Irish Manufacturing Research

Irish Manufacturing Research At IMR, we provide independant and embedded research. We focus on addressing cross-sector manufacturing challenges.

Our objective is to deliver productivity and sustainable manufacturing solutions.

IMR welcomed 21 organisations to Mullingar to visit IMR and experience innovation, research, and collaboration at our ne...
26/06/2026

IMR welcomed 21 organisations to Mullingar to visit IMR and experience innovation, research, and collaboration at our new Inside IMR | Industry Series.
It was an afternoon of networking, facility tours, technology demonstrations and great conversations.
Our next Inside IMR | Industry Series is on Thursday, 30th of July. Register now to find out how IMR supports industry through innovation, research, and collaboration and how you can get involved.
- https://eu1.hubs.ly/H0wwwSD0

Up to €400,000 in funding. No equity. No repayment.ESA Phi-Lab Ireland's Open Call 2026 is now live — and we're hosting ...
18/06/2026

Up to €400,000 in funding. No equity. No repayment.
ESA Phi-Lab Ireland's Open Call 2026 is now live — and we're hosting a free webinar to walk you through exactly how to apply - https://eu1.hubs.ly/H0wg4F80

The global space economy is forecast to hit $1.8 trillion by 2035. You don't need to be a space company to get a share of it — you just need ambition and the right support.
Join us on Friday, 26th June (10:30–11:30am) to hear:
- How to access up to €400K in non-dilutive ESA Innovation Seed Funding
- What a strong application looks like, straight from ESA Phi-Lab Ireland Manager Dr. Rob Conway-Kenny
- A first-hand account from Ubotica Technologies, one of last year's successful applicants, on their journey through the programme

Whether you work in advanced materials, additive manufacturing, precision engineering, or smart systems, this is your way into one of the fastest-growing sectors in the world.
📅 Friday, 26th June | 10:30–11:30am | Online via Zoom
Register here: https://eu1.hubs.ly/H0wg4F80

IMR had a strong presence at the Enterprise Ireland Construction Materials Forum at Enterprise Ireland's HQ in Dublin. O...
12/06/2026

IMR had a strong presence at the Enterprise Ireland Construction Materials Forum at Enterprise Ireland's HQ in Dublin. Our Commercial Director, Nick Rowe was presented in the Collaborative Projects in Practice session while our Director of Circular Economy Innovation, Geraldine Brennan lead a workshop with Senior Programme Manager Karl Crowley on Circularity, Energy & Water after lunch.

Photo (L-R): Barry Cullen, Karl Crowley, Nick Rowe, Barry Fitzpatrick, Akeem Olaleye, Alex Conway, Geraldine Brennan

And that's a wrap on another fantastic Manufacturing & Supply Chain Event for another year. What an incredible team! 2 d...
28/05/2026

And that's a wrap on another fantastic Manufacturing & Supply Chain Event for another year.
What an incredible team! 2 days of insightful talks and engaging conversations at the RDS Simonscourt!

IMR's Director of Learning & Development, Tamara Wierks was last up from IMR with her talk on "Why Skills are becoming Manufacturings Competitive Advantage” - Transforming Workforce Capabilities for the next generation of manufacturing excellence." Tamara made the case that workforce skills are now a strategic competitive advantage for manufacturers, drawing on World Economic Forum data showing 74% of manufacturers face acute skills shortages and 39% of existing skillsets will be outdated by 2030, before arguing that traditional job-based workforce models are no longer fit for purpose and that organisations must transition to a skills-based approach, combining technical capabilities like AI and automation with human skills such as adaptability and critical thinking, concluding that becoming a skills-based organisation is not an HR initiative but a manufacturing transformation strategy.

Thank you to all who dropped by our stand and please reach out if you'd like to follow up on any conversations or if you'd like more information about what we do.

We've had a blast!


