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This funding is expected to support more than 600 highly-skilled research positions in the bioeconomy, agrifood, neurological disease and advanced manufacturing sectors.
Four Science Foundation Ireland (SFI) research centres are getting a significant boost to their operations thanks to a new Government investment.
A total of €104m is being allocated to BiOrbic, FutureNeuro, I-Form and Vistamilk. These research centres focus on the bioeconomy, neurological disease, advanced manufacturing and agrifood, respectively. An additional €21m has also been committed by the industry partners of these centres.
The funding was announced today (14 May) by Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science Patrick O’Donovan, TD, and Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine Charlie McConalogue, TD.
Minister O’Donovan said the four research areas covered by these centres are “critically important to how we function as individuals and how we develop our economy”.
“While significant scientific advances have been made in these areas by Ireland’s research ecosystem, we need to remain vigilant in addressing challenges old and new, and turning these opportunities into real world impacts that people can see and feel,” O’Donovan said.
“Today’s investment is as a result of close collaboration between individual researchers, research teams, research institutions, industry and government departments. I warmly welcome this multilayered partnership approach and wish, in particular, to thank industry for their integral role.”
The funding is expected to support more than 600 researchers positions across these research centres over the next six years. SFI deputy director general Dr Ciarán Seoighe said the investment followed a “rigorous and extensive” peer review process of the centres’ scientific and strategic impact.
“The four centres represent a national research network of 17 host and partner institutions that, to date, has collaborated with more than 130 industry partners ranging from SMEs to multinationals, across all regions and in a variety of sectors,” Seoighe said. “Research centres play a vital role in developing and nurturing the next generation of research leaders and innovators.”
Earlier this year, SFI announced funding of €21m for eight research infrastructure projects to help build cutting-edge infrastructure that can accomplish high-quality, impactful research.
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