Innovation 4 Growth Winners Announced at Clontarf Castle
Enterprise Ireland Innovation 4 Growth programme in partnership with the IMI. Innovation awards sponsored by Deloitte Ireland recognises ambitious and visionary Irish entrepreneurs

• Ash Technologies Ltd named Most Innovative Company winner for year one of the programme
• Merlyn Industries takes home Most Innovative Company award for year two  

Ash Technologies and Merlyn Industries were named as winners of the Innovation 4 Growth (I4G) Most Innovative Company Award in a ceremony hosted in Clontarf Castle on December 2nd.

The Enterprise Ireland Innovation 4 Growth programme which encompasses innovative management teams across all sectors is run in partnership with the Irish Management Institute.

Innovation 4 Growth is a unique programme specifically designed to meet the needs of ambitious and entrepreneurial Irish companies seeking to use innovation as a way to unlock opportunities in the marketplace. A team of five judges – three from Deloitte and two from Enterprise Ireland – chose the two winners and runners up of the Most Innovative Company award sponsored by Deloitte, which honours achievements from two separate phases of the programme.

The winner of Most Innovative Company award from the first phase of the programme (I4G1) was Ash Technologies Ltd. from Kildare. The company was selected by the judges due to their success in moving their business from low vision systems to digital inspection solutions and exporting over 90% of their products. They have had 25% increase in employment levels. The winner of the distinction award for I4G1 was Dawn Meats.
Chosen as winner of Most Innovative Company from I4G2 was Merlyn Industries from Kilkenny. The I4G programme has provided Merlyn with the structure required to deliver innovation in end to end customer experience. They were honoured for having engaged in value mapping exercises with partners in their key channels. The winner of the distinction award in this phase was Mullingar business Trend Technologies.

The Most Innovative Company award winners each win a session at a Deloitte Greenhouse to support their innovation plans. Deloitte Greenhouses are cutting-edge physical spaces located around the world designed to help clients tackle their complex problems.

Shane Mohan, Partner, Consulting commented, “At Deloitte, innovation is the heart of what we do – we are constantly pushing ourselves to deliver transformative solutions to our clients. We recognise the importance of innovation for businesses and we are delighted to see these companies rewarded for their own innovation. In addition to the recognition these awards bring, we believe that the winners sessions with us at Deloitte Greenhouse will be valuable as we seek to create a process where ideas will grow, innovation will happen, and business will grow.”

Congratulating the participants and four category winners, Niall O’Donnellan, Head of Strategy, People and Regions, Enterprise Ireland said: “The Innovation 4 Growth programme has offered all 30 participant companies a unique opportunity to enhance the impact of innovation on their business growth and performance and, furthermore, has enhanced their ability to scale. Building innovation capability is a core element of Enterprise Ireland’s strategy and our aim is to assist companies with global ambition to innovate successfully. We do this by providing support via Innovation and Research and Development funding, facilitating access to third-level research, and building innovation capability through programmes such as Innovation 4 Growth. Enterprise Ireland will continue to support companies research and operationalise innovation initiatives through Innovation and R&D funding, enhancing their ability to develop new products, services and processes”.

Also speaking at the ceremony Dr. Simon Boucher, Chief Executive of the Irish Management Institute, said: “This ceremony is an important milestone for the companies which are participating in the Innovation 4 Growth programme in the IMI. While tonight’s finale marks the end of this programme, it is only the beginning of the inspirational innovation journeys these companies have embarked on.”

About the Innovation 4 Growth Programme 
Enterprise Ireland has partnered with the Irish Management Institute to deliver Innovation 4 Growth, a unique programme specifically designed to meet the needs of ambitious and entrepreneurial Irish companies seeking to use innovation as a way to unlock opportunities in the marketplace.

Centred on three distinct Journey Phases the programme also incorporates significant peer-to-peer and business coaching support to help companies implement innovation practices.