NATIONAL NEWS

12/08/2010

Irish Academics To Partner Commerce

More college researchers are set to team up with businesses to produce products that have market potential and can create high-quality jobs following a €37 million investment boost announced this week by the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Innovation, Batt O'Keeffe.

He has set aside €37 million in extra funding over the next six years for investment in new research centres which will bring industry and academics together to work on market-focused innovative products.

The extra funding will boost investment in the Government’s Competence Centres Programme to €90 million over the next six years.

Collaborative company-led research will get under way in the research centres, which will rise from six this year to 15 in 2016.

The programme is a joint initiative between the Government's job creation agencies, Enterprise Ireland and IDA Ireland, aimed at building competitive advantage for industry and creating jobs.

- - - - - - Advertisement - - - - - -

Announcing the extra funding, Minister O'Keeffe said: "If we want to produce next generation high-tech products, we must get academic researchers working more closely with industry so that their expertise can be pooled and tailored for the market.

"The competence centres are industry-led to carry out market-focused strategic research and development which can be translated into commercialisable high-tech products.

"The Competence Centres Programme was developed to involve the industry more centrally in identifying publicly funded research.

"Clusters of firms will work together to overcome common research challenges and drive opportunities for innovation, growth and jobs," he said.

"Firms that might ordinarily be competitors agree to share knowledge, risk and the rewards of pooling their research resources," the Minister continued.

"The groups of firms are funded to access the expertise of Ireland's top universities and, at the same time, partner with small and medium-sized enterprises in developing new products and services."

Minister O'Keeffe also said the €37 million six-year investment boost will underpin the development of an environment that allows academics and business people to work together in producing market-friendly products that meet consumer demand and create jobs.

At the start of this year, five competence centres were added to the initial pilot centre, Food for Health.

These are the Centre in Nanotechnology (Tyndall Institute, UCC); Centre in Composite Materials (UL); Centre on IT Innovation (NUIM); Centre in-Bioenergy (NUIG); and Centre in Microelectronics (Tyndall Institute, UCC).

Each centre will receive up to €5 million over five years.

Enterprise Ireland and IDA Ireland are working to develop a number of other centres in the pipeline.

(BMcC/GK)
Bookmark and Share

Top Stories
23/05/2013
13 Irish Beaches Lose Blue Flag Awards
23/05/2013
€7m Funding For 62 Research Projects
22/05/2013
Sinn Féin Call On EU To Tackle Tax Evasion
22/05/2013
Large-Scale Diesel Laundering Operation Uncovered
22/05/2013
Fianna Fáil Say Pension Bill Will Be 'Massive Disappointment'
22/05/2013
Pa Byrnes Jnr Brutally Attacked In Broad Daylight
22/05/2013
Two Released Without Charge In Kerins Murder Investigation
22/05/2013
Pre-School Improvement Proposals Laid Out
22/05/2013
Co Donegal Charged Hyde Park Bombing Murders
22/05/2013
OPW Documents Confirms Spend On Ministerial Office
Submit News Story
Editorial Staff
Grafton St Improvement Scheme Launches
£4.5m Invested In Roads In The North Down Area
Hogan Accused Of Carrying Out Climate Change Debate In Secret
New Hydro Electricity Power Generator Installed In Newcastle School
Bord Gais Networks Report A Rise In Gas Meter Tampering
Doyle Urges Residents To Apply For N11 Upgrade Jobs
Solar Solutions Solve Power NI's Surprise 18% Price Increase
Call For Tánaiste To Increase Contact With NIE On The Narrow Water Bridge Project
BAM Signs N7/N11 PPP Contract
Road Maintenance Funding For Roscommon And Leitrim
Savills To Place Another Site In Churchtown
Improvement Works On A5 Begin

13 Irish Beaches Lose Blue Flag Awards
€7m Funding For 62 Research Projects
Sinn Féin Call On EU To Tackle Tax Evasion
Large-Scale Diesel Laundering Operation Uncovered
Fianna Fáil Say Pension Bill Will Be 'Massive Disappointment'
Pa Byrnes Jnr Brutally Attacked In Broad Daylight
Two Released Without Charge In Kerins Murder Investigation
Pre-School Improvement Proposals Laid Out
Co Donegal Charged Hyde Park Bombing Murders
OPW Documents Confirms Spend On Ministerial Office
Search Continues In Murdered Ex-Garda's Back Yard
Legal Experts Appear Before Oireachtas Health Committee
Coroner's Court Hears From Only Surviving Tit Bonhomme Crew
Other News In Brief
download the build app from the app store
Keystone Ireland Online Paper
ppa.co.uk
Flagship Media Group Ltd
Unit C3, 6 Westbank Drive, Belfast,
BT3 9LA, Northern Ireland
Tel (+44) 28 9031 9008
Contact : Click here

keycons003 / keycons003x21 23/05/2013 12:34:17 / A3 / B8 / 0.109375, 23.20.196.179 / BOT1

Irish Academics To Partner Commerce - More college researchers are set to team up with businesses to produce products that have market potential and can create high-quality jobs following a €37 million investment boost announced this week by the Mi
Test