Mr Aidan Browne

Biography

Aidan is responsible for DkITs industry engagement and commercial output agenda driving enterprise and incubation support and technology transfer activities. Aidan is time served craftsperson (toolmaking), with post graduate Master qualification in Manufacturing: Management & Technology and Business Studies, He is a graduate of IT Sligo, Dundalk Institute of Technology, The Open University, and Harvard University [online]. Aidan is both a certified business coach and a Registered Technology Transfer Professional and holds professional certifications in Commercial Contract Management from the Irish Law Society and Corporate Governance from the Institute of Governance. With an extensive career in the private sector (manufacturing) with both indigenous and Multi-National Companies Aidan joined DkIT in 2010. Aidan has held a number of positions from an initial role as a researcher to enterprise support programme manager, technology transfer and incubation support manager all leading to his current role as Head of Innovation & Business development. Aidan leads a team of professional managers who support enterprise and entrepreneur development, stage, sector and gender specific and has extensive experience in development and implementation of large scale national and EU funded programmes.

Aidan is heavily involved in the economic development landscape in the North East region being a key stakeholder voice across a range of fora and board positions focused on economic development including the development of the North East Regional Enterprise Plans, current and previous, to which he sits on the committee and is chairperson of the SME Ecosystem development strand. Aidan also holds a number of directorship roles in not-for-profits in the enterprise support and financing domain specialising in working with high tech, knowledge intensive companies during their start-up and early growth phases.