On the 15th of March, Enterprise Ireland and the Irish Rugby Football Union (IRFU) announced that its sports innovation partnership is set to continue and will return for a second phase, giving more Irish companies an opportunity to test, trial, and potentially scale their products in a professional rugby environment.
Up to three companies will be selected to participate in this phase of the programme, and Enterprise Ireland will support the process by providing the selected participants with a wrap-around support programme, which will include financial support, mentoring and access to specialist expertise. The engagement in the programme for the selected companies will be between 9-12 months.
This sports innovation partnership initially launched in 2022 and three companies were ultimately selected to test and validate their products and innovations, working with teams across the organisation, including our national squads.
Following the success of the first phase, the partnership will now continue, and new applications will be sought from companies that are supported by Enterprise Ireland who have innovative solutions and technologies which focus on three key areas;
- Accelerating Women’s Rugby in Ireland;
- Improving Player Availability and Wellbeing;
- Uncovering Next Generation Fan Insights and Experiences
Speaking on the partnership, Keith Brock, Senior Development Adviser, Enterprise Ireland said
“Global leaders are increasingly turning to Irish innovators for strategic solutions to challenges, so we are delighted to partner with this elite sporting organisation to connect them with our impressive start-up community.“
“The success of the first phase of this programme was testament to the quality of Irish tech companies and their innovations, so we are delighted to continue this partnership as it will enable innovators and start-ups to gain insights at an early stage of their product or services development. Sport is an important part of Irish society and sports technology is a growing sector in Ireland, so we’re both committed and proud to support the innovation in this area.”
Scott Walker, IRFU Director of Strategy and Technology said“Technology is an important driver in the world of Irish Sport, so the IRFU is extremely excited to partner with Enterprise Ireland for a second phase of this initiative. We are excited to further explore and pilot emerging technologies that advance the IRFU’s priorities and align to its strategy.”
(Source: Enterprise-Ireland.com)
