Make Yourself Heard

Win a €15k promotional campaign with 4FM, Unique Media and the Sunday Business Post. Now is not the time to be experimenting with advertising as a small business - the funds involved make the risk/reward ratio too unattractive. I'd argue, in fact, that in a business2business market it rarely makes sense to spend big bucks on advertising. HOWEVER - if someone will pay for it for you, it gives you a tremendous opportunity to build brand awareness. The pr package attached to this prize also offers an opportunity to work with Unique Media (who do all of Synergy Centre's PR work) to develop a national media presence. When all that is required is a 500 word submission, what have you got to lose?!? For more info visit http://www.4fm.ie/competition.asp.

A Day of Deep Breathing

It's been a day of deep breathing from the get go here at Synergy Centre. We kicked off at 8.30 with a breakfast session with Martin Toner, the golf specialist. Martin not only worked on our golf game, but also showed us the importance of switching between left and right brain activity to achieve optimum results. Focus, passion, preparation and understanding are what we must bring to bear in all aspects of our lives to be happy. Our March intake of EPP participants were given a chance to put it all into practice during their 6 month "Dragons Den" - style sessions with a panel of mentors. Each made a 20 minute presentation followed by a 40 minute Q&A session. Deep breaths all round - managing the nerves in advance, answering questions under fire, dealing with the constructive criticism, and then - most importantly - taking time to rethink, redirect and refocus. Passion, Preparation, Understanding & Focus.

Tallaght - Centre of the Universe

It's official - Tallaght is, according to An Bord Snip Nua, the place to be. The recommendation by Colm McCarthy's review group is that Blanchardstown Institute of Technology and the three DIT sites be relocated to our own campus here at ITT Dublin. This runs alongside proposed swingeing (what a great word!) cuts to R&D funding and serious rationalisation of the Enterprise Development arms of the state including the subsuming of the County Enterprise Boards into Enterprise Ireland and a reduction of 200 staff in that latter entity. While it is inevitable that every man/woman/entity will defend their own right to continue in existence, and these pleas fall largely on sceptical ears once one steps outside one's own realm, it is to be hoped that cuts in R&D and enterprise development are made with one eye to the future. As Enterprise Ireland's recent publication on the Technology Transfer Strengthening Initiative highlights - it can take a while for funding to translate into outcomes - particularly when the funding is there to create a serious shift in strategic outlook and approach.

Seedcorn: Effort & Reward

Synergy Centre will host a presentation and Q&A from Intertrade Ireland on Monday lunchtime as part of our Brown Bag series. The topic will be the agency's Seedcorn Competition which offers decent cash prizes and much kudos in the business start-up/investor world. The competition mimics an investment decision-making process: It demands a succinct (25 pages), believable, goal and growth oriented business plan in the first instance. This presents a challenge for many entrepreneurs - even those who have a solid business plan. Whittling it down to a useful 15 pages can be difficult - particularly for those who are technology focussd and want to describe in detail the nuts and bolts of their massive invention. The trick is to focus on the outcomes - for the clients, for the company, for the investor. The next step, having been shortlisted (hopefully), is regional rounds of presentations and, following that, national rounds. These presentations are tough - the Q&A sessions are incisive and challenging and those who emerge from the room are inevitably exhausted. So the question is - "Is it worth it?". And the answer? Yes it is - not based on the prize sums involved, but rather the prestige of the competition, the access to potential investors, and the discipline of the process itself. Come along on Monday for more info or visit www.intertradeireland.com/seedcorn .

Scary, Speedy Summers

A sign of the times we live in? The recently blogged Innovation Vouchers Call from Enterprise Ireland that opened on Monday is now closed. With over 100 applications received in just three days, in the height of summer this has to be both scary and reassuring. Scary for those of us who support young, high-tech start-ups - the challenge is for us to marshall our resources so that we are in a position to respond in an accelerated fashion to their requirements. While resources of all types are scarce in a system that is largely public sector based - EI, CEBs, Incubation Centres, Colleges, FAS etc - we must also look to cut the red tape that can unnecessarily stretch and absorb these resources. On the upside it is reassuring that in the current economic climate a three day call throws up one hundred small businesses who are are actively seeking to commercially innovate - develop dramatically better products or processes. And these are all short-term projects with short to medium term results - we won't have to wait too long for their impact on Ireland Inc. Next call for Innovation Vouchers opens 1st September - watch www.innovationvouchers.ie for more info.

FAS Work Placement Programme

Announced in May this year, the FÁS Work Placement Programme is designed to offer unemployed people, including unemployed graduates, the opportunity to obtain 6 months quality experience in a work situation. Placements must provide quality work experience, with a work plan, for a 6 month period. There must not be a vacancy in the work activity in which you are offering placement. Participants on the Work Placement Programme will continue to receive their existing social welfare entitlements from the Department of Social and Family Affairs for their duration on the programme. Further information on the scheme and full details of the eligibility criteria are also available online at http://www.fas.ie/en/About+Us/News/pressReleases.htm.

New Innovation Voucher Call

For those of you not familiar with them, Innovation Vouchers are just genius for small companies with an R & D bent. Enterprise Ireland will give you a voucher worth €5000 to use with any third level college in the country to do some development work for you. All you have to do is to find the right person to work with (and pay VAT on the 5k). The next open call for the vouchers is in September but there is a limited call (of 75 vouchers) currently open in the FastTrack format. this requires you to have already agreed the project with the academic institution. Quite a number of Synergy Companies have benefitted from the voucher system - it really is incredibly easy to navigate. Visit http://www.innovationvouchers.ie/ for more info. Note that you have to be a registered company and you cannot have more than one voucher active at any time.