€24m in funding for research in telecommunications announced

IRELAND’S telecommunications research sector received a major boost yesterday when the Minister for State for Research and Innovation announced combined Government and industry funding of more than €24 million.

Seán Sherlock said the State was providing €19.5 million via Science Foundation Ireland, with industry providing a further €4.8 million, in support to renew an existing research contract with the Centre for Telecommunications Research (CTVR) at Trinity College Dublin.

The renewed contract will provide the funding over the next five years, sustaining the existing research positions within the centre.

“CTVR has been at the forefront of telecommunications network design over the past seven years,” Mr Sherlock said. “The demands on our communication networks increase daily with a multitude of new services and applications coming on stream at an unprecedented pace.”

“Future networks must be able to keep a pace with these demands and accommodate new and, indeed, as yet, undeveloped innovations,” he said, adding the foundation’s funding was being made under its five-year programme for centres for science, engineering and technology.

The centre draws researchers from Trinity, NUI Maynooth, the Dublin Institute of Technology, Dublin City University, Tyndall National Institute in Cork, University College Cork and University of Limerick.

The centre involves leading academics and industrial partners and has the equipment and experience necessary to “make Ireland one of the world leaders in this field”, Mr Sherlock said.

Acting director general of the foundation John Travers paid tribute to all at the centre for the quality of the research being conducted there. He also thanked industry partners who had contributed €4.8 million as their support for the centre.

“Value for money is always of paramount importance when we are tasked with administering taxpayers money in a strategic and considered way. All applications for funding [through the foundation], be they new or renewal, are subject to rigorous peer assessment.”

CTVR director Prof Linda Doyle said the investment was particularly welcome given the unprecedented change taking place in telecommunications in relation to hardware, software, consumer demand levels and user patterns.