Donal O'Herlihy

Summary

I have been a Lead Expert on the first phase of the URBACT Urb-En Pact project (net zero energy cities) and a Long Term Ad-Hoc Expert on the URBACT Transfer Mechanism pilot that saw the Vilawatt (energy) project transferred to three other cities.  I am also the UIA Expert for RE/SOURCED that is constructing a pioneering DC Smart Grid using Circular principles at Transfo in Belgium.  

I am a Chartered Engineer (C.Eng., EUR.ING.), with a BA Honours in Engineering from Trinity College Dublin (IRL), an MSc in Computer Integrated Manufacturing from Cranfield University (UK) and an MBA from University of Strathclyde (UK). After working as a Product Design Engineer, I joined the Scottish Development Agency where I led a trans-national knowledge transfer project between Scotland’s universities and Boeing Research Labs in the USA, developed a Strategy for Manufacturing for Glasgow city and was a Director of the Govan Initiative, a local development company addressing the social impact of ship-building employment losses on the River Clyde.

I have 30 years experience as an innovation management consultant and have delivered over 300 projects.  As a consultant, I have specialised in delivering industry and citizen focused knowledge transfer and innovation assignments with a specific focus on low carbon, waste minimisation (Circularity) and advanced manufacturing (Industry 4.0 and Remanufacture). These assignments have a strong renewable energy/zero carbon/waste minimisation slant. I have undertaken over 100 evaluations of ERDF programmes and projects that have supported innovation (targeted at SMEs).

I have designed and delivered seminars on Intellectual Property for new start businesses.  Separately, I have developed a range of processes for creative problem solving and idea generation and for dispute resolution. 

With URBACT IV, I am looking forward to continuing to work with cities on low carbon, renewable energy, circularity and knowledge transfer (triple helix) projects