NWRC partners with Cork’s SimoTech to drive industry 4.0 AI capabilities
NWRC's Industry 4.0 Centre and XR Hub merge academic research with commercial engineering.
North West Regional College (NWRC) has just completed an innovation project with a Cork based engineering and automation company to strengthen its AI capabilities and support long term innovation.
The collaboration brought together SimoTech's engineering expertise with specialist knowledge from NWRC's Industry 4.0 Centre and XR Hub, to explore the application of Artificial Intelligence and emerging digital technologies within the business.
The 18-month Innovation Boost project, supported by InterTradeIreland, enhanced SimoTech's capability in AI, software development and digital transformation, while supporting the development and evaluation of new AI-enabled technologies. Throughout the project, SimoTech and NWRC worked together on the development and evaluation of Artificial Intelligence and digital technologies, while facilitating knowledge transfer between the company and the academic team. The project also strengthened the company's internal capability in AI, software development and digital innovation.
A key outcome of the project was the appointment of Rohit Rishav, who joined SimoTech as the Innovation Boost Project Manager, to a permanent position within the company. During the project, Rohit led the technical development activities, working closely with both SimoTech and NWRC to deliver the project's objectives.
Ross O'Neill, Information Systems Manager at SimoTech, said: "This collaboration provided an excellent opportunity to work with NWRC and strengthen our capability in Artificial Intelligence and emerging digital technologies. The knowledge and expertise developed throughout the project have been valuable to the business, and Rohit's continued full-time involvement with SimoTech helped ensure that this capability was embedded directly within our team and aligned with our long-term innovation goals."
Cathal Ferry, Manager of NWRC's Industry 4.0 Centre added: "This project demonstrates the value of collaboration between industry and academia. Working with SimoTech enabled our team to apply emerging technologies within a commercial environment while strengthening our expertise in Artificial Intelligence and digital technologies. The collaboration also created valuable opportunities for knowledge transfer that will benefit our future work with students and industry."
Martin O’Kane, Innovation and Entrepreneurship Programme Manager at InterTradeIreland, which funded the project, said: ‘’This Innovation Boost project between NWRC and SimoTech demonstrates the invaluable benefits of collaborating across the island of Ireland, and showcases how knowledge sharing drives innovation, and improves processes, products and services.
"The Innovation Boost programme helps create stronger partnerships, and supports businesses to grow and increase their competitiveness. It also gives them the confidence to address technical challenges and pursue their innovative ideas to bring them to life. For more information on Innovation Boost or to apply, visit the InterTradeIreland website.
For more information about SimoTech visit https://simotechnology.com/ and for further details on how the BSC can help your business email [email protected] or to find out more about the Innovation Boost programme see https://intertradeireland.com/innovation/innovation-boost.