DCU driving research links with Brazil’s growing economy
A new consortium of Irish third-level institutions, headed up by Dublin City University (DCU), is driving a co-ordinated national approach to promote Ireland’s scientific and technological reputation in Brazil and to highlight Ireland’s attractiveness as an international research partner. DCU and its partners (RCSI, NUI Maynooth, University College Cork, Waterford Institute of Technology, University of Limerick, Dublin Institute of Technology, NUI Galway and Trinity College Dublin) will develop research and educational links between the two countries across 5 main areas:
- Information & Communication Technologies
- Environmental Science & Technologies
- Advanced Materials & Nanotechnology
- Biopharmaceuticals, Biotechnology and Health
- Sustainable energy and Agroproduction
Funding of €550 000 has been provided for this International Strategic Co-operation Award Programme, by Science Foundation Ireland (SFI) which has designated Brazil as a priority country for research and education partnerships.
Workshops will be held in Brazil and Ireland to identify areas of collaboration with potential industry partners in both countries with the aim of building consortia within the framework of Horizon 2020, the new European programme for investment in research and innovation to be launched in 2014. International co-operation with the BRIC (Brazil, Russia, India and China) countries is a key element of Horizon 2020.
Professor Alan Harvey, Vice President for Research and Innovation at DCU welcomes this opportunity to promote Ireland as the preferred location to undertake research,
“The partners of this consortium have joined forces in order to achieve a stronger Irish foothold in the Brazilian research landscape. The consortium will facilitate a coherent national approach to capitalise on the opportunities currently offered for research funding by the Brazilian government. It will allow the partners to benefit from each other’s existing links in Brazil, and to create a critical mass not achievable by individual institutions in our engagement with industry and key high education institutions in Brazil.”
DCU is also involved in two other consortiums which will drive the strengthening of strategic research links and collaboration with China (lead by NUIM) and with India (led by TCD).