€10M MEDTECH ACCELERATOR FUND

Kernel Capital has launched the €10M Bank of Ireland MedTech Accelerator Fund – Ireland’s First seed fund to focus exclusively on the indigenous medical technology sector. With investments ranging from €100,000 to €500,000, the fund is focused on export-orientated, high potential start-up life science companies operating in the medical device, diagnostics or medical / laboratory sectors. The launch of this fund marks the introduction of NUI
Galway as an investor with Kernal Capital, joining its strategic alliance partners the University of Limerick, as well as Bank of Ireland and Enterprise Ireland. The MedTech Accelerator Fund will operate synergistically with other Funds Managed by Kernel Capital, including the Seroba Kernel Life Sciences Fund, which typically invests in the €2M to €5M range in later stage projects.

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EXCEL AT EXPORT SELLING WORKSHOP

Enterprise Ireland has developed a series of workshops aimed at rapidly embedding the proven tools of best international selling practice into Irish companies looking to up skill for export growth.

The Excel at Export Selling workshops have a single-topic focus. The 2011 series maintains a deliberate focus on the three fundamental building blocks of successful international selling:

• Developing a Compelling Customers Value Proposition
• Following a Systematic Repeatable Sales Process
• Executing a Well-Defined Route-to–Market Strategy

In addition, it has been expanded to offer new topics such as Building a Competitive Intelligence Mindset in your Company and Doing Business in Different Cultural Environments. Each workshop is one day in duration and offers an individual company a follow-up session with expert facilitators.

For dates of forthcoming workshop visit ‘Featured Events’ at www.enterprise–ireland.com/Events

INCREASED PERFORMANCE RELATED PAY

LANDMARK PATENT DEAL ACROSS EU 25 COUNTRIES

Small firms will find it easier to protect their inventions from copycats after a landmark deal in Brussels which paves the way for an EU-wide patent. The breakthrough comes after more than a decade of political wrangling and promises to cut the cost of patenting products in Europe. It will also radically reduce the amount of red tape faced by Irish based exporters keen on selling their wares in several European countries. At present, the cost of filing patents in Europe is significantly higher than in the US and Japan because innovative firms must secure patents in each of the countries where they want to do business. This means hefty legal and translation costs, as well as a degree of legal uncertainty arising from inconsistent interpretations of national patent law by individual national courts.

The EU could soon have an EU wide patent supported by a single European patent court which will settle intellectual property disputes. Until now, Italy and Spain have insisted that patents be translated into their languages, but a new compromise agreed by the majority of countries will see patents translated into English, French & German with machine translation for other Languages. This enhanced cooperation means the 25 Countries which agree on a new unified patent regime will press ahead and others can join later if they wish.