THE INSTITUTES of technology (ITs) have become a major contributor to Ireland’s efforts to deliver a smart economy via research, and the 13 ITs outside of Dublin now account for 20 per cent of the State spend on scientific research.
The rapid development of research capacity within the IT sector was highlighted yesterday in Cork at the launch of the first Institutes of Technology Research and Innovations Yearbook.
The document provides details on research by specific ITs and individual scientists within each IT. It provides something of a “matchmaking” service, stated Dr Richard Thorn, director for flexible learning and research for the representative body, the Institutes of Technology Ireland (IoTI).
“In total, the ITs account for about 20 per cent of the research funding given by bodies such as Science Foundation Ireland,” stated Dr Thorn, a former president of IT Sligo. The ITs only accounted for 4-5 per cent in 2004, an indication of the rapid growth of research in the sector. The university research sector saw a 50 per cent increase in research over 2004-2008, he said. By comparison, the IT sector experienced a 300 per cent growth in research.
For copies of the yearbook, e-mail sandra.cryan@ioti.ie