Small businesses urged to invest in R and D

SMALL businesses in the mid-west region are missing out on huge opportunities by failing to invest in research and development (R&D), manufacturing and marketing, a leading academic from Limerick Institute of Technology (LIT) said over the weekend.

LIT director Maria Hinfelaar said homegrown companies needed practical assistance to place marketing at the centre of their business and that local SMEs needed to be able to respond quickly to changing markets.

Dr Hinfelaar was speaking at a major regional marketing conference at Limerick's Radisson SAS hotel that was organised by employers group IBEC.