The new facilities will serve projects in advanced materials, semiconductors and chips, high-speed communications, medical devices, geoengineering, and AI and high-performance computing.

Research Ireland and the Irish Government are to spend €17m on nine infrastructure projects across a variety of STEM fields including semiconductor advancement, medical device innovation, quantum devices and AI computing.

The new investment awards, the largest of which is for around €4.67m, are allocated to new facilities for lead researchers at Tyndall National Institute, Dublin City University, RCSI University of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Galway, University College Dublin, University of Limerick, University College Cork and South East Technological University.

The Government said the infrastructure funding will “enable the installation of state-of-the-art equipment and facilities across the country, strengthening Ireland’s research capacity in strategically important areas” such as advanced materials, medtech, AI, semiconductors and quantum technologies.

It said the funding scheme is “designed to ensure that Irish researchers can access the specialised equipment needed to compete on the global stage”.

The new investment is broken down across three facilities in advanced materials, two in semiconductors and chips, and one each in high-speed communications, medical devices, geoengineering, and AI and high-performance computing.

Of the nine lead researchers affiliated with the new facilities, six are women and three are men.

Dr Diarmuid O’Brien, CEO of Research Ireland, said: “We are enabling researchers across the country to pursue ambitious ideas, deepen collaboration and accelerate breakthrough discoveries by providing access to truly world-class infrastructure.

“The awards announced today are a key step in delivering on Research Ireland’s strategy to strengthen national research capacity, future-proofing our research ecosystem and ensuring Ireland remains a global leader in high-impact research.”

The biggest individual spend will be on an advanced semiconductor processing and characterisation facility for multifunctional thin-film materials, whose affiliated lead researcher is Dr Lynette Keeney of Cork’s Tyndall National Institute.

An atomic layer etch diagnostic platform for developing and studying materials “at the atomic scale”, overseen by Prof Deborah O’Connell of Dublin City University, will be funded to the tune of €2.89m.

A medical device innovation network will receive €1.97m to establish a national research facility developed in partnership between the University of Galway and RCSI.

Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science James Lawless, TD said: “Today’s Research Ireland infrastructure announcement further underscores our strong commitment to ensuring Ireland’s research community have access to world-class facilities.

“This investment will equip researchers across the country with the tools they need to remain at the forefront of global innovation and strengthen Ireland’s long-term competitiveness.”

Last month, Research Ireland announced €36m in funding for 341 innovative research projects and €4.4m in enterprise fellowships as part of its new five-year strategy.

Dr Diarmuid O’Brien discussed this and more with SiliconRepublic.com in February.

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