UL has just got itself a new design lab, courtesy of a collaboration between Analog Devices and the Higher Education Authority (HEA).

The new lab, the Analog Design Laboratory, was established in direct response to concerns expressed by the semiconductor industry, the IDA and the HEA at the shortage of skilled integrated-circuit designers. Analog and the HEA stepped in and agreed to supply UL's department of electronic and computer engineering with 25 advanced computer workstations, valued at over £100,000.

Analog, a global supplier of semiconductor data-conversion products, employs 1,300 people in Limerick.

The arrival of the new lab means final-year electronic engineering students will receive full training in CAD for microelectronic design. This, says UL, will increase their employment prospects and open a new pool of talent to employers. The head of the department, Professor Cyril Burkely, says: "As a result of the interaction with Analog and other companies we have been able to establish what is probably the largest circuit-design research group in Ireland. "Three of our PhD students are working with Analog engineers and another three are working with other companies in Ireland."