Driving Collaboration for Impact: Discovery Exchange Update

News

Following the success of our Digital for Sport national initiative, we continued to look for broader opportunities to accelerate Ireland’s digital transformation. This led us to the launch of our second national initiative in partnership with Research Ireland —Discovery Exchange—in October 2024.  Partnering for Change  Developed in partnership with Research Ireland, Discovery Exchange connects industry Leaders with researchers funded under the National Challenge Fund. This is a €65 million research fund established through the Government of Ireland’s National Recovery and Resilience Plan and supported by the EU’s Recovery and Resilience Facility.  This collaboration is about more than funding—the aim of Discovery Exchange is to facilitate a collaborative approach between Industry and researchers to developing innovative solutions to tackle them.  Our launch event in Oct 2025 brought together over 250 delegates, focused on exploring new mindsets, innovative approaches, and collaborative processes needed to address the pressing challenges of the green transition and digital transformation. More than just a one-off event, Discovery Exchange is developing into a process of innovation and collaboration between researchers and industry leaders.  Where Are We Now? Fast forward to 2025, and the initiative is gathering momentum. This year we hosted two pitch events providing participating research teams with the opportunity to present their ideas to investors and industry leaders.  The Discovery Exchange is aimed at Research teams in the Grow Phase of their life cycle and across 2025 we will work with 30 Teams. At this stage, they are focused on advancing their prototypes and clearly demonstrating how their solutions can create tangible societal or economic value.  Building Pitching Confidence  Recognising the importance of strong communication, we hosted a Delivering a Winning Pitch workshop led by Dr. Maria Coakley. These workshops took place over the course of a full day session day and offer participants the opportunity to develop key skills in the pitch process. Pitch Prep & Industry Feedback  The next step in the process was to ensure teams were pitch ready. We hosted a Pitch Preparation Sessions with Sinead O’Riordan and Kevin O’Donnell from the Innovation Exchange team. Acting as industry representatives, Sinead and Kevin provided in-depth feedback on each pitch—from content and slide design to time management and delivery.  The result? Nearly all teams made meaningful changes to improve their pitch before stepping in front of industry stakeholders.  Showcasing Game-Changing Innovation  On Pitch Day each team presented for eight minutes and showcased groundbreaking innovations across a wide spectrum:  Each pitch represented not just a promising project, but a potential leap forward in solving complex, high-impact societal challenges.   What’s Next?  At the Innovation Exchange, our goal is to empower and support the next generation of Irish innovators. Discovery Exchange is not just a programme—it’s a step towards collaborative, challenge-driven innovation.  Stay tuned as we continue to support these exceptional teams on their journey from research to real-world impact. 

Mid-Year Update – July 2025

Blog, News

The past six months have been an exciting and productive period at the Innovation Exchange. Here’s a look at the highlights from the first half of 2025:  So far in 2025, we’ve published 14 innovation challenges across a wide range of sectors—including construction, healthcare, travel, and more. These challenges ranged from data cleansing and multi-system integration to digital membership systems with real-time monitoring, traffic and congestion management technologies, customer journey analytics, personalised training tools, and more.  One of our highlights was the first-ever in-person challenge, hosted at Ireland West Airport. Among numerous high-quality submissions, two of our member companies have been selected for onsite visits this summer to further explore the real-world implementation of their proposed solutions.  Since its launch in late 2023, Digital for Sport national has continued to gain momentum. Designed to support National Governing Bodies and Local Sports Partnerships in leveraging digital technology for improved efficiency and performance, the programme has seen four challenges launched this year, attracting 75 submissions from our members.  The challenges—presented by Boxing, Tennis, Gymnastics, and Snooker & Billiards Ireland—focused primarily on record digitalisation and the development of membership systems with real-time athlete progression tracking features.  Discovery Exchange, a national initiative we launched last October in partnership with Research Ireland, is also making strides. Aimed at fostering collaboration between industry leaders and researchers funded under the National Challenge Fund, the programme has hosted two pitch sessions this year. These sessions showcased groundbreaking innovations across a variety of sectors, including green energy, cybersecurity, pathogen testing, and housing solutions—highlighting the depth and breadth of ideas within our network.   In May, we were proud sponsors of Tech Industry Alliance’s TechFest 2025: Tech, AI & Humanity – Shaping Our Future. This flagship event brought together 350 technology and business leaders from across the South West for a day of insightful panels and discussions exploring the future of innovation.  In a significant boost to our regional presence, Taoiseach Micheál Martin announced a new partnership between Skillnet Innovation Exchange and Republic of Work, reinforcing Cork’s position as a hub for innovation and business excellence. Speaking at the event, the Taoiseach said, “The Government is committed to supporting Irish companies throughout the digital transformation. I’m delighted to launch this expansion of Skillnet Innovation Exchange in Cork, along with their partnership with Republic of Work. This welcome initiative connects our homegrown SMEs with larger companies so they can collaborate and work together on exciting, innovative projects.”  Shortly after, Minister of State Niamh Smyth TD announced our further expansion into County Cavan, through our regional partner, The Mill Enterprise Hub.  Internationally, the U.S. and UK remain two of the most attractive markets for Irish companies seeking to scale. However, in recent months, changing trade dynamics — including discussions around tariffs and regulatory adjustments — have made entering or expanding in these markets more challenging for Irish firms.   To support our SMEs,   we launched a series of briefings and expert-led sessions designed to equip Irish businesses with the knowledge and insights needed to succeed. These events created an open platform for the Irish business community to voice concerns, ask questions, and receive direct answers from industry and market specialists.  In May, we attended the SelectUSA Investment Summit in National Harbor in partnership with the U.S. Embassy in Dublin — one of the most important events for international business expansion into the U.S. Being on the ground enabled us to engage directly with U.S. decision-makers, identify actionable opportunities, and better understand the nuances that Irish companies must navigate as they expand their footprint.  Over the past six months we have engaged, organised and participated at well-informed sessions that not only provide access to expert advice but also foster meaningful connections and peer learning. Irish companies already operating in the U.S. have shared their experiences, challenges, and the strategic choices that led to their success — offering valuable insights to others planning similar moves.  We’re also proud of our commitment to talent development. This year, our members have benefited from a wide range of training opportunities — from the fundamentals of brand marketing and communications, through design thinking for SMEs to create customer-centric solutions and gain a competitive edge, all the way to building and working with AI.  Our ESI programme, delivered in partnership with the European Sales Institute, has seen five of our members earn a Diploma in Professional Sales, with many more reaching certificate and award milestones.  As we look ahead, there’s even more on the horizon for the second half of the year. Be sure to follow us on social media and sign up for our newsletter to stay informed about the latest challenges, events, and opportunities designed to help Irish innovators Sell, Scale, and Succeed with Ireland’s Marketplace for Innovation.