Nov 16 2012
The University of Limerick has secured €5.3M of the €30M investment by Science Foundation Ireland (SFI) in infrastructure recently announced by Minister Sean Sherlock. This infrastructural funding was awarded to research groups where projects demonstrated partnerships and collaborations, links with industry, relevance to Ireland’s prioritised research areas and sustainable planning. The award to UL includes projects in which researchers are working closely with Pharmaceutical, Medical Device, Advanced Materials and Food companies.
Speaking about the announcement of SFI funding to University of Limerick research, UL Vice President Research, Dr Mary Shire said that this investment in infrastructure in strategically import areas for UL and Ireland will enable these research industry relevant projects to proceed and develop practical applications and solutions for industry as well as advance the state of the art in science and engineering.
“UL has a strong track record of engagement with industry and the success in this programme is testament to ULs ability to work with industry in research areas of relevance to the Irish economy. This current round of awards by SFI will improve the research capacity of the Irish third level sector and will support companies through the provision of appropriately skilled graduates, through the development and commercialisation of novel technologies and through knowledge exchange. UL is pleased to be part of this exciting research endeavor as it fully aligns with ULs ethos of research with impact,” said Dr. Shire.
“The Pharmaceutical sector in Ireland accounts for 52% of total exports and it is appropriate that this SFI investment included a number of projects in the Pharmaceutical area. The Solid State Pharmaceutical Cluster (SSPC) led by UL involving 5 academic institutions and 9 companies will benefit from this infrastructure and it builds on the investments SFI has made to date in this area of national importance to the economy,” continued Dr Shire.
Funding to UL also supports projects in the area of advanced materials, medical devices and food building on previous investments made by government through Enterprise Ireland and the Department of Agriculture. UL has critical mass in these areas and has significant industry partners in these areas.
Source: http://www.ul.ie/