Recognising excellence in innovation

Now in their sixth year, the US-Ireland Research Innovation Awards, jointly presented by the American Chamber of Commerce Ireland and the Royal Irish Academy, recognise excellence in research innovation, creation, process and invention by an organisation as a result of US foreign direct investment (FDI) in Ireland.

“Over the past five years we have seen how the strong linkages between US FDI and the wider ecosystem can drive cutting-edge research in Ireland that is saving and enhancing lives around the world,” says American Chamber chief executive Mark Redmond. “Partnerships established by US companies with the higher educational institutes and indigenous businesses have helped to elevate Ireland’s global reputation for excellence in R&D activity.”

Up until now, the awards have presented for three categories: the Irish operation of a US multinational corporation; a higher-education institution, research centre or institute based on the island of Ireland with links to the US corporate sector; and an Irish SME with links to the US corporate sector. This year, the awards are being expanded into a new area with the introduction of a talent development category.

Every global company operating here recognises that Ireland needs to nurture, attract and retain the best and brightest talent to continue to win

"In 2020, we plan to broaden the remit of the awards to include an Innovation in Talent Development Award," says KPMG partner Anna Scally, who has been one of the awards judges since their inception. "This award is open to multinationals, SMEs and higher-education institutions leading out on projects that combine creativity and collaboration to bring about development in talent and aims to capture a number of exciting projects that have not currently come within the scope of the awards."

‘Forefront of innovation’

"US companies and their partners in Ireland have been at the forefront of innovation, research and talent development for many years," adds American Chamber board member and EMEA finance director for Google Liz Cunningham. "Every global company operating here recognises that Ireland needs to nurture, attract and retain the best and brightest talent to continue to win. Since these awards were first presented in 2015, the common denominator for all entries has been that creativity and collaboration have been fostered and developed within organisations here in Ireland."

The new award focuses on how people can impact and be impacted by organisational transformation informed by or as a result of innovative research undertaken by a team, she continues.

Collaboration is essential to innovation and, each year, it is amazing to see what can be achieved through effective collaboration

“This means that rather than focusing on a technical output, this award recognises the process. For instance, exemplary work that companies are doing to promote innovative approaches that transform talent in the workplace; the thinking behind programmes that are developing world-class talent more broadly in Ireland; and the methods used in projects that are investing in people and inclusive, supportive corporate cultures in companies.”

Glenn Shanley, head of corporate banking with awards sponsor Ulster Bank Ireland, stresses the importance of collaborative research. "Collaboration is essential to innovation and, each year, it is amazing to see what can be achieved through effective collaboration," he says. "In particular, we have seen our customers and the wider SME sector benefit by collaborating with suppliers, customers, universities and research organisations. This results in an ability to innovate at pace, enrichment of skills and increased efficiency. These awards certainly highlight what is achievable through innovative partnerships and collaboration."

‘Encouraging the next generation’

The awards play an important role in stimulating innovation, he adds. “These awards recognise and acknowledge research innovation, creation and invention. By highlighting these world-class achievements, we are encouraging the next generation of start-ups, entrepreneurs and academics to continue innovating and creating. This is vitally important for Ireland as it contributes significantly to employment, export and investment, enrichment of talent and our overall competitiveness. As a small island, we must continue to innovate to maintain our position as a global leader and these awards play a big part in embedding that message.”

KPMG sponsors the award for multinational corporations. “In general, the awards are a superb opportunity to showcase the unbelievable research projects that are ongoing in multinational companies around the country,” says Anna Scally. “They also offer a great opportunity to get an insight into what is actually happening inside the multinationals. And while it is always difficult to come up with the winners, as the quality of the projects is always excellent, we always look forward to the judging days.”

Ireland is a global leader in innovation, and through these awards we are promoting our ambition to remain a world leader in this space

At the other end of the spectrum, the 2019 SME honours were taken by Dublin company Allergy Standards, which has developed the world’s first set of scientific standards for consumer products to determine their capability to improve indoor air quality and achieve asthma and allergy friendly certification. The certification programme is the only programme endorsed by the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America. Some of the world’s leading manufacturers, such as LG, Dyson, Procter & Gamble, 3M and De’Longhi have certified a large number of their products to the standards.

‘External validation’

“From our perspective, the award has been very beneficial as it gives that external validation and recognition for what we are doing,” says chief strategy officer John Ryan. “They have that crossover between the commercial and academic space and are specifically focused on innovation. It demonstrates that we are doing something sufficiently innovative to get that recognition. The rigour behind the judging process means that we have been recognised by scientific community as best in class in what we do. Winning an award like this is very useful at our stage of development.”

“Innovation plays a critical role in driving growth and competitiveness in a global world where innovation and expertise are key factors for the advanced economies,” adds Ulster Bank’s Glenn Shanley. “Innovation contributes to our home-grown enterprise, while also enhancing our ability to attract foreign direct investment. Ireland is a global leader in innovation, and through these awards we are promoting our ambition to remain a world leader in this space.”