Trinity’s Advanced Materials and Bio-engineering Research (AMBER) centre is to create 350 new research jobs over the next six years, as part of a €40 million government investment in materials science.
AMBER, a Science Foundation Ireland (SFI) research centre, will create the positions between now and 2025 as part of a new phase of funding, which also includes €77 million in cash and in-kind donations.
In a press statement, Provost Patrick Prendergast said the centre, which works in collaboration with Trinity’s Centre for Research on Adaptive Nanostructures and Nanodevices (CRANN) and other research centres around the country, “has played a leading role in consolidating Ireland’s reputation for materials and bioengineering science research”.
“This announcement highlights the ongoing ambition of the centre to create high-quality, high-tech employment opportunities for the future”, he said.
“AMBER has been a successful model for linking industry and academia, underpinned with fundamental research, and will continue to positively contribute to the economy and society.”
AMBER is partnered with 40 companies in areas including sustainable materials, medicine and energy.
SFI head Mark Ferguson said that “the SFI Research Centre AMBER has contributed hugely to fundamental and applied materials science research.”
“In only a short period”, he said, “AMBER has made incredible progress in terms of increased academic and industrial collaboration, training PhD students for industry, winning competitive funding from the EU, producing excellent scientific results and public engagement”.
“Science Foundation Ireland looks forward to continuing to support this world class centre, increasing our ability to positively impact both society and the economy through excellent scientific research.”
In May, the government announced an investment of €230 million in six SFI research centres, including AMBER. The funding, which forms part of Project Ireland 2040, will directly support around 850 researchers.
