefits it offers around accessing core technology, systems and channels. Navigating Procurement Masterclass Tony Corrigan from Orbidal led a masterclass in navigating complex procurement, including how to research effectively, finding the right type of tenders and, most importantly, his top tips on how to construct a winning answer.
