Private Funding Of Nanoscience Creates 50 Jobs For Researchers

20 Nov 2012

A RESEARCH unit at Trinity College is to create 50 research jobs after it increased the level of its private funding by nearly 60pc in 2012.

Crann, a government-funded nanoscience institute, said it secured some €8m of private funding for nanoscience research. As well as the investment this year, the institute said it has committed €20m of funding for research over the next six years to sustain and grow the institute.

Crann is funded by the Department of Enterprise through Science Foundation Ireland (SFI).

Employers

According to the institute, nanoscience supports 250,000 jobs in Ireland, across the ICT, energy, medical and pharmaceutical sectors, and accounts for 10pc of annual exports, about €15bn.

Jobs Minister Richard Bruton said scientific research was crucial but had to sustain employment.

"Today's announcement that this SFI-funded centre has attracted private sector funding which has created 50 full-time research jobs is a great example of precisely what we are trying to achieve.

"I commend everyone at Crann and in SFI, and am determined we can see announcements like this across the country in the coming years."

Crann director professor John Boland claimed the announcement "illustrates the return on investment in scientific research in terms of the benefit to the Irish economy".

"Nanoscience is enabling the products and services of the future and Ireland's researchers are at the heart of this innovation.

"Companies can partner with institutions from anywhere across the globe, but they are choosing to collaborate with Crann as a result of our world class research," he added.

Source: http://www.independent.ie/business/irish/private-funding-of-nanoscience-creates-50-jobs-for-researchers-3300401.html