Tyndall offers €20,000 prize in search for 'deep tech' start-ups

Prof Martyn Pemble, Stokes Professor of Materials Chemistry, Tyndall; Jo Southernwood, senior research engineer, International Energy Research Centre, Tyndall; Dr Giorgos Fagas, head of EU Programmes, Tyndall; Dr Patrick Morrissey, head of Photonics Operations and centre manager of IPIC, Tyndall; and Dr Carlos Ochoa, senior researcher, International Energy Research Centre, Tyndall. Picture: Michael O'Sullivan /OSM PHOTO

Cork’s Tyndall National Institute is seeking applicants for a new pre-accelerator programme for "deep-tech start-ups" by offering a €20,000 prize fund.

The four-month programme will run from February to May to help entrepreneurial explorers in the area of photonics and microelectronics to “stress test their idea” and learn from European semiconductor companies, such as Osram and IQE.

Tyndall Explorer, which is based on the University College Cork campus, said it was most interested in ideas that would “address the global societal and environmental challenges that we face today”.

It said these could include solutions for health and wellbeing, a greener sustainable society, and smart agriculture and transport.

Tyndall Explorer's Patrick Morrissey said it was looking to identify and support emerging start-up ideas in the area of deep-tech "to stimulate new high-value ventures that would have economic value, impact and international reach".

“Those selected will come away from the Explorer programme with idea validation, an expanded network across Europe’s leading semiconductor companies, and investment opportunities," he said.

Global investment in deep-tech has soared since 2018, with €7.7bn invested in such deep-techs in Europe in 2019, it said.