CIRCULÉIRE, Manufacturing & Supply Chain Conference & Exhibition ESA Phi-Lab Ireland

Another super day so far at Day 2 of the Manufacturing & Supply Chain Conference & Exhibition and plenty more activity a...
28/05/2026

Another super day so far at Day 2 of the Manufacturing & Supply Chain Conference & Exhibition and plenty more activity at the IMR stand and from the team at IMR.

Valentina Tarasco took to the Sustainability Stage this morning for her talk “From Compliance to Competitive Edge: Building Resilience, Reducing Risk, and Unlocking Value with Circularity" where she positioned circularity as a strategic business response to regulatory pressure and operational risk rather than simply an environmental obligation. This was demonstrated through the lens of a Circular Economy Action Plan, how organisations can find efficiencies, cut costs, unlock new revenue streams, and build resilience both internally and across the supply chain.

Dr. Rob Conway-Kenny, IMR's ESA Phi Lab Ireland Manager made the case for why Irish manufacturing SMEs cannot afford to ignore the commercial space sector, outlining the scale of the opportunity as the space economy heads toward $1.8 trillion by 2035, before detailing the practical funded pathways available through ESA Phi-Lab Ireland and Enterprise Ireland, including up to €400K in equity-free innovation funding, to help Irish companies move from ambition to active participation in Europe's rapidly growing space supply chain.


More IMR action from Day 1 at the Manufacturing & Supply Chain Conference & Exhibition today in the RDS Simonscourt.Barr...
27/05/2026

More IMR action from Day 1 at the Manufacturing & Supply Chain Conference & Exhibition today in the RDS Simonscourt.

Barry Fitzpatrick took to the Digital Transformation and AI Technologies Stage to provide an overview of how FactoryXChange 2.0, Ireland's European Digital Innovation Hub for manufacturing, is helping SMEs and public sector organisations accelerate digital transformation through practical supports including AI and digital maturity guidance, test-before-invest services, cybersecurity expertise, and innovation funding pathways, with real-world examples demonstrating how organisations are moving from digital ambition to operational impact through Industry 5.0 and AI-enabled transformation initiatives.

On the same stage, Guillaume Hernoux returned to explore the next chapter of his cooking analogy for digital transformation, examining what truly changes and what remains constant now that AI has entered the picture as a capable but potentially unreliable sous-chef — fast, tireless, and knowledgeable, but liable to confidently produce poor results without proper human oversight and direction.

We're back tomorrow so if you are in the area make sure and drop by our stand at J16 and say hello!

IMR had a strong presence on the Sustainability stage at todays Manufacturing & Supply Chain Conference & Exhibition wit...
27/05/2026

IMR had a strong presence on the Sustainability stage at todays Manufacturing & Supply Chain Conference & Exhibition with 3 speakers throughout the day.

First up Anaja Ajith talk on "Mapping Material Flows for Life Cycle Assessment in Hard Materials" provided an overview of how life cycle assessment can be applied to hard materials, covering system boundaries, material flows, and recycling pathways to support cradle-to-gate comparative analysis, while highlighting practical challenges such as supplier data gaps, complex value chains, and the need for structured validation to ensure reliable results.

Daniel Whelan presented "From Insight to Impact: A Practical Approach to Building Circularity" which provided an overview of a practical pathway for embedding circularity into organisations, drawing on tools such as Circularity Maturity Models, GHG Hotspot Assessments, and Circular Economy Action Plans to help businesses move from baseline understanding to prioritised action, while highlighting the role of metrics, technical assessments, and emerging technologies in turning circular opportunities into measurable impact.

Niamh O'Sullivan's talk “Circular Innovation Leadership - insights on moving from ideas to impact" drew on research led by IMR, as part of the CIRCULÉIRE programme. This session highlighted key findings from a recent skills study exploring what is needed to advance circular innovation in practice. It also highlighted practical strategies and insights leaders need to bridge the gap between ideas and implementation.

Great day so far!

