1. Business Mentoring for Winners Programme: this programme co-ordinated by Líonra (the Regional Higher Education Network in the BMW Region) has supported 35 High Potential Start Up (HPSU) campus companies across 7 third-level institutions. The main output of this programme has been the development, learning and upskilling of SMEs that have a high technical content in their activities, but which have been generally lacking in other business and management skills.

2. Food Technology Transfer Programme: has provided a range of technical support services to nearly 50 small and medium sized food businesses in the BMW Region. This activity has been mainly facilitated by the funding and placement of the two food technologists, one at the St. Angela’s College Food Technology Centre, in Sligo and the other at the Drumshanbo Food Hub in Leitrim. These activities included: needs analysis in order to tailor supports in ways that add value to other existing supports available; one-to-one mentoring with food companies in the Region; workshops and training courses for food companies in the Region; facilitation of networking events and opportunities; and research/study visits.

3. Innovation Management Training: this action has sought to address the need for innovative leadership and vision in businesses in the BMW Region by developing the capability and capacity of owner-managers and business managers to engage in new innovation management and development practices. A total of 20 companies availed of these courses from a wide range of sectors, including agricultural supplies, environmental services, financial services, food production, medical research, metal fabrication transport and well drilling.

4. Research and Intelligence Briefings: the objective of these briefings was to increase the capacity of the commercial and industrial sector in the BMW Region to absorb information, i.e., to recognise the value of new external information, assimilate it and apply it to commercial ends. The briefings covered a variety of topics, including: renewable energies; medical devices; gerontechnology, design innovation; photonics and laser applications; and nanotechnology, toxicology and polymers. These took place in the Institutes of Technology in Athlone, Dundalk, Galway/Mayo and Sligo as well as at the National University of Ireland Galway.

5. Research Vouchers Scheme: was established in order to implement a programme of needs-based R&D activities for SMEs based in the BMW Region. The programme was demand-led and has involved a competition for the award of research vouchers of up to €15,000 to companies, who could then exchange them for a given number of days of research in a participating research centre in the Region. A total of 36 companies received research vouchers in a range of sectors which included digital media, e-learning, laser and optical technology, medical devices, mobile and cellular technology, polymer development, renewable energy, software development and toxicology. Enterprise Ireland currently runs a national innovation vouchers scheme similar to the BMW Region pilot project.

6. Resourcing Innovation and Technology Transfer in the Medical Devices Sector: this action has involved the preparation of a feasibility study by Líonra into the potential for establishing technology transfer linkages and commercialisation of intellectual property between SMEs, multinational firms and knowledge operating in the BMW Region in the medical devices sector.