Irish Manufacturing Research will add 100 new positions in the midlands, in areas such as robotics and systems engineering.
Today (11 December), 100 new positions have been created in the midlands by Irish Manufacturing Research as a result of the recent approval of more than €2m in funding for projects in the area by Minister for Business, Enterprise and Innovation Heather Humphreys, TD.
The positions will include high-tech jobs in the Irish Manufacturing Research lab in the areas of robotics, systems engineering, augmented and virtual reality, and construction, with further jobs in regional and national partner companies to be made available over the course of the next three years.
The announcement comes as part of the first round of a new €60m competitive Regional Enterprise Development Fund, which was founded to stimulate regional growth as 2020 approaches.
The fund, which is an open, national competitive call to support regional projects, is provided by the Department of Business, Enterprise and Innovation through Enterprise Ireland, and is a key action to support the Regional Action Plan for Jobs and the Action Plan for Rural Development.
21 successful applicants representing all regions of the country have already secured up to €30.5m for their projects in the first competitive round.
Announcing the successful applicants at Irish Manufacturing Research in Mullingar, Co Westmeath, Humphreys said: “Our aim was to provide financial support for organisations set up specifically to bring together stakeholders on projects that will benefit the local community, the region or nationally.
“The successful applicants include an exciting range of projects, which will develop strong entrepreneurial or innovation ecosystems, encourage clusters of similar businesses, or develop specific sectors where there is the potential for competitive advantage.”
Barry Kennedy, chief executive officer of Irish Manufacturing Research, said: “We are delighted to have been awarded this significant regional investment and, as a result, to announce these jobs for the region today.
“This research capability will deliver real impact for industry, both regionally and nationally.
“The funding will also have an important social impact; for example, in supporting the development of technologies to enable people with conditions such as autism or physical disabilities engage successfully in the workplace.
“As a group of manufacturing researchers, this is an initiative that we are proud to be part of.”
The projects delivered by Irish Manufacturing Research will be in partnership with industry leaders such as Kuka Robotics, Pilz, VR First and Microsoft.
