17th October 2007

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Researchers from the University of Ulster who specialise in working with ageing and disabled people in Ireland have officially linked up with a pan-European innovation network that spans high-tech corporations and global researchers.

Yesterday in Brussels, the University of Ulster’s TRAIL (Technologies for Rurality, Ageing and Independent Living) laboratory was invited to join the European Network of Living Labs (ENOLL), helping the University of Ulster realise its vision to be a model of an outstanding regional university with a strong, international and socially inclusive research agenda. 

As an ENOLL member, the University is now connected to a powerful innovation network that includes high-tech corporations and global researchers. It is estimated that Living Labs in Europe account for a cross-border network of more than 70 million end users that connect the capabilities of local prototyping-grounds with a critical mass to attract investments.

The invitation to join ENOLL has resulted from a strong commitment to embracing new approaches to innovation by the University of Ulster, including the establishment of a multi-disciplinary team from across the University, including the Schools of Computing and Mathematics, Health Sciences and Business Organisation and Management. The University’s Office of Innovation has also played a pivotal role in supporting the growth of TRAIL. 

“TRAIL is a new kind of laboratory, called a living lab, which is a fresh approach to stimulate and accelerate innovation and to connect and empower ordinary people to participate in research, development and innovation for experimentation and validation of new products and services,” said Dr Maurice Mulvenna, a Senior Lecturer from the School of Computing and Mathematics in the University.

Dr Mulvenna added: “The TRAIL model brings together user needs, market demand and technology at a very early stage of the innovation process. The upside of this is that we can quickly and more accurately understand just what is viable and how end users can help guide and validate the most promising concepts to commercialisation.” 

Suzanne Martin, a Lecturer in Occupational Therapy from the School of Health Sciences, said: “TRAIL is going to offer ageing and disabled people in Northern Ireland new ways to participate in designing products that can make a difference to their lives. People who will ultimately benefit from new technologies will be core to the design process, influencing researchers and developers.”

Brendan Galbraith, Lecturer in Business from the School of Business Organisation and Management, said: “The establishment of TRAIL will build on the University’s research and teaching excellence in innovation as well as translating novel research into practical solutions in the form of new products or services. Additionally, the living lab approach has enormous untapped potential to renew existing products, services and processes, particularly in public sector departments, and help cultivate new market opportunities for local SMEs.” 

TRAIL is located in the School of Computing and Mathematics at Jordanstown and works closely with ageing and disabled people across Ireland.

Jonathan Wallace, Dr Chris Nugent, Dr Dewar Finlay and Dr George Moore from the School of Computing and Mathematics are closely involved in directing the development of TRAIL.  

The lab is supported by the University and projects are financed by Atlantic Philanthropies, Alzheimer’s Association, Northern Ireland HPSS R&D Office and the European Commission’s Information Science Technologies (IST)  Programme and INTERREG IIIa programme. 

  

For further information, please contact:

Trina Porter
Telephone: 028 71675511
Email: Trina Porter