A science programm at GMIT will receive €1.4 million in government funding over the next five years to provide cutting edge developments for Irish industries.
The purpose Medical and Engineering Technologies (MET) Gateway at GMIT is to provide technology based solutions for industries in the MedTech, Engineering, and Lifesciences sectors.
GMIT is one of 11 Institutes of Technology taking part in the Enterprise Ireland Technology Gateway Network which brings together 300 skilled researchers, along with specialist equipment and facilities.
Announcing the funding, the Minister of State for Training and Skills John Halligan said, “The Technology Gateway Network programme aims to bring Irish companies together with the researchers in the Institutes of Technology to provide near-to-market innovation and solutions in a range of areas, both regionally and nationally.”
Between this year and 2022 the government will invest a total of €26.75 million in the Technology Gateway Network, which has completed over 2,750 projects working with 1,250 Irish based companies since it was first established in 2013.
Minister Halligan also announced that an Irish Food Tech programme would also be set within the Galway Network.
“The aim of Irish Food Tech is to optimise the power of the Network and connect industry with researchers in a wide selection of areas that include bio-processing, food for health, process control and packaging.”
Researchers in the MET Gateway have worked on a wide variety of subjects including new polymers, pharmaceuticals, mobile technology, biotech and industrial design.
Dr Rick Officer, VP of Research and Innovation at GMIT says the new funding will deepen the relations between industry and higher education in the region.
“We have seen unprecedented growth in collaborations between the MedTech sector and GMIT’s MET Gateway since its inception. Enterprise Ireland’s Technology Gateway funding will ensure MET continues to deliver technology-based solutions for industry at both a regional and national level.”
According to Gerard Mooney, Manager of Research and Innovation at Enterprise Ireland, many of the projects completed by the Technology Gateway Network don’t require any state funding to be viable.
“The most common mechanism by which companies engage via the Gateways is through projects they pay for completely themselves without leveraging any State funding. This is a testament to both the trust built up between the companies and the Gateways, and the capability of the research community.”
Typical MET Gateway projects involve creating a new product or service, or optimising an existing process within an industry.
