Rockley Photonics, a leader in silicon photonics, has collaborated with the SFI IPIC centre in the Tyndall Institute at University College Cork since 2017. This is regarded as one of UCC’s most successful collaboration partnerships that has included 11 commercial licences being granted. In 2020, on the back of this success, the company established Rockley Photonics Ireland in Cork which grew to ten employees in 2021. Rockley continues to collaborate extensively with Tyndall researchers and has recently extended the collaborative research agreement for a further three years to 2024 making it one of Tyndall’s largest-ever industry engagements. Rockley has also developed a number of other collaborations with UCC including a Disruptive Technologies Innovation Fund project in 2020.
The Innovation Office at UCC supports IPIC across all aspects of industry engagement and was involved in all project contract negotiations between the centre and Rockley from 2017 to 2021. The Innovation Office works closely with all involved to provide support on licensing and other elements of IP management and protection.