What Our Clients Say
‘VARA assisted Trinity College Dublin’s €100M ADAPT Centre in developing Ireland’s largest indigenous sectors, Agriculture & Agri-food. Within a short period, they had set up meetings with senior management from the largest companies in the sector and were enabling open discussions around how ADAPT could help those companies find their way with digital opportunities and challenges. Throughout the process communication and direction was strong and reporting with recommendations was comprehensive and timely. We highly recommend VARA as a suitable market engagement solutions provider for any third level research centre’
Associate Director of Commercialisation
‘I have worked with Kieran Fegan of VARA over several years across many projects. I have always found him to be extremely knowledgeable, very understanding and delivers what he has says he will deliver. He has an ability to relate to people at all levels and gain an understanding of the key issues to arrive at an effective innovative solution or strategy. I look forward to working with Kieran on the next project and cannot recommend him highly enough’
Managing Director – Kilian Cawley
‘Securing trialling partners was key to funding approval for us and this wouldn’t have happened without VARA’s input.”
“VARA’s ability to get speaking with key decision makers and persuade them to get involved in a technology’s development is extraordinary”
Nimbus Centre, Munster Technological University – Ronan Coleman and Dr Conor Lynch
‘VARA were recommended to us to assist in the development of an ambitious own product idea which we believed could support our company’s next stage growth strategy. VARA introduced us to the concept of problem scouting; using market engagement / new customer discovery techniques to ensure that we were addressing a problem worth solving and to fully define our project’s unique value proposition potential. VARA uncovered fantastic new insights from multinational companies, we hadn’t engaged with previously at Director level. We still haven’t figured out how they were able to engage with Companies such as Novo Nordisk, Viant Medical and Flex at Director level and this has helped shape our thinking on how we should progress. VARA also applied for and secured €300K R&D funding to support the development. We continue working with VARA and have no hesitation in recommending them‘
CEO, Verus Metrology Partners – Andrew Hodson
‘TU Dublin Innovation engaged the services of VARA Innovation Specialists in 2022 to support our team with progressing potential spin-out opportunities, through Commercial Feasibility and Commercialisation Funding to Spin-out as well as providing support to Spinouts post company formation. We have been very impressed with the overall VARA approach, driving demand for commercialisation support by delivering clever lean start-up workshops utilising tools such as the Business Model Canvas to get researchers interested in commercialising their technologies. TU Dublin Innovation’s commercialisation metrics have increased this year and the support provided by VARA Innovation Specialists has contributed to that substantially‘
Head of Innovation & Knowledge Transfer, Technological University Dublin – Dr. Paul Maguire
‘VARA has worked with our company to speak with potential customers and help us identify and understand novel applications for our new organic product. VARA is also working with us to cultivate new commercial relationships across those applications. We have been very impressed with the VARA approach and will continue to use them as we route forward to market’
Managing Director – Brendan Chambers
‘Kieran Fegan has supported many TfI clients in recent years providing a valuable input across our commercial feasibility consultancy projects. Kieran has an extraordinary ability to gain access to and attract interest from key influencers from within all types of organisations including large blue-chip multinational companies. TfI client feedback is always very complimentary, and I have no hesitation recommending Kieran’s proactive market focused approach’
CEO – Noel Halloran
‘VARA has worked with Helix supporting innovation development across several projects. Kieran also works with Helix providing the customer discovery training as part of the boot camp delivery team on the ICURe (Innovation-to-Commercialisation of University Research) Programme for Universities across Northern England, Scotland and Northern Ireland. Kieran is a very capable and versatile innovation consultant who always exceeds expectations’
Managing Director – Peter Grant
‘I have worked with Kieran Fegan across several projects. Kieran led a €2.5 Million Open Innovation project where he oversaw its development & delivery ensuring all targets set for the project were exceeded. He has acted as business advisor for our Lean Launchpad programme on two occasions and he is presently involved in delivering the very successful Innovate UK funded ICURe programme. Kieran takes ownership of any project he is involved in and makes it happen. We have always had a very positive experience of working with Kieran and continue to avail of his support’
Head of Commercial Development – Paul Donachy
For further information on our organisation, its services and how we can assist your business. Contact us today.