Shannon ABC's Open Innovation 2012

Shannon ABC are hosting a Conference on Open Innovation on the 4th and 5th of April which will bring together leaders in Industry with the world class research and development scientists operating in Ireland (http://www.shannonabc.ie/conference2012_index.php). The Conference will focus on Biotechnology and Life Sciences, with presentations on industry collaborations with academia, and how this has driven innovation and provided added value for companies. Joint presentations from Industry/Academic partners are encouraged.

Open Innovation is a concept that assumes that firms can and should use external (as well as internal) ideas and paths to market, as the firms look to advance their technology. Historically academia has focused on basic research with long lead-in times to commercialisation, sometimes making it difficult for industry to benefit from academic collaborations. This is changing however as many third level institutions are now providing much more business facing resources and are striving to produce value from state funded research. This shift and increase in commercially focussed research has provided an excellent opportunity for companies to engage in open innovation and utilise the considerable scientific human resources and expertise that are available in Ireland.

Shannon Applied Biotechnology Centre (Shannon ABC) was established in 2007. It evolved from a merger between the Natural Products Research Centre (NPRC) based at the Institute of Technology, Tralee and the Nutraceuticals Research Centre (NRC) at the Limerick Institute of Technology. The merger between these two Centres was facilitated through the development of the Applied Research Enhancement (ARE) Centre Program, established by Enterprise Ireland and supported by EU structural funds.

Shannon ABC has on-going and expanding programmes to explore natural products for novel bioactive substances of value to the Healthcare, Forensic, Pharmaceutical, Food, Cosmetics, Agricultural, Environmental and Bio-Energy Industry. The Centre brings together a multidisciplinary team of researchers with commercial specialists so as to provide a centre of excellence in applied research, capable of exploiting opportunities in science, engineering, and technology to the benefit of the Regional and National economy. This team is located at both the facilities in IT Tralee, on the South Campus, and in Limerick IT, in the Hartnett Enterprise Acceleration Centre.

Shannon ABC focuses on developing, enhancing and commercialising biotechnology by confidentially collaborating with industry to promote product diversification and enhancement, increasing market growth and aiding competitiveness. Shannon ABC offers expertise in bio-processing, extraction, purification and screening of products derived from a wide variety of natural products and waste streams, with a view to identifying bioactive substances of value to a wide spectrum of industries. Plant, animal, marine and microbial resources are ‘mined’ for functional food components, immunosuppressive, anti-oxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-clotting and anti-microbial agents