South East Technological University (SETU) has become the first university in Ireland to join Technology Transfer Facilities for Impact (TT4I), an international network run by the Impact Licensing Initiative.
Through the network, SETU will work with international partners to identify technologies developed through university research that could benefit new users and communities. The University will explore how licensing agreements can help those technologies reach new markets while setting measurable social or environmental goals alongside commercial objectives.
The collaboration will allow SETU to “contribute to emerging European best practice while exploring new opportunities for our researchers and industry partners,” said Dr James O’Sullivan, Head of Innovation and Commercialisation at SETU. He added, “Joining the Impact Licensing Initiative represents an important step in SETU's commitment to ensuring that our research delivers meaningful impact.”
The network connects universities and technology transfer teams with organisations that can help put research technologies to use in underserved markets. SETU will have opportunities to take part in workshops, share expertise with other members and assess which technologies might be suitable for this type of licensing.
“We are delighted to welcome South East Technological University to the TT4I network as our first university partner in Ireland,” said Johan Moyersoen, General Manager of the Impact Licensing Initiative. He said the collaboration could help technologies reach more people and communities while maintaining opportunities for commercial development.
For SETU’s Technology Transfer Office, the network offers a chance to consider who could benefit from a technology when licensing options are first discussed. Carol Faughnan, Commercialisation Case Officer at SETU, said these decisions often involve weighing “commercial value, access to innovation and the wider mission of the university”. Impact licensing gives the team a way to consider those priorities together from the outset.
