Government commits €230m to six SFI research centres
Minister for Business, Enterprise & Innovation, Heather Humphreys, and Minister of State for Training, Skills, Innovation, Research & Development John Halligan, announced an investment of €230 million in six SFI Research Centres at an event at the Mantion House in Dublin today.
The investment made by the Dept of Business, Enterprise & Innovation through Science Foundation Ireland, will benefit approximately 850 researchers, while supporting the Government’s Future Jobs Ireland initiative.
The investment is buoyed by industry support with 170 industry partners committing to a further €230 million in cash and in-kind contributions over the next six years.
The six research centres are AMBER (Advanced Materials and BioEngineering Research); APC Microbiome Ireland; the Insight Centre for Data Analytics; the Irish Photonic Integration Centre (IPIC); the MaREI Centre for Marine and Renewable Energy; and the SSPC Pharmaceutical Research Centre.
Prof Mark Ferguson, director general Science Foundation Ireland and chief scientific adviser to the government of Ireland, said: “SFI research centres support both basic and applied research, which I believe is one of the reasons they have been so successful to date. The research across the centres spans a wide range of sectors at varying levels and stages – the holistic approach we are taking to our research is fundamental to its success. In only a very short period the SFI Research Centres have made incredible progress, in terms of increased academic and industrial collaboration, training PhD students for industry, winning competitive funding from the EU, producing excellent scientific results and public engagement.”
Minister for Business, Enterprise & Innovation Heather Humphreys said: “This investment by my Department in the six SFI Research Centres is part of the Government’s strategy to prepare now for tomorrow’s world, through plans like Future Jobs Ireland and Project Ireland 2040. The work that has been done to date has positioned Ireland as a world leader in research, further strengthening our global credibility across a number of different sectors. The economic impact of this research is clear, not only through direct and in-direct employment levels, but also through increased foreign direct investment.
“Our research centres not only act as magnets to attract and retain investment; they also encourage companies, both Irish and foreign-owned, to develop their R&D activities here. This will continue to benefit Ireland and the world for years to come.”
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