Day 1 is here! Come find Irish Manufacturing Research, FactoryXChange and CIRCUÉIRE at J16 at the Manufacturing & Supply...
27/05/2026

Day 1 is here! Come find Irish Manufacturing Research, FactoryXChange and CIRCUÉIRE at J16 at the Manufacturing & Supply Chain Conference & Exhibition!

IMR's speakers today include:
- 11:20am Anjana Ajith | Sustainable Data Collection and Mapping: Understanding Your Data Quality and Validation Requirements (Sustainability Stage)
- 12:20 Daniel Whelan | From Insight to Impact: A Practical Approach to Building Circularity (Sustainability Stage)
- 13:40 Barry Fitzpatrick | FactoryXChange 2.0: Accelerating AI & Digital Transformation for Irish Manufacturing (Digital Transformation & AI Technologies Stage)
- 13:50 — Niamh O'Sullivan | Leading for Circular Innovation — Skills Insights on Moving from Ideas to Impact (Sustainability Stage)
- 14:40 — Guillaume Hernoux | Back in the Kitchen. The AI Sous-Chef Has Arrived. Now What? (Digital Transformation & AI Technologies Stage)


IMR is heading to the Manufacturing & Supply Chain Conference & Exhibition at the RDS Simonscourt this week and we're br...
26/05/2026

IMR is heading to the Manufacturing & Supply Chain Conference & Exhibition at the RDS Simonscourt this week and we're bringing some serious expertise and a few toys with us!

Come find us at Stand J16, just to the right of the VIP Lounge entrance, which we're proud to be sponsoring this year.

IMR will have 8 speakers taking to the stage across both days, covering topics at the forefront of Irish manufacturing:
AI & Digital Transformation
- Barry Fitzpatrick - FactoryXChange 2.0: Accelerating AI & Digital Transformation for Irish Manufacturing (Day 1, 13:40)
- Guillaume Hernoux – Back in the Kitchen. The AI Sous-Chef Has Arrived. Now What? (Day 1, 14:40)

Sustainability & Circularity
- Anjana Ajith – Sustainable Data Collection and Mapping (Day 1, 11:20)
- Daniel Whelan – From Insight to Impact: A Practical Approach to Building Circularity (Day 1, 12:20)
- Niamh O'Sullivan – Leading for Circular Innovation (Day 1, 13:50)
- Valentina Tarasco – From Compliance to Competitive Edge: Building Resilience, Reducing Risk, and Unlocking Value with Circularity (Day 2, 10:00)

Space & Advanced Manufacturing
- Robert Conway-Kenny – Manufacturing for Space: Supports for Irish Companies to Lead Europe's Commercial Space Sector (Day 2, 10:40)

Skills & Workforce
- Tamara Wierks – Why Skills Are Becoming Manufacturing's Competitive Advantage (Day 2, 13:40)

Whether you want to talk AI adoption, sustainability strategy, workforce development, or what IMR can do for your organisation, our team will be there across both days. We'd love to connect.


01/05/2026

Over the past few weeks, we’ve welcomed students and community groups to IMR as part of our Future Maker Tours — an Ideas Made Real programme — opening the doors to innovation, technology, and real-world manufacturing.​

From robotics and automation to sustainability and design thinking, participants experienced first-hand how ideas become real solutions.​

But more importantly, they discovered something bigger…​
✨ That manufacturing today is driven by technology​
✨ That there are exciting and diverse career paths​
✨ And that they can be part of it​

These visits are all about sparking curiosity, building confidence, and helping the next generation see what’s possible.​

👏 A huge thank you to all the schools and groups who visited us — we loved having you! Featuring: @@

👉 Interested in bringing your students to IMR? Get in touch to learn more. linkedin.com/showcase/ideas-made-real-Ireland​

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Unit A Aerodrome Business Park, Rathcoole
Dublin
D24WC04

Opening Hours

Monday 9am - 5pm
Tuesday 9am - 5pm
Wednesday 9am - 5pm
Thursday 9am - 5pm
Friday 9am - 4pm

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