About the Marine Institute of Ireland

Client: The Marine Institute of Ireland 
Industry: Research Agency 
Key Stakeholders: Martina Maloney (Research Office) 
Client Since: 2008 
Tools Used: SmartSimple Cloud 

Overview 

The Marine Institute of Ireland plays a central role in funding marine research, innovation, and technology across the country. As Ireland’s leading government agency for ocean science and marine development, the Institute needed a system that could match the scale and complexity of its operations. In 2008, the Institute found that partner in SmartSimple Cloud. What began as a search for automation has grown into a long-term, collaborative relationship that continues to drive innovation in grant management. 

Challenges 

When the Marine Institute first approached SmartSimple, it was operating with: 

  • No external reporting capabilities
  • Applications were difficult to navigate
  • No online application or review process
  • Too much paper

The system in place couldn’t support the Institute’s expanding portfolio of research grants, nor could it provide stakeholders with real-time visibility. 

Solutions Implemented 

The Marine Institute selected SmartSimple Cloud for its:

  • Configurability to fit unique grant management needs 
  • End-to-end automation, from submission to final reporting 
  • Centralized data management, with role-based access for stakeholders
  • Ongoing updates and feature improvements, ensuring the platform stays modern and secure  

All key processes were gradually migrated into SmartSimple Cloud, including: 

  • Grant application intake
  • Proposal review and approvals 
  • Fund disbursement and tracking 
  • Progress reporting and close-out 

Impact & Outcomes 

The transition to SmartSimple Cloud brought immediate and long-term benefits: 

  • Significant time savings through automation 
  • Eliminated manual, paper-based tasks, improving efficiency and sustainability 
  • Centralized access to data, enabling better decision-making 
  • Improved stakeholder experience, including researchers, administrators, and reviewers 
  • Interactive map development, allowing public visitors to visualize active research projects, a unique solution inspired by the Institute

Client Testimonials 

“We’ve noticed a massive reduction in the amount of paper we produce since we so rarely need to print anything anymore. Everything is stored right in the system; reports that we would have had to create manually are now quickly created right in our SmartSimple Cloud platform. Plus, all our reports can be easily exported to other programs or posted to our website.” 

“It was immediately clear after seeing SmartSimple demonstrate their system capabilities for us that this was the only platform that could meet our needs.” 

— Martina Maloney, Research Office 

Key Takeaways 

After nearly 14 years of partnership, the Marine Institute continues to challenge and inspire SmartSimple to innovate. The relationship is a shining example of client-driven collaboration, with both organizations benefiting from shared success and growth. The Marine Institute’s request for an interactive marine research map has become one of SmartSimple’s most unique client-driven features, demonstrating how user input directly shapes platform evolution.