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Educational News - Government awards €23m in grants to science projects

Date Uploaded: 09/07/2014

Funding of €23m for 40 university science projects has been unveiled by the Government through Science Foundation Ireland (SFI), the publicly funded research institution.

The funding will go to researchers and post-graduate students in the areas of renewable energy, cancer research, neurological disorders and wireless networks.

"These programmes are an important factor in ensuring that Ireland can succeed in persuading top young scientific talent from abroad to base 
their research efforts here in Ireland," said Professor Mark Ferguson, director general of SFI and chief scientific adviser to the Government.

“This will help promising young researchers to create and develop impactful careers here and in turn enable the pursuit of scientific research that has potential economic and societal impact."

Trinity College Dublin and NUI Galway top the list of colleges and research institutes to benefit from the grants with five each. The Royal College of Surgeons, Dublin City University, University College Cork and the University of Limerick all get four.

NUI Maynooth and University College Dublin and the National Institute for Bioprocessing Research and 
Training all get three, while Teagasc and the Tyndall National Institute get two and Dublin's Institute for Advanced Studies gets one.

"Investment like this is 
important for Ireland's developing international reputation 
for excellent research with impact," said Minister for Research and Innovation, Seán Sherlock, pictured right.

"Funding for researchers at the outset of their careers is 
an important element," he 
said.

Source: www.independent.ie

Journalist: Adrian Weckler