WIT News
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WIT to benefit from €2.5m research funding Posted: Thu, July 22, 2010 |
WIT is to benefit from a €2.5m funding award under Cycle 5 of the Programme for Research in Third Level Institutions (PRTLI) it was announced last week.
Launching PRTLI Cycle 5 alongside the Taoiseach, the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Innovation, Batt O'Keeffe TD, said the five-year plan - the largest investment in research in the history of the State - would help to create ‘smart’ jobs and make Ireland Europe's innovation hub.
While the largest part of the funding announced by Minister O’Keeffe for all third level institutions is for capital projects like buildings, the funds for WIT are exclusively provided for the current funding of research and are strategically important for the economic development of the region.
The funding is for two specific projects – the Eco-Innovation Research Exploration project will receive €1.593m while the Telecommunications Software & Systems Group (TSSG) in WIT will benefit by €896k under the Telecommunications Graduate Initiative.
The Eco-Innovation Research Exploration project supports the government’s economic policy of positioning Ireland at the heart of the green industry. The project will drive the development of a research and innovation ecosystem at WIT capable of creating a critical mass of sustainable green industries nationally and regionally.
The Telecommunications Graduate Initiative will support the creation of an international graduate school at WIT which will leverage TSSG world class research and industry partnerships to deliver graduates who will become industry leaders for the ICT industry and drivers of the smart economy
“The award is of strategic importance to the Institute and will support the continued development of WIT as a leader in research and innovation. Building on the major research activities at the institute its long term impact will be on the economic development of the South-East creating sustainable high value employment” said Dr Willie Donnelly, Head of Research at WIT.
The latest allocation of funding confirms WIT’s role as one of the leading European research institutes and further endorses its work.
Notes to Editor:
TSSG
Based at Waterford Institute of Technology’s West Campus at Carriganore, TSSG has created a cluster of high potential start-ups based on its research outcomes, directly generating more than 210 skilled jobs in the southeast.
TSSG researchers are among the leading telecommunications and software engineering experts in the country and their work sees them partner with academic and global industry leaders. The group conducts research in telecommunications network management and mobile services. It is recognised as one of the top 10 European institutes (industry or academic) driving the specification of the Future Internet.
The TSSG research ethos is to build links between academic and industrial research through the creation of a balanced portfolio of activity in basic research, applied research and commercial activity.
Currently, the TSSG is active in some 45 research projects, with budgets ranging from €100,000 to €3.5m and totalling over €60 Million from 1996-2010. The TSSG has been directly involved in the process of creating 14 spin-out and spin-in companies in this period, contributing directly to the creation of over 60 new jobs externally. The TSSG itself has 160 staff and a 14-year track record in telecommunications management, with Dr Willie Donnelly, Director of the TSSG, as the principal investigator.
Overview of Eco-Innovation Research Exploration (EIRC)
Eco-Innovation is identified by WIT as a key thematic area and Centre of Excellence, characterised by international reputation, strong links with industry and the international academic community, and is prioritised for development under the WIT Strategic Plan 2007-2010. Research activities at the EIRC focus on the innovative development of ‘high value-added products/processes from natural resources’ and ‘low environmental impact processing/growth methods’. Sustainable solutions for the future development of industries such as the marine, agriculture and forestry sectors, and ‘green’ chemistry for pharmaceutical synthesis, require a collaborative cross-disciplinary approach. Eco-Innovation research at WIT is supported across a variety of sciences, including Molecular Ecology, Marine (Bioactives from Sustainable Marine Sources), Agriculture (Biofuel Research & Environmental Management), and Forestry (Silviculture & Wood Energy Research).
Research funding of over €8 million since 2004 has facilitated upgrading of EIRC infrastructure and equipment providing dedicated state-of-the-art research laboratories. Newly installed analytical equipment available to the EIRC includes, GC/MS, rapid resolution liquid chromatography, FTIR spectrometer/microscope, 400MHz NMR with solid state capability, DNA sequencer, and controlled growth facilities.
Researchers at the EIRC have published over 60 peer-reviewed publications and 7 book chapters in recent years, supervised 19 PhD and 2 MSc students to completion and are currently supervising 17 postgraduate students.
EIRC researchers have formed extensive collaborative links with key Eco-Innovation stakeholders both nationally and internationally, including NUIG; UCC; Memorial University of Newfoundland; QUB; Teagasc; EPA Ireland; CABI; BFC; and Coillte. The internationalisation of EIRC research is evident by team participation on EU/International committees (e.g. COST Action E47 on Forest Vegetation Management, CEN, and council membership of the Society for General Microbiology (SGM)).
