Minister launches Cloud Computing Centre at DCU

Minister for Enterprise and Jobs, Richard Bruton TD, has launched the new Irish Centre for Cloud Computing and Commerce (IC4) - a new government-funded technology centre in Dublin City University to drive cloud computing innovation in Ireland.

The centre's aim is to accelerate the development and adoption of cloud technology in Ireland, develop and showcase Ireland's capabilities in this field and ultimately benefit the Irish economy through job creation and increased revenues in the ICT sector. The industry-led centre has a strong industry panel that includes Microsoft, Fujitsu, Intel and IBM. It will build on Ireland's substantial research base in this area and focus on partnering researchers with industry in order to turn good research ideas into good jobs in the Irish economy.

This launch represents the delivery of a key commitment under the Action Plan for Jobs 2012.

IC4 is jointly supported by Enterprise Ireland and IDA Ireland and is the 11th government-funded technology centre to be established in Ireland. The centre will be headquartered at Dublin City University (DCU) with additional research capacity in University College Cork (UCC) and Athlone Institute of Technology (AIT).

Launching the centre, Minister Bruton said,

"Cloud computing is already a significant part of the overall market for information technology and services and is now one of the fastest growing segments of the market. That why as part of the Government's Action Plan for Jobs we have specifically targeted this sector for jobs and growth in the coming years.

"A major part of supporting job creation in this sector is ensuring that we derive the greatest possible benefit from the major state investment in scientific research over the past decade. We must ensure not only that we continue to support cutting-edge scientific research, but also that we put in place measures to ensure that we can turn the good ideas emerging from that research into good jobs. That is why we have developed this industry-led technology research centre, to bring industry and researchers together so that they can focus on creating viable businesses and ultimately create the jobs we need".

Gerard Lande, senior commercialisation specialist at Enterprise Ireland added:

"Cloud Computing transcends traditional business boundaries and opens up many new opportunities in service sector with global value chains. Developing capability in this area is increasingly important as cloud computing proliferates into other business domains.

"This centre is a significant step for SMEs and multinational companies in Ireland's technology sector. It enables Enterprise Ireland and IDA Ireland to support the large client base companies currently operating in this vibrant and diverse sector. Also, by its multi-disciplinary nature, this centre leverages the capabilities of business researchers and computing technologists providing significant opportunities to innovate on the fringes of both domains.

Professor Brian MacCraith, President of Dublin City University added:

"We are delighted to host the new Centre for Cloud Computing and Commerce at Dublin City University. It reaffirms our commitment to collaboration with industry as a significant driver to growth in key areas of economic activity. The development of this industry-led translational research centre with industry and research partners builds on DCU's distinctive research strengths and represents an opportunity to develop the cloud computing industry both at home and abroad."

Theo Lynn, Principal Investigator at DCU, said:

"Cloud computing represents a huge growth opportunity for both the EU and Ireland. A recent IDC report suggests that it could contribute up to €250 billion to EU GDP in 2020 and over 3.8 million jobs. The government's commitment to establishing this new technology centre in this area shows vision and provides a platform for government agencies, industry and the university sector to collaborate to ensure Ireland is well placed to exploit the opportunities that will emerge over the coming years in this space."

"We are delighted to host the Irish Centre for Cloud Computing and Commerce at DCU. Together with our partners in UCC and AIT, we look forward to continuing our collaboration with industry to help accelerate the development and adoption of cloud technology in Ireland."

For more information, visit www.ic4.ie.