Are you planning a career in research? Yesterday the Government announced an investment of €230 million in six SFI Research Centres as part of Project Ireland 2040. The €230 million investment made by the Department of Business, Enterprise and Innovation through Science Foundation Ireland, will directly benefit approximately 850 researchers employed by the centres, while also supporting the Government’s Future Jobs Ireland initiative. The investment is buoyed by industry support with 170 industry partners committing to investing over €230 million in cash and in-kind contributions over the next six years.
SFI Research Centres
The 170 industry collaborators include both multinational companies and SMEs based in Ireland and international. They include companies such as AuriGen Medical, Raydiant Oximetry Inc., DePuy Ireland, Johnson & Johnson, Merck, Intel, Nokia Bell Labs, DuPont, Nutricia, Danone, Janssen, Abbvie, Cremo, Alimentary Health, DSM, Kerry, Pepsico, Tate & Lyle, Integra LifeSciences, ESB, Gas Networks Ireland, Brookfield Renewables, DP Energy, and OceanEnergy.
Under the new funding model, these six SFI Research Centres are successfully scaling up to secure 66% of the funding from other sources, so only 34% of their funding over the six years will now come from Science Foundation Ireland.
Background
The SFI Research Centres network involves strong collaborative partnerships between research bodies in Ireland, including Trinity College Dublin, Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, University College Cork, Teagasc, Cork Institute of Technology, University College Dublin, National Institute for Bioprocessing Research and Training (NIBRT), NUI Galway, Dublin City University, Tyndall National Institute, Maynooth University, University of Limerick, Technological University Dublin, ESRI, Dundalk Institute of Technology, Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies, Athlone Institute of Technology, Limerick Institute of Technology, Institute of Technology Sligo, Institute of Technology Tralee, and Waterford Institute of Technology.
Response
Commenting on the announcement, Minister for Business, Enterprise and Innovation, Heather Humphreys said, “This investment by my Department in the six SFI Research Centres is part of the Government’s strategy to prepare now for tomorrow’s world, through plans like Future Jobs Ireland and Project Ireland 2040. The work that has been done to date has positioned Ireland as a world leader in research, further strengthening our global credibility across a number of different sectors. The economic impact of this research is clear, not only through direct and in-direct employment levels, but also through increased foreign direct investment. Our Research Centres not only act as magnets to attract and retain investment; they also encourage companies, both Irish and foreign-owned, to develop their R&D activities here. This will continue to benefit Ireland and the world for years to come.”
Director General Science Foundation Ireland and Chief Scientific Adviser to the Government of Ireland, Professor Mark Ferguson added, “In only a very short period the SFI Research Centres have made incredible progress, in terms of increased academic and industrial collaboration, training PhD students for industry, winning competitive funding from the EU, producing excellent scientific results and public engagement. We look forward to continued support from the Government and industry as we move forward, increasing our ability to positively impact both society and the economy through excellent scientific research.”
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