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Council seeking smart solutions to problems relating to re-use of Limerick historic buildings

Attending a meeting to announce a Competition to help Limerick seek smart solutions to problems relating to re-use of Limerick historic buildings businesses for fire safety and universal access solutions were Neil Kerrigan, Head Global Supply Chain SBIR Enterprise Ireland, Rosie Webb, Senior Architect, Urban and Village Renewal Dept, Limerick City & Co Council, Mihai Bilauca, Head of Digital Strategy, Limerick City & Co Council and Thomas Joyce, Executive Architect, Limerick City & Co. Council
Photograph Liam Burke/Press 22.

Council seeking smart solutions to problems relating to re-use of Limerick historic buildings

Limerick City and County Council is inviting companies to tender to develop innovative solutions to address two of the key issues relating to the reuse of Limerick historic buildings within City Centre.

Eamon Ryan, Head of Enterprise, LEO, Rosie Webb, Senior Architect, Limerick City & Co Councils and Joe Leddin, Midwest Regional Skills Manager. Photograph Liam Burke/Press 22.


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Limerick City and County Council, in partnership with Enterprise Ireland, Dublin City Council, Local Enterprise Office (LEO) Limerick and Innovate Limerick, has launched a Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) competition with €80,000 in funding today.

The competition is looking for cost-effective solutions to deal with fire safety and universal access in the ongoing use of the historic buildings to create a more sustainable development model for these historic structures.

Enterprise Ireland’s Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) initiative aims to create partnerships between SMEs and public bodies to develop innovative solutions to public needs through competitive challenges. These challenges are co-funded by Enterprise Ireland and the relevant public sector body. Since the first challenges were launched in 2016, the initiative has been gaining traction – 21 challenges are currently running across contracting authorities nationally.

Speaking at the launch of the competition in ENGINE, which provides a platform for engagement for all stages of enterprise, Rose Webb, Senior Architect with Limerick City and County Council said: “This is an excellent opportunity for small and emerging companies to propose innovative solutions and technologies to address the dereliction and underuse of historic buildings in the city centre.”

Successful applicants will be selected by an open competition process run in two phases (feasibility and prototyping). It is open to anyone with an idea or solution, including organisations of all sizes, tech developers, solution and service providers, universities and entrepreneurs.

Eamon Ryan, Head of Enterprise, LEO Limerick said: “SBIR gives a platform to SMEs with innovative ideas to actively tackle societal needs and challenges through strategic collaborations with public bodies. This is done through competitive challenges and the challenge being launched today targets important issues. I look forward to seeing the solutions coming from this challenge which has the potential to make positive impacts both here in Ireland and around the globe.”

Tom Kelly, Head of Innovation, Enterprise Ireland said, “Enterprise Ireland is delighted to collaborate with Limerick City and County Council as part of the SBIR Ireland initiative. SBIR is a proven mechanism to develop partnerships between SMEs and public bodies to develop innovative solutions that address specific public needs and challenges. Ireland, and certainly Limerick is rich in history and this is evident through our cities’ oldest buildings. I am looking forward to seeing the results of this particular challenge which will promote the longevity of our historical infrastructure by harnessing the ingenuity of innovative companies in terms of fire safety and universal access. 

Full information and the invitations to tender will be available on 14 September on www.etenders.gov.ie and www.limerick.ie. See www.enterprise-ireland.com/sbir for further information.

To find out more about the challenge, a briefing event will be held in Limerick City on 3 October, please register via Eventbrite

For more information on Enterprise Ireland go here.

For more stories on Enterprise Ireland go here.

Richard is a presenter, producer, songwriter and actor. He was named the Limerick Person of the Year (2011) and won an online award at the Metro Éireann Media and Multicultural Awards (2011) for promoting multi-culturalism online. Richard says that the ilovelimerick.com concept is very much a community driven project that aims to document life in Limerick. So, that in 20 years time people can look back and remember the events that were making the headlines.