Waterford college nets €3.2m research grant

WATERFORD Institute of Technology’s reputation as a key national centre for research and development activity has received a further boost with the announcement of more than €3.2 million in additional grant aid.

The money has been allocated by Education and Science Minister Mary Hanafin under the Transforming Ireland National Development Plan 2007-2013.

The Waterford allocation of €3.235m is the eighth largest of 20 third level awards and the largest in the Institute of Technology sector.

WIT director Professor Kieran R Byrne said the funding would allow further progress to be made on developing the type of research infrastructure required of a 21st century university, in a country seeking to build a knowledge economy.

“As Ireland seeks to move on from the traditional reliance on low-skilled manufacturing, agricultural and construction employment that depended heavily on a range of external forces, there is a growing recognition that research, development and innovation provide the building blocks for developing the new knowledge and skills that will equip us to better meet today’s competitive challenges,” he said.

“Planning and working towards a future where we have sustainable, high-skilled employment opportunities throughout the country requires a considerable shift upwards in the skills level across the working population and — in both a regional and national context — Waterford is positioned to make a key contribution in the drive to dramatically increase the numbers of people pursuing fourth level research and learning opportunities right through to doctoral and post-doctoral level.”

The grant aid is the second significant funding boost for WIT within a month. In mid-February, the institute was awarded €2.5m under the Department of Education’s Strategic Innovation Fund. Of this, €1.9m was granted for a Waterford-led project on “Creating a sustainable environment for knowledge transfer in undergraduate and postgraduate education and research”.

WIT’s partners in the project include University College Cork and Cork Institute of Technology. The institute’s bid was supported by Waterford Chamber and IBEC South East while the University of Kuopio in Finland will be advisers to the project.

The funding will allow technology transfer activities to be more integrated into the curriculum at undergraduate and postgraduate levels, according to WIT’s head of strategic planning Derek O’Byrne.

“This funding will help us build even greater opportunities for the institute, our students and our workplace partners to work together more closely,” he said.