€4.3 million invested in enterprise-based research partnerships

Minister of State for Training, Skills, Innovation, Research and Development, John Halligan TD, has today announced details of a €4.3 million investment in the Irish Research Council’s Enterprise Partnership Scheme.

The Irish Research Council’s Enterprise Partnership Scheme supports collaborations between researchers and partner organisations. Over the coming months, a total of 53 researchers will take up positions at higher education institutions in collaboration with 48 partner organisations.

The awards are two thirds funded by the Irish Research Council and one third funded by the partner organisations, which include national or international companies and not-for-profit organisations. To encourage involvement of diverse organisations, a waiver of the partner’s first year contribution was granted to not-for-profits involved in social innovation.

Some partner organisations participating this year are the Football Association of Ireland, AIB, Fighting Blindness, Clúid Housing, Ludger Ltd., GreenLight Pharmaceuticals, Teleflex Medical Europe, Valitacell Ltd., Microwave Vision SA and Killruddery Arts, Culture, Ecology and Heritage amongst others.

Examples of projects that will receive funding under the scheme include:

• Norah Storey, based at Waterford Institute of Technology, will undertake research with AIB, exploring what underpins the decision-making process in investment in low-carbon technologies.
• Dan Horan, based at University College Dublin, will undertake research in partnership with the Football Association of Ireland on injury surveillance in elite-level women’s football.
• Declan O’Loughlin, based at the National University of Ireland, Galway, will undertake research looking at improving clinical decision-making in early-stage breast cancer screening, with Microwave Vision SA.
• Eleanor Mc Mahon, studying at University College Dublin, will commence a research project in association with Clúid Housing, developing an analysis of housing supports for low-income Dublin households.

The researchers will be based at their respective institutions for the duration of their studies and will work in close collaboration with the partner enterprises.

Fellowships are awarded to postdoctoral researchers to undertake research for a period of two years and scholarships are awarded to postgraduate students to complete a masters or PhD research degree.

Announcing details of the scheme, Minister of State for Training, Skills, Innovation, Research and Development, John Halligan TD today said: “The Irish Research Council’s Enterprise Partnership Scheme enables researchers to develop innovative research projects at their higher education institutions, whilst engaging with some of Ireland’s leading companies and organisations.  Clearly this scheme is a win-win for both the researchers and their partner organisations, who get to tap into some of Ireland’s best research and innovation capacity.”

Peter Brown, Director of the Irish Research Council said: “The Enterprise Partnership Scheme allows postgraduate and postdoctoral researchers to gain direct insights into a broad range of enterprises, whilst – at the same time – partner organisations gain direct access to some of Ireland’s pipeline of highly talented researchers.

“Projects that have been greenlit today range from football and housing to climate change and breast cancer. It is because of schemes like this that a whole range of employers, from multinational companies and small enterprise to NGOs, can benefit from Ireland’s rich research pool.”