Gearoid Mooney, ICT commercialisation director, Enterprise Ireland; Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, Richard Bruton, TD; and Pádraig Cunningham, UCD, CeADAR. Photo by Gary O' Neill
The Irish Government is making an initial €1m investment in a new Dublin technology centre in data analytics called CeADAR, the Centre for Applied Data Analytics Research, to leverage the high-growth area that is data analytics and the potential to create jobs.
An Enterprise Ireland and IDA Ireland initiative, the initial research phase of CeADAR will aim to make Ireland a world leader in data analytics, a sector that is growing 40pc annually worldwide and is a target for jobs growth as part of the ‘Disruptive Reforms’ in the Government’s Action Plan for Jobs 2013.
Top-tier multinational and Irish ICT companies will lead the research agenda at the centre. CeADAR’s industry partners include eBay, Accenture, Dell, Fidelity Investments, Adaptive Mobile, Climote, Cylon, GBR, HP, Moving Media, Nathean Technologies, Nucleus Venture Partners, and Qumas.
Work of CeADAR
CeADAR’s lead team will be based at NexusUCD, the industry partnership centre at University College Dublin.
Led by University College Dublin, the research consortium, which includes University College Cork, and Dublin Institute of Technology, will use the funding to work with a group of companies to accelerate the development, deployment and adoption of data analytics technology, as well as develop ways of generating business, profit and ultimately jobs from data analytics.
CeADAR will also conduct initial research into technology challenges that have been identified by industry representatives.
The investment in the centre is to span across five years.
Advantage for Ireland
Ireland’s Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, Richard Bruton, TD, said a key part of the Government’s plan for growth and jobs is identifying areas where it believes Ireland has distinct advantages compared to other countries, and taking the steps necessary to ensure Ireland realises its potential for employment in those areas.
“Data analytics is one such sector, and the Government believes that between our climate, skills base and existing strengths in ICT, we have the potential to reap substantial benefits in terms of jobs and growth from the global expansion of this sector,” Bruton said.
“Establishing an industry-led technology centre in this sector will ensure that the major research strengths we have built up over the past decade are directed firmly towards viable business ideas and ultimately jobs. I am determined to ensure that through continued implementation of our plan, we target growth in key sectors and create the jobs we need.”
Data analytics is about the conversion of large amounts of raw data into valuable information through the use of statistical techniques and advanced software.
