Enterprise Ireland invests €6m in research equipment

4 Jun 2020

A student working in a lab. Image: © NDABCREATIVITY/Stock.adobe.com

Enterprise Ireland is investing €6m in research equipment for the third-level sector in a bid to boost industry collaboration.

Today (4 June), Minister for Business, Enterprise and Innovation Heather Humphreys, TD, announced that Enterprise Ireland is investing €6m in research equipment to boost collaboration between research institutions and industry.

The agency is making the investment through the Capital Equipment Fund administered through the Technology Gateway and Technology Centre programmes. There were 37 successful applicants from the third-level sector that have secured a share of the €6m funding.

The Technology Gateway programme funds interactions between local and national industry and institutes of technology, with the aim of increasing collaboration and enterprise development at both a regional and national level.

Meanwhile, the Technology Centre programme is a joint initiative between Enterprise Ireland and IDA Ireland, which allows Irish companies and multinationals to work together on market-focused strategic R&D projects in collaboration with research institutions.

Access to critical equipment

The capital funding programme provides industry with access to “critical, leading-edge equipment and infrastructure”, according to Enterprise Ireland. The agency said that this will help industry to build resilience and remain globally competitive, particularly in the face of challenges posed by the coronavirus pandemic.

Funding recipients were selected based on track record of industry engagement, industrial need for the new equipment, and space to service and maintain the equipment according to international standards.

Gearoid Mooney, divisional manager of research and innovation at Enterprise Ireland, said: “Access to the best-in-class technologies can provide a step-change in how companies innovate and develop new and globally differentiated products and services.

“This important investment in equipment coupled with the support and expertise of our Technology Gateways and Technology Centres will help companies adapt, survive and, ultimately, thrive in the face of the current economic challenges.”

Supporting innovative projects

Enterprise Ireland listed all of the 37 successful applicants and their plans for the funding here.

Humphreys commented: “The Technology Gateway and Technology Centre programmes aim to bring Irish companies together with Irish research institutes to provide near-to-market innovation and solutions in a range of areas, both regionally and nationally.

“This fund directly supports innovative projects that are emerging from the ground up, providing the necessary technology to our Technology Gateways and Technology Centres to nurture and develop cutting-edge research projects.”

Humphreys added that she is “confident” the projects announced today have the potential to make a positive impact for the benefit of wider society, including the development of innovative solutions and methodologies to address immediate national and global needs.

Kelly Earley was a journalist with Silicon Republic

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