Covid-19 has had a detrimental impact on the business community. After months of uncertainty, attention has now turned to reopening doors and welcoming back employees and customers. This has indeed been a difficult and unsettling time for many businesses around the country. With the pandemic still ongoing, uncertainty is rife, long-term decision making is difficult and the road to normality may yet have many twists and turns. Foremost in the minds of business owners is the provision of safe operations, protecting their employees and continuing to serve new and existing customers. For many this may mean adapting their business plan, engaging with new technologies, making an incremental change to an existing product or product line or indeed developing a new product.
In many ways, innovation can be a distance thought for business when there are periods of uncertainty. But even in the darkest of times, opportunity can provide direction. In navigating these challenges, creativity and adaptation is key, as the invention or redevelopment of many new or pre-existing products, processes or services becomes necessary. By engaging innovation at this juncture, businesses can often pivot, helping to adapt to this new normal.
Enterprise Ireland Technology Gateways has been working with Irish industry since 2013, providing innovation supports and solutions. We recognise that companies often differ in the level of innovation support required. This is evident no more so, than in this current climate. Whether its technological solutions to operate safely, assistance in designing or redesigning a product, or simply a new idea. We can help. Often companies don’t have the time, resources or indeed the equipment to invest in innovation, our Gateways are uniquely positioned to aid companies of all shapes and sizes, often, in time becoming an extension of a company’s R&D unit.
Mark Whelan, Technology Gateway Programme Manager, encourages companies to consider innovation as a means of staying ahead of the pack in tough times. In particular he suggests using the supports available from Enterprise Ireland to help them interact with the Third Level Sector, and especially the Technology Gateways where the expertise of the academic community is available to help them.
If you have an idea for a new product, service or process or are in need of innovation assistance for an existing element, get in touch with us to see how we can help you develop a solution.