[30.01.2007 first posted on silicon republic]
Irish businesses operating in the fields of mobile television and virtual content workplaces are among five industries that will receive €1.5m in support from Enterprise Ireland (EI) to undertake collaborative research projects.

The EI Networks Pilot initiative aims to establish the potential of industry-led networks to act as a vehicle for achieving enterprise and economic development in Ireland.
The pilot is designed to support through grant aid up to 10 proposals from industry networks consisting of groups of companies that are clients of EI, the IDA, Shannon Development, the County Enterprise Boards and Údarás na Gaeltachta.
Supports of up to €200,000 per network will be available under the scheme.
The five networks identified under the current raft of funding are: the Mobile TV Pilot Network, the Virtual Content Workspace Network, the Furniture Innovation Network, the Construction IT Alliance and a pharmaceutical/medical device network called the EspireGroup.
The Mobile TV Pilot Network, or Moby TV, is a network of enterprises and partners representing the full value chain associated with the emerging mobile TV marketplace.
The Moby TV network will test, trial and pilot interactive content over the mobile TV medium.
The Virtual Content Workspace Network was set up by a group of geographically dispersed Irish content companies to develop a portal for the purpose of achieving economies of scale and effective collaboration on projects.
EI chief executive Frank Ryan explained: “The diverse range of industry-led network projects announced today highlights the many ways in which companies can work together to identify and collaborate on mutual business development objectives.
“These five network projects are representative of both the traditional industry sectors and the growing hi-tech sectors of our economy,” he added.
Last year funding was approved for up to 16 industry-led networks from a range of sectors across Ireland.
Such networks, the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment Micheál Martin explained, are vital at removing complex issues faced by emerging industries.
“The economic landscape is becoming more complex for enterprises on the island of Ireland as a consequence of the increasingly global marketplace in which we compete.
“Collaborative networks are often used when businesses face complex issues, whether in the local or international marketplace. A growing number of leading firms are witnessing first-hand the positive impact that collaborating as part of a network can bring to their business,” Minister Martin added.
By John Kennedy