Enterprise Ireland invests €6m in new equipment for third level research
More than €6 million in funding has been awarded to 37 applicants from across the third level sector as part of the Capital Equipment Fund.
Administered by Enterprise Ireland through the Technology Gateway and Technology Centre Programmes, the fund provides industry with access to critical, leading-edge equipment and infrastructure which will help them to build resilience and to remain globally competitive.
Winners were selected based on an extensive review process which examined the industrial need for the new equipment; the criticality of the equipment to servicing the applicants research and development needs and the applicants track record of industry engagement.
Minister for Business, Enterprise & Innovation Heather Humphreys said: “I am confident the successful projects announced 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 with respect to the Covid-19 crisis.”
Enterprise Ireland’s Technology Gateway Programme funds interactions between local and national industry and the Institutes of Technology and aims to increase collaboration and enterprise development at both a regional and national level. While its Technology Centres programme is a joint initiative between Enterprise Ireland and IDA Ireland that allows Irish companies and multinationals to work together on market focused strategic R&D projects in collaboration with research institutions.
“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,” Minister Humphreys continued. “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.
The successful applicants were:
| Gateway / Centre | Equipment Description |
| Medical Engineering Technologies (MET) GMIT | An Ultrasound System and Associated Transducers |
| Applied Polymer Technologies (APT) Athlone IT | Stereolithography (SLA) 3D printer |
| CeADAR UCD | Data Science Computing Platform |
| CREST – TU Dublin | Thermal Analysis Suite |
| CREST – TU Dublin | Reflectometer |
| Shannon Applied Biotechnology Centre (Shannon ABC) – Limerick IT | Liquid Chromatographer / Tandem Quadrupole Mass Spectrometer |
| Shannon ABC – IT Tralee | High Throughput ELISA Suite |
| Intelligent Mechatronics & RFID (IMaR) – IT Tralee | RFID Test and Development Suite |
| Irish Manufacturing Research (IMR) | State-of-the-art master/slave teleoperation system -Telebot |
| MiCRA – TU Dublin | Interconnected Instrument Suite |
| Meat Technology Ireland (MTI) – Teagasc | Meat Factory Automation Test Bed |
| Pharmaceutical Manufacturing Technology Centre (PMTC) UL | Cleaning Facility (for Pharmaceutical production) |
| IMR | Three axis CNC milling machine |
| APT | Planetary Roller Extruder |
| IMR | State-of-the-art multi robot system – Cobot |
| APT | Scanning Thermal Microscope with Nano Thermal Analysis |
| Centre for Advanced Photonics & Process Analysis (CAPPA) – Cork IT | Near Infra Red Hyperspectral Imaging Camera |
| COMAND – Athlone IT | Immersive Extended Reality (XR) suite |
| Shannon ABC (Limerick) | High End FT-IR Spectrometer |
| Shannon ABC (Tralee) | Plate Reader |
| Dairy Processing Technology Centre (DPTC) – Teagasc | Cheese Characterisation suite |
| DPTC UCC | Dynamic Image Analyser |
| Shannon ABC (Limerick) | Microalgae Cultivation Suite |
| Telecommunications Software & Systems Group (TSSG) Waterford IT | Smart Material and E-textile Living Lab |
| IMaR | Manufacturing in-line product inspection system suite |
| CREST – TU Dublin | Viscometer |
| PMTC – UCC | Liquid Dispenser / SLA Printer |
| SEAM | X-Ray Tomography Upgrade |
| Shannon ABC – Tralee | Cosmetic Suite |
| CREST– TU Dublin | Desktop Scanning Electron Microscope |
| CREST – TU Dublin | Glovebox |
| IMR | Dry Electropolishing system |
| Precision Engineering, Materials & Manufacturing (PEM) IT Sligo | General Material Test Suite |
| Food for Health Ireland (FHI) – Teagasc | High Precision Liquid Chromatographer |
| Microelectronic Circuits Centre Ireland (MCCI) Tyndall | Cryogenic Refrigeration System |
| Wireless Sensor & Applied Research (WiSAR) Letterkenny IT | High Spec Scanner |
| Pharmaceutical & Molecular Biotechnology Research Centre (PMBRC) Waterford IT | Differential Scanning Calorimeter |
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