O'Keeffe Announces Millions For Cutting-Edge Research

Over 100 college researchers will carry out work across a range of areas including cystic fibrosis, genetics, bacterial and viral infections, environmental monitoring, food safety, and streaming media over wireless networks.

Minister O'Keeffe said the research areas are "profoundly linked to our health and wellbeing and the researchers' work will generate high-value downstream jobs."

"The €8.5 million investment will create jobs and training opportunities for 105 researchers, mainly PhD students, and their work will in turn generate new jobs down the line which will have significant implications for our wellbeing as a nation," said Minister O'Keeffe.

The 47 research projects are being funded under Science Foundation Ireland's Research Frontiers Program.

The program supports internationally competitive high-quality exploratory research in higher education across the science, maths and engineering disciplines.

"By helping researchers at a relatively early stage in their work, the program is targeting our most promising scientists in building their research teams and track records and enhancing our competitiveness," the Minister concluded.

The Director General of Science Foundation Ireland, Professor Frank Gannon, said: "The Government's goal of becoming a hub for international research is further advanced by this Research Frontiers Program investment.

"Ireland's performance in the fields of scientific and engineering research is directly linked to our future competitiveness and our quest for a measurable transformation to the 'smart' economy.

"Last year, the Research Frontiers Program resulted in many notable outcomes such as 88 collaborations with 83 companies, 715 academic collaborations, and 537 scientific papers.

"The program has contributed to Ireland's rapid ascent in the ranking of scientific output, rising from 36th place in 2003 to recently breaking into the top 20. "Ireland has joined countries such as Finland, Germany and the US in the scientific output stakes."