New Funding Announced For 'High Potential' Research

The researchers, who are based in our higher education institutions, were awarded the funding under Science Foundation Ireland's Principal Investigator Program which supports strategic work in the life science, information communications technology and sustainable energy sectors.

The selected researchers are working on 27 pioneering projects.

Announcing the funding, Minister O'Keeffe said the selected projects had 'the capacity to create new jobs in the "smart" economy because they targeted high-growth areas at the cutting-edge of innovation'.

"The wide range of projects on which the selected researchers are working capture the caliber of work under way in our higher education institutions.

"Their focus on turning ideas into commercialised products and services is meeting the challenge of the Innovation Taskforce Report which is rooted in the promise of human capital and our capacity to forge a future for tomorrow's workers.

"By investing on a sustained basis in pioneering work, the Government is demonstrating our determination to support the emerging talent pool of scientists and engineers and create the jobs of tomorrow.

"Today's Science Foundation Ireland awards are a very important contribution to our innovation ecosystem and a core component of the Government's economic recovery project," said Minister O'Keeffe.

Among the research fields targeted by today's funding are energy, environmental protection, health, agriculture and telecommunications.