Minister for Business, Enterprise and Innovation Heather Humphreys visited Tyndall National Institute to see first hand the four Disruptive Technology Innovation Fund (DTIF) projects worth more than €20 million that Tyndall and its partners will pursue over the next three years and to welcome other significant funding wins at one of Europe’s leading technology research institutes.
Tyndall’s recent successes in securing multi-million-euro funding from EU programmes and international industry, as well as significant competitively won national funding awards, is driving growth at the institute with recruitment of up to 100 new research posts in the coming year.
Blockchain energy trading, medtech and photonics manufacturing
Tyndall, a research flagship of University College Cork, has been highly successful in securing Disruptive Technology Innovation Funding (DTIF). The institute is leading three key DTIF projects worth in excess of €14.4 million in areas of connected health (HOLISTICS), photonics manufacturing (PHOTONICS) and blockchain energy trading (CENTS) and is a strategic partner in a medtech project (AURIGEN). These projects involve industry partners and research and academic centres, and continue to position Ireland as a global leader in ICT.
Minister Humphreys said: “The Disruptive Technologies Innovation Fund (DTIF) is a key part of both Project Ireland 2040 and the government’s new Future Jobs Ireland initiative. It is one of the first funds of its kind in the world and it will ensure that Ireland is at the cutting edge in terms of developing new technologies which will change the way we live and work in the future.
“I congratulate Tyndall National Institute and its industry and other partners on their success under the first ever DTIF Call. The fact that four of the 27 successful projects have Tyndall involvement is a clear indication of the quality, novelty and industry-relevance of the research conducted at Tyndall.
“The government recognises the valuable role that Tyndall is playing in developing game-changing technology that improves our lives and also ensures that Ireland is highly competitive and well positioned in securing the jobs of the future.”
'Real societal impact, across human health, environment and technology'
Professor William Scanlon, CEO Tyndall National Institute, said: “Tyndall’s work is at the forefront of globally significant research and innovation. Through funding from government, we are maximising our research potential and driving true disruptive innovation with real societal impact, across human health, environment and technology."
Tyndall continues to build on its success as an internationally leading technology innovation hub, and as a key driver of new technology and talent development for Irish industry. This is reflected strongly by the acquisitions of its start-up companies in the last two years – InfiniLED by Facebook and SensL Technologies by ON-Semiconductor.
In addition to its current staff expansion, Tyndall is also advancing plans to substantially expand the footprint of the institute, which has been highlighted as an investment priority within the government’s Project Ireland 2040 in order to maintain its position as a leading centre of scale in translational research and continued development of ICT-related innovation in Ireland.