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CREDIT Technology Gateway at Dundalk Institute of Technology secures two vital pieces of capital equipment for industry collaboration and research

22 July 2021

https://enterprise.gov.ie/en/News-And-Events/Department-News/2021/July/14072021a.html

The Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment, Leo Varadkar TD has announced the successful applicants of the Capital Equipment Fund administered by Enterprise Ireland through the Technology Gateway and Technology Centre Programmes. 29 successful projects from across the third level sector have secured over €6million in funding to assist them in buying world-leading research equipment that will serve the Research and Development (R&D) needs of Irish industry. DkITs award secured just under €0.5M for the CREDIT Technology Gateway.



 

The €6m fund will provide companies with access to critical, leading-edge equipment that will allow them to engage in R&D activities, pilot manufacturing capability for new products and process development, enhance technology validation and testing capabilities, test bed generation and enhanced training potential for key industry staff on emerging technologies in collaboration with the technology gateways and technology centres across Ireland.

The winners were selected through a rigorous evaluation process based on eligibility criteria for the call which included, but was not limited to, a strong track record of industry engagement, a significant industrial need for the new equipment, and space to service and maintain the equipment according to international standards. Funding was based on an extensive review process which looked at the number of companies that will benefit and the criticality of the equipment to servicing their R&D needs, how access to the equipment can be shared across the technology gateway and technology centres network and current capability gaps within the collaborative research system that can be alleviated by making this equipment available.

 

Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment, Leo Varadkar TD said:

“This €6m Capital Equipment Fund will give 29 projects across the country access to world-class research equipment, helping them test new products and ways of doing things. We hope to see some exciting new ideas and breakthroughs as a result. Great things happen when companies collaborate with third level institutions. Recent data show that companies which collaborate with our universities have double the turnover of those that don’t. Third level institutions benefit too, by getting to work with creative, business-minded entrepreneurs, working on solutions to real life problems. Congratulations to all the successful applicants, I look forward to seeing the fruits of this collaborative effort.”

Speaking today, Head of Innovation & Business Development at DkIT, Aidan Browne said,

“We are delighted with this commitment to the development of the suite of supports and high-tech equipment resources for the CREDIT Technology Gateway that will help drive greater industry-academia collaboration. Being part of Enterprise Ireland’s Technology Gateway Network firmly places our region on the map in terms of skills and expertise in the area of renewable & energy technologies.

The growth of the Technological Gateway directly aligns with commitments underpinned within our Strategic Plan 2020-22 and our own investment in this space which seeks to build up our region, reinforce sectoral clusters and create an environment which entices our future younger generations to stay and work in the region.”

Dominic McLarnon – CREDIT Technology Gateway Manager added

‘The addition of the HASS/HALT Environmental  Chamber and the Hemisphere Scanning LiDAR to the CREDIT Technology Gateway portfolio will greatly enhance the capabilities of the energy research team and provide companies with strategically aligned infrastructure and testing environments, demonstration tools and technologies, and research and development expertise needed to bring new products, processes and services closer to market. This suite of equipment will actively support business and industry to become more competitive by providing access to world-class facilities, augmenting problem solving capabilities and enabling faster adoption of emerging technologies and processes to create new markets’

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