WIT Press Release
Title: €3.235m funding boost for WIT research facilities
Release date: Thu, Mar 20, 2008
Waterford Institute of Technology's reputation as a key national centre for research and development (R&D) activity has received a further boost with the announcement of over €3.2 million in additional grant aid under Transforming Ireland, National Development Plan 2007-2013.
Mary Hanafin TD, Minister for Education & Science, has announced that WIT is among the higher education institutions to be allocated funding under the €58m research facilities enhancement scheme. The Waterford allocation of €3.235m is the eighth largest of 20 awards and the largest in the Institute of Technology sector.
Prof Kieran R Byrne, Director, Waterford Institute of Technology welcomed the funding which he said will 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.
"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."
Prof Byrne echoed Minister Hanafin’s assertion in announcing the funding that "strong investment in research infrastructure sends a very important message that Ireland is serious about research. Attracting first class researchers and delivering world-class research in a globally competitive environment is paramount. The training of future researchers will ultimately bring economic and social benefits nationally."
The research facilities grant aid is the second significant funding boost for Waterford Institute of Technology within a month. In mid-February, the Institute was awarded €2.5 million under the Department of Education’s Strategic Innovation Fund (SIF). 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 advisors 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. We will align the learning needs of students and the practical needs of the employer.
"In practice, the funding will allow the Institute to have more structured ways for students to learn from practical activities such as work based projects or work placements and offer more learners the opportunity to engage in these activities that provide real solutions to real workplace problems."