The Technology Transfer Office (TTO) is responsible for supporting and developing the university’s innovative activity. The TTO's primary mission is the commercialisation of the university's expertise for the benefit of UL and the wider community.

This is delivered through: promoting and supporting the initiation, growth and development of campus companies facilitating and strengthening research and partnering contacts with industry developing the university's intellectual property working with the development agencies to enhance the competitive position of existing industry in the mid-west, and to attract mobile investment to this region.

Services provided by UL's Technology Transfer Office include:

• Facilitating University-industry research collaborations

• Research Collaboration with access to talent (i.e. PhD’ & Post Docs)

• Supporting inward investment in the mid-west regions

• Enabling knowledge transfer to industry and society

• Commercialising University of Limerick Intellectual Property

• Facilitating new campus company formation and development

• Providing support for start-up businesses at the Nexus Innovation Centre

• Consultancy and Analytical Testing Services

The University of Limerick has an established reputation for being Ireland's leading university in industry-led research. This has resulted in significant research commercialisation activities and collaboration between our leading researchers and industry. All of our key research indicators are showing strong growth, with increases in research applications, research income, postgraduate numbers and commercialisation activities complementing the strong gains in research outputs.

Knowledge Transfer Ireland

Knowledge Transfer Ireland (KTI) works with business, investors, higher education institutes, state research organisations, research funders and government agencies to facilitate the transfer of state-funded technology, ideas and expertise to businesses to drive innovation. The KTI website provides additional information on funding available and what to expect when engaging with a higher education institute such as the University of Limerick.

Our Team

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Paul Dillon - Director, Technology Transfer Office

Paul is responsible for knowledge transfer and enterprise support policy, services and processes within the Office of Vice President Research. These include; facilitation of university-industry research collaboration, knowledge transfer, intellectual property management, technology transfer and licensing, enterprise development, campus company formation, research contract negotiations, and the development and administration of appropriate support services and quality assurance systems. He is a Registered Technology Transfer Professional with a Bachelor’s Degree in Engineering from TCD and a Masters in Technology from UL.

E-mail: Paul.dillon@ul.ie 

Phone: +353 61 202611

Dr. Margaret Lawlor - Case Manager, Life Sciences

Margaret works with researchers in UL in the field of lifesciences to help them maximise the impact of their research to the benefit of Ireland and the world. Margaret has more than 20 years’ experience in developing and commercialising technology in roles ranging from R&D Principal Investigator and Intellectual Property Officer in the Diagnostics industry to Business Development Manager in the University Sector both in the UK and Ireland. She has extensive experience in Collaborative Research, Contract Research, Consultancy and supporting university Spinouts to secure finance and investment the lifescience field. Margaret is RTTP accredited in Technology Transfer, has an PhD in Biochemistry from UCD and a BSc in Biochemistry from UCC.

E-mail: margaret.lawlor@ul.ie

Phone: +353 61 202212

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Conor Morris - Case Manager, ICT

Conor’s role is to enable the University of Limerick to achieve strategic goals knowledge transfer and business engagement in the field of information and communications technology (ICT) by delivering professional support services to University faculty, research staff and industry in the field of ICT. Principal activity is managing and commercialising intellectual property arising from the university’s research activities in the information and communications technology (ICT) area. Conor is a Registered Technology Transfer Professional , qualified to a Master’s degree level in computer engineering, complemented with a Master’s in Business Administration (MBA)

E-mail: conor.morris@ul.ie 

Phone: +353 61 234842

Dr. Joan O’Sullivan - Case Manager, Engineering / Medical Technologies

Joan is responsible for managing intellectual property arising from engineering and medical technologies research in UL. She works with UL researchers to commercialise their research in these areas for the benefit of society. She provides intellectual property support to researchers in the areas of patenting, proposal preparation, collaborative research with industry and licensing.  She also works with campus company founders who are commercialising UL research through the formation of new start-up companies. Joan has thirteen years post-doctoral experience in academia and industry, and has worked in technology transfer roles for the past nine years.  Joan is a Registered Technology Transfer Profession (RTTP), she has a PhD from Trinity College, an MSc from NUIG, and BSc and Postgraduate Diploma in Technology Commercialisation from UL.

E-mail: joan.b.osullivan@ul.ie 

Phone: +353-61-202513

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Simone Mullally - Marketing & Communications Officer

Simone graduated from the University of Limerick with a Degree in Marketing and has over six years’ experience in the marketing industry.
In her role within the TTO, Simone works closely with external stakeholders to capture impact, document outcomes and create a positive narrative around knowledge transfer and industry-academia research collaboration activities.

Email: simone.mullally@ul.ie

Katrina Bradley - Business Engagement Manager 

Katrina is a highly qualified Business Developer. Her global and domestic customer success extends across multiple technologies, and industries in areas of R&D, innovation, and entrepreneurship. She spent 20 years working at senior levels in multinational companies in the medical devices, aerospace and inshore mining fields. She then established a successful business consultancy practice in 2011 commercialising research from almost every third-level institute in Ireland. Katrina played many a key role in licencing technologies, including a Google buy-out. She also founded an endoscopy medical device company which won the SeedLab award for the most innovative technology.  

E-mail: katrina.bradley@ul.ie

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Katrina Bradley