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Minister Humphreys announces Enterprise Ireland funding for access to cutting edge R&D equipment in Technology Gateways and Centres to increase R&D collaboration and competitiveness for companies.
Minister for Business, Enterprise and Innovation, Heather Humphreys TD today announced the successful applicants of the Capital Equipment Fund administered by Enterprise Ireland through the Technology Gateway and Technology Centre Programmes. 37 successful applicants from across the Third Level Sector have secured over €6 million in funding.
The Enterprise Ireland Technology Gateway Programme funds interactions between local and national industry and the Institutes of Technology and aims to increase collaboration and enterprise development at both a regional and national level.
The Technology Centres programme is a joint initiative between Enterprise Ireland and IDA Ireland and allows Irish companies and multinationals to work together on market focused strategic R&D projects in collaboration with research institutions.
The Capital Funding Programme provides industry with access to critical, leading-edge equipment and infrastructure which will help them to build resilience and to remain globally competitive, particularly in the face of challenges such as those posed by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The winners were selected through a rigorous evaluation process based on eligibility criteria for the call which included, but was not limited to, a strong track record of industry engagement, a significant industrial need for the new equipment, and space to service and maintain the equipment according to international standards.
Minister for Business, Enterprise and Innovation Heather Humphreys TD said:
"The Technology Gateway and Technology Centre programmes aim to bring Irish companies together with Irish research institutes to provide near-to-market innovation and solutions in a range of areas, both regionally and nationally. This fund directly supports innovative projects that are emerging from the ground up, providing the necessary technology to our Technology Gateways and Technology Centres to nurture and develop cutting edge research projects. I am confident the successful projects announced today have the potential to make a positive impact for the benefit of wider society including the development of innovative solutions and methodologies to address immediate national and global needs with respect to the COVID-19 crisis."
Speaking about the announcement Gearoid Mooney, Divisional Manager, Research & Innovation at Enterprise Ireland said:
"Access to the best in class technologies can provide a step-change in how companies innovate and develop new and globally differentiated products and services. This important investment in equipment coupled with the support and expertise of our Technology Gateways and Technology Centres will help companies adapt, survive and, ultimately, thrive in the face of the current economic challenges."
ENDS
For further information, contact: Nicola Corboy, Press and Media Relations, Enterprise Ireland 086 021 0114 nicola.corboy@enterprise-ireland.com
| Gateway / Centre | Equipment Description |
| Medical Engineering Technologies (MET) GMIT | An Ultrasound System and Associated Transducers |
| Applied Polymer Technologies (APT) Athlone IT | Stereolithography (SLA) 3D printer |
| CeADAR UCD | Data Science Computing Platform |
| CREST – TU Dublin | Thermal Analysis Suite |
| CREST - TU Dublin | Reflectometer |
| Shannon Applied Biotechnology Centre (Shannon ABC) – Limerick IT | Liquid Chromatographer / Tandem Quadrupole Mass Spectrometer |
| Shannon ABC – IT Tralee | High Throughput ELISA Suite |
| Intelligent Mechatronics & RFID (IMaR) – IT Tralee | RFID Test and Development Suite |
| Irish Manufacturing Research (IMR) | State-of-the-art master/slave teleoperation system -Telebot |
| MiCRA – TU Dublin | Interconnected Instrument Suite |
| Meat Technology Ireland (MTI) - Teagasc | Meat Factory Automation Test Bed |
| Pharmaceutical Manufacturing Technology Centre (PMTC) UL | Cleaning Facility (for Pharmaceutical production) |
| IMR | Three axis CNC milling machine |
| APT | Planetary Roller Extruder |
| IMR | State-of-the-art multi robot system - Cobot |
| APT | Scanning Thermal Microscope with Nano Thermal Analysis |
| Centre for Advanced Photonics & Process Analysis (CAPPA) – Cork IT | Near Infra Red Hyperspectral Imaging Camera |
| COMAND – Athlone IT | Immersive Extended Reality (XR) suite |
| Shannon ABC (Limerick) | High End FT-IR Spectrometer |
| Shannon ABC (Tralee) | Plate Reader |
| Dairy Processing Technology Centre (DPTC) - Teagasc | Cheese Characterisation suite |
| DPTC UCC | Dynamic Image Analyser |
| Shannon ABC (Limerick) | Microalgae Cultivation Suite |
| Telecommunications Software & Systems Group (TSSG) Waterford IT | Smart Material and E-textile Living Lab |
| IMaR | Manufacturing in-line product inspection system suite |
| CREST – TU Dublin | Viscometer |
| PMTC – UCC | Liquid Dispenser / SLA Printer |
| SEAM | X-Ray Tomography Upgrade |
| Shannon ABC – Tralee | Cosmetic Suite |
| CREST– TU Dublin | Desktop Scanning Electron Microscope |
| CREST – TU Dublin | Glovebox |
| IMR | Dry Electropolishing system |
| Precision Engineering, Materials & Manufacturing (PEM) IT Sligo | General Material Test Suite |
| Food for Health Ireland (FHI) - Teagasc | High Precision Liquid Chromatographer |
| Microelectronic Circuits Centre Ireland (MCCI) Tyndall | Cryogenic Refrigeration System |
| Wireless Sensor & Applied Research (WiSAR) Letterkenny IT | High Spec Scanner |
| Pharmaceutical & Molecular Biotechnology Research Centre (PMBRC) Waterford IT | Differential Scanning Calorimeter |
15 Technology Gateways in nine Institutes of Technology and TU Dublin deliver innovation expertise to industry across Ireland. These Gateways provide companies of all sizes with access to over 300 highly skilled and industrially focused researchers, together with specialist equipment and facilities.
Each Technology Gateway focuses on key technology areas aligned to industry needs. Companies all over Ireland are using Technology Gateways to develop new or better products and services and smarter ways of doing things.
The Technology Centre programme is a joint initiative between Enterprise Ireland and IDA Ireland. It allows Irish companies and multinationals to work together on market focused strategic R&D projects in collaboration with research institutions.
The Technology Centres in the programme are resourced by highly qualified researchers who provide a unique ecosystem for collaboration in areas identified, by industry, as being strategically important.
Over 300 member companies collaborate with the Centres in the areas of analytics, dairy processing, food for health, learning technologies, manufacturing, materials, meat technology, microelectronics and pharmaceutical manufacturing.
Technology Centres:
Of 105 eligible applications reviewed, 37 have been approved for funding totaling €6,018,806. Funding was based on an extensive review process which looked at the number of companies that will benefit and the criticality of the equipment to servicing their R&D needs, how access to the equipment can be shared across the Technology Gateway and Technology Centres network and current capability gaps within the collaborative research system that can be alleviated by making this equipment available.