The Government has announced funding worth €87 million in support of research that links academics with industry. It includes support of €16.9 million for a single research project to be based at Dublin City University.
Details of the new DCU Centre for Science, Engineering and Technology (CSET) and the 12 strategic research clusters due to be funded were announced yesterday in Government Buildings by Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment, Micheál Martin.
He described it as the "most substantial funding announcement I have made on behalf of Science Foundation Ireland" and indicated it was of strategic importance to Ireland, given the research subjects involved.
He highlighted the fact that the awards were in support of collaborative efforts that linked companies and academics involved in research. "We are building a very strong model of research between industry and academia," Mr Martin stated.
The research will involve the participation of 48 leading companies including Intel, GSK, Pfizer, Eli Lilly and Alcatel-Lucent.
The new centre will involve IBM and Microsoft among others in the development of computerised language translation systems. These will translate documents, but methods for developing computers that understand human speech and mobile phones that can provide direct translation from one language to another will also be under study.
Research at the 12 clusters will include work on drug delivery systems, computer control systems for buildings, the development of biomaterials, studies of the immune system and the development of geotechnologies.
Mr Martin referred to a possible tightening of Government spending in next month's Budget, but added: "In terms of the National Development Plan, the Strategy for Science, Technology and Innovation is up there as a key priority. We are very determined that this gets protected in a more challenging budgetary situation."
He was enthusiastic about Science Week Ireland's activities, saying its importance lay in raising public awareness of science and increasing the number of students interested in the sciences and engineering.
He also noted a recent study which showed only a small proportion of students who get A1s in Leaving Cert physics study science at third level. "I think there is a leakage there that needs to be addressed," he said.
The goal would be to maintain interest at the critical point when decisions were being made just before the transition to third level, the Minister added.