Three disruptive tech projects to share €13.3m in Government funding

16 Dec 2022

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Two medtech projects and one focused on climate action are being backed, bringing researchers and industry together.

Three more research-based projects are set to receive Government funding under the fourth round of the Disruptive Technologies Innovation Fund (DTIF).

The funding announced today (16 December) is the second tranche of awards to be distributed in this round.

Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment Leo Varadkar, TD, said that €13.3m would be shared among the 11 partners involved in the three projects.

He added that this would bring the total allocation from this fourth funding call to more than €53m across 14 projects.

The first tranche of awards under the fourth call was announced in November, with 11 projects receiving €40m. Funding went to innovations in fields such as health and wellbeing, advanced robotics and machine learning.

The DTIF aims to drive collaboration between Ireland’s researchers and industry, and develop disruptive technologies for eventual commercial application.

The latest projects to receive funding are in the areas of medtech and climate action.

Dublin medtech start-up CroiValve, which raised €8m earlier this year, will lead a project involving University College Dublin and Blueacre Technology. With funding of €5.9m, the group will look at ways to improve treatment for patients with leaking heart valves.

Meanwhile, Galway’s InVera Medical is leading research into vessel wall intervention for vein closure in venous leg ulcerations. The project got €4.6m and will see InVera work with University of Galway, Atlantic Technological University and Innovative Catheter Solutions.

The third project to bag funding is focused on climate action and sustainability. Biotech company GlasPort Bio will lead a project looking into ways to reduce the carbon footprint – or hoofprint – of livestock. With backing of €2.8m, it will work with University of Galway, University College Cork and Devenish.

Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science Simon Harris, TD, welcomed the three latest projects to receive DTIF funding, calling them “further evidence of the links between excellent research and our strong industry base”.

“The six enterprise partners and five research institutions involved will work together to convert their industrial research into products that can disrupt existing markets,” he concluded.

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Blathnaid O’Dea is Careers reporter at Silicon Republic

editorial@siliconrepublic.com