THEA strongly welcomes the announcement of a €4.6 million investment in Regional Technology Clusters by the government through Future Jobs Ireland. The funding, which will support 12 regional clusters, was announced today by Ministers Humphries and McHugh at a Future Jobs Ireland event in Trim, Co. Meath. The 12 projects are spread across every region of Ireland, spanning nine Institutes of Technology (IoTs) and Technological University (TU) Dublin. Galway-Mayo Institute of Technology and Institute of Technology Tralee secured two awards each; these four awards have a total value of €1.3 million.
The clusters will enable IoTs and TUs to connect and engage with SMEs and multinational corporations in a strategic way on common areas of interest, while providing a means to increase their educational and research remit as knowledge providers in their region. IOTs and TUs have an important role to play in helping companies to respond to the skills challenges faced by SMEs and to assist companies to enhance their capability to win business in international markets.
The projects will support and activate clustering in several sectors - Furniture Manufacturing, Marine, Connected Health, Industry 4.0, Construction, Advanced Manufacturing, Cyber Security, Engineering, BioEconomy, MedTech and AgriTech.
Speaking at the announcement, Dr Jennifer Brennan, Director of Research and Innovation at THEA said: “I warmly welcome the announcement of this funding for IOTs and TUs under Future Jobs Ireland. The range of projects to be funded is most impressive. Each project is strongly aligned with the strategic research and innovation areas of the institutions. This funding will allow them to build and strengthen their links with enterprise in their regions and beyond. These links are central to the contribution that Technological Universities will bring to Ireland’s regions, economy and society.”
For more information and a full list of funded projects, visit https://dbei.gov.ie/en/News-And-Events/Department-News/2019/December/06122019.html.
