The largest investment in a single research centre in the State’s history will fund a multi-location centre uniting four universities, 30 industry partners and 200 researchers, positioning Ireland as a forerunner in data analytics research and creating jobs.
The Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation Richard Bruton, TD, and Minister for Research and Innovation Seán Sherlock, TD, today officially launched Insight, the Irish centre for data analytics.
A collaborative effort involving Dublin City University, NUI Galway, University College Cork and University College Dublin, Insight brings together more than 200 researchers from these and other higher-education institutions with 30 industry partners ranging from small Irish start-ups to established SMEs and large multinationals.
The centre will receive €88m in funding – €58m from the Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation through Science Foundation Ireland’s Research Centres Programme, plus €30m from its industry partners.
It is said that Insight will directly create 300 jobs over the next six years through 12 funded spin-outs, while while thousands more are expected to be created indirectly. Insight will also contribute to the training of the next generation of data analytics experts.
Industry partners include RTÉ, The Irish Times, Cisco, Microsoft, Alcatel-Lucent, Santry Sports Clinic, the Irish Rugby Football Union and TreeMetrics.
“Data analytics represents a huge growth opportunity for Ireland and we are perfectly positioned to take advantage of it,” said Insight CEO Prof Barry Smyth. “Spending on big data technologies is growing at 30pc per annum as demand for data analytics skills continues to outstrip supply. In Insight, we have brought together the country’s leading data analytics researchers to meet this demand and create new opportunities for Ireland and our industry partners.”
Data analytics image by Sergey Nivens via Shutterstock
