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NUI Galway and the University of Limerick have announced
a Strategic Alliance which will support the development of
the wider region to encourage indigenous enterprises and foreign
direct investment, strengthen research and industry partnerships
and further a shared commitment to academic excellence.
The Alliance will have an international dimension, through
a partnership with Georgia Institute of Technology in the
US, in the exploitation of research from both Irish universities.
At a ceremony in Dublin involving An Taoiseach, the Tánaiste
and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment and the
Minister for Education and Science, the Alliance was announced
to leaders from a wide range of community, public and political
bodies as well as partners from academia and industry.
Key and immediate initiatives resulting from the Alliance
include -
Supporting key industry sectors
- Furthering research and education to serve Ireland’s biomedical
device industry - which employs 24,000 people.
- Joining forces on research initiatives to provide scientific
and technological breakthroughs in the ’green tech’
sector.
- Supporting Ireland as the biggest exporter of software
solutions in Europe, by collaborating to remain at the forefront
of software development and internet technology research.
Technology Transfer
- Achieve economies of scale through jointly supporting
technology transfer and commercialisation of research.
- Working to establish a translational research centre with
Georgia Institute of Technology for technology transfer.
Academic Excellence
- Furthering commitment to 4th Level Education through joint
development of structured PhD programmes.
- Facilitating student exchange between the Universities
on a modular or semester basis.
- Creating a new Medical Academy at Portiuncula and Roscommon
Hospitals.
- Planning to facilitate joint academic appointments to
maximise student choice.
Civic Engagement
- Promoting active citizenship through projects such as
urban renewal and regeneration.
Shared Services
- Optimising resources through shared services and focused
use of research, teaching and academic support services.
Professor Don Barry, President of the University of Limerick,
said - “By forming this Strategic Alliance, we are collaborating
in very real and immediate ways, driving scientific and economic
progress with a specific focus on industry partnerships and
research in the areas of Biomedicine, Energy, ICT and Civic
Engagement.
“UL and NUI Galway are hubs of educational excellence and
research activity. By coming together with a shared vision
for the future, we will optimise our delivery of world-class
research, innovative teaching and service to the community,
while being responsive to the needs of our industry partners
and to the social, cultural and economic needs of Ireland.”
President of NUI Galway, Dr James J. Browne, said - “The
aim of this Alliance is to better support the social and economic
development of our wider region by combining the strengths
of the two universities to enhance the service we provide
to our students, to industry and business partners and to
enhance the international standing of both Universities. Together
we can and will achieve more.”
The institution-wide Alliance will work across all areas
of activity at UL and NUI Galway - including teaching, technology
transfer, lifelong learning and the provision of services.
The Alliance allows for the facilitation of student exchange
between the universities.
The new Alliance will see NUI Galway and UL collaborate extensively
in the area of teaching and learning. Exciting new initiatives
include a unique ’Link to Learn’ student exchange programme,
which will enable students at either university to choose
modules from the other institution as part of their programme.
Other developments include the creation of a new joint Medical
Academy at Portiuncula and Roscommon Hospitals, in addition
to the development of a programme of activities to respond
to the national objectives of building strong foundations
in mathematics and science in primary and second level education.
A focus of this Strategic Alliance will be industry collaborations
in R&D, increased commercialisation and spinouts. UL and
NUI Galway continue to exceed international benchmarks for
delivery of commercial licences and spinouts per euro invested.
In total, NUI Galway and UL have set up 21 spin-out companies
over the past four years, with 72 licences and 121 patents
filed. By 2015, the Alliance aims to deliver 40 spin-outs,
with particular focus on commercialisation in the fields of
ICT, Healthcare and Medical Technologies and Energy. Targets
also include 450 invention disclosures, 110 licences and to
have filed 200 patents.
The ICT and Biomedical industries are currently worth €34.2bn
annually to the Irish economy, while dependence on imported
energy significantly impacts industry and the economy. A cooperative
effort focused on these strategically vital areas aims to
accelerate the delivery of viable solutions and sustainable
industries.
The NUI Galway and UL Strategic Alliance is already forging
relationships with international partners. Georgia Institute
of Technology and the Alliance will work to establish a translational
research institute to focus on technology commercialisation
with industry partners. Together, the three institutions will
form a joint Translational Research Institute focused on the
application of core technologies and expertise within the
partner institutions.
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