As Technology Gateway Manager, he aims to make the Institute the go-to innovation partner for Irish businesses looking for new opportunities and solutions in ICT
Walton Institute in South East Technological University (SETU) is delighted to welcome Liam Fitzgerald to the team as TSSG Technology Gateway Manager.
Funded by Enterprise Ireland, the Technology Gateway is the commercial interface of Walton Institute and supports start-ups, micro-SME’s, and scaling SME’s in direct industry projects. In his new role, Liam will help innovative Irish businesses access the great talent, state of the art infrastructure, and ICT research & development solutions available at Walton including more than 80 researchers exploring areas such as mixed reality, e-textiles, data, digitisation, satellite communications, quantum computing, future networks, and artificial intelligence, with applications across a variety of industries from agriculture, energy and healthcare, to transport tourism and business services.
Extensive experience
With a career spanning 25 years, Liam has extensive experience supporting entrepreneurs and entrepreneurship, helping businesses understand which innovation makes strategic sense and supporting them on their journey. In particular, over the last seven years Liam has focused on promoting highly innovative, technology driven businesses through Enterprise Ireland funded initiatives in university settings.
During this time, he has had the pleasure to work with more than 100 early stage start ups, many of whom have successfully raised significant funding, created valuable employment, and are scaling to international markets. A number of these start ups have secured multi million-euro investments, with the top 20 securing in excess of €25m in total.
Prior to joining Walton, Liam was Project Director for the Launching Future Disruptive Technologies Summit, a university technology commercialisation conference attended by 275 people with 40 contributors from the island of Ireland, the United Kingdom, Europe, and the United States.
Vision for the Technology Gateway
Speaking of his ambition for this new role, Liam said, “I am passionate about entrepreneurship, business, and education so I’m delighted to get this opportunity to lead the Technology Gateway in Walton Institute. It’s an exciting time to be involved in this dynamic and ambitious Institute and also to be part of the newest university in Ireland, South East Technological University.
My vision for the Technology Gateway is to make it the go-to innovation partner for Irish businesses looking to find new opportunities and solutions in information and communication technologies. I hope to achieve this by supporting the great people who have been driving the success of the Gateway to date and by creating an environment that facilitates even more success.”
Kevin Doolin, Executive Director of Walton Institute, welcomes Liam to the team. “We are delighted to have Liam at the helm of the Technology Gateway in Walton. He brings substantial experience to the table and I look forward to working with him as the Institute continues to grow in 2023.”
Funding opportunities
Through the Enterprise Ireland funded Technology Gateway, Irish businesses can avail of a number of funding opportunities to engage Walton Institute in their innovation strategy. The experienced business development team at the Gateway are ready to help your business today. For more information contact [email protected]