An optical/near-infrared detector array to help study stars, galaxies and planet formation, and a project using data analytics and virtual reality to develop better control dashboards for Dublin are among 24 major research projects due to receive support from a €40 million research fund, it was announced today.
The funding is distributed via Science Foundation Ireland’s Investigators Programme through the Department of Jobs, Enterprise & Innovation. With awards ranging from €500,000 to €2.7 million over four- to five-year periods. The successful projects funded by the Investigators Programme will support over 200 researchers.
Minister for Jobs, Enterprise & Innovation Mary Mitchell O’Connor said: “This funding provides an important platform for researchers to advance their investigations and further enhance Ireland’s reputation for excellence in sectors such as health, agriculture, marine, energy and technology.
“Engaging with 39 companies, the programme offers researchers the opportunity to develop their careers, as well as providing industry collaborators with access to the wealth of outstanding expertise and infrastructure found throughout the island. The alignment of the Investigators Programme with Horizon 2020, the European Union’s research funding programme, will lead to further successes in leveraging EU resources and increasing international collaboration.
“The projects within this programme clearly demonstrate excellent and impactful research which is a key goal of the Government’s science and innovation strategy : Innovation 2020.”
To drive national success in Horizon 2020, the SFI Investigator Programme involved the collaborative participation of a number of Government Departments and funding agencies. Co-funding for seven of the projects is being provided by the Department for the Economy, Northern Ireland (DfE), the Geological Survey of Ireland (GSI), the Marine Institute (MI), and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
Prof Mark Ferguson, Director General of Science Foundation Ireland and Chief Scientific Adviser to the Government of Ireland (pictured) said: “The Science Foundation Ireland Investigators Programme supports the highest standard of impactful research, as clearly demonstrated by the outcomes of previous awards. I have high expectations for these projects; all have undergone rigorous peer review by international experts and we have funded only those projects deemed to be at the pinnacle of scientific excellence.”
The 24 research projects funded are in a range of strategically important sectors. A further 10 projects were placed on a reserve list to be funded, should budgets permit later in the year.
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