Why Researchers Partner with Industry

Partnering with industry is a powerful mechanism for validating your work, securing future funding, and ensuring your research moves beyond the lab. The tangible benefits of enterprise collaboration include:

• Commercial Validation: Confirmation that your research has commercial worth, impact, and future funding potential.
• New Discoveries: Access to new discoveries or technology improvements happening in commercial areas.
• Funding Access: Ability to access additional funding schemes available only through enterprise partnerships.
• Networking: Opportunity to network with other business units and consortiums across local and global sectors.
• Strategic Access: Gaining access to technology and product development roadmaps that inform future research direction.
• Talent Pipeline: Access to the employment portal for your researchers and students and building a portfolio of future industry partners for funding opportunities. 

The Partnership Process: From Idea to Launch 

Our Business Development team simplifies the engagement process, ensuring clarity and alignment from the initial discussion through to project launch. We recognise that each engagement is unique and are committed to ensuring alignment with your research goals. 

The Business Development team offers comprehensive guidance in developing your industry proposition, facilitating discussions with partners, identifying suitable engagement mechanisms, and supporting you through to the successful launch of your project. We collaborate closely with Trinity's Research Development Office to deliver value for you and your project. 

Why Industry Partners with Trinity

Partnering with Trinity College Dublin connects your organisation directly to world-class academic expertise, high-impact research, and an extensive global network. The value of our strategic partnership includes: 

• World-Class Research: Partnership in world-class research focusing directly on your specific business challenges.
• Talent Pipeline: Evaluate future employees through direct access to top Graduate and PhD Employment / Talent.
• Financial Advantage: Achieve Significant Leveraged Research Funding, sharing costs and risks associated with R&D.
• Infrastructure Access: Utilise state-of-the-art, nationally funded infrastructure.
• Ecosystem Influence: Access to a dynamic Ecosystem & Environment to network and influence policy in Ireland and beyond.
• IP Strength: Access to intellectual property to strengthen your IP position.

There are several opportunities for companies to benefit from leveraged research funding. Our professional corporate partnership team will work with you to navigate the complicated funding system and identify the right opportunity for the proposed partnership. 

Our 5-Stage Project Journey

We manage collaborations using a proven, structured framework that covers all strategic, legal, and financial steps: 

• Opportunity Discovery: Identify internal capabilities, key sectors, and collaboration potential.
• Develop Proposition: Determine appropriate funding mechanisms, identify key business issues, and outline the programme scope and cost.
• Proposal Submission: Finalise the IP review, impact statement, budget, and manage the governance/sign-off processes.
• Execute Research Contract: Review funder terms, finalise intellectual property agreements and governance, and interface for account setup.
• Project Running: Commence execution, providing IP training, managing invention disclosures and patent applications, and delivering regular reporting. 

Case Studies

Useful Links 

• Templates for Non-Disclosure Agreements can be found on our IP Commercialisations page.
• The Research Development Office "Research Matters" service has information on all the latest funding calls