Irish Universities work together to launch €46m software research facility Lero at the University of Limerick
Ms Jan O’Sullivan TD, Minister for Education and Skills, yesterday (Monday) formally launched an expanded Lero, the Science Foundation Ireland Irish Software Research Centre, at the University of Limerick in a €46.4 million investment over six years.
The development means that 90 PhD and 46 postdoctoral research positions will be created over the next six years, with recruitment commencing immediately.
Announcing the investment, Education Minister Jan O’Sullivan said:
“The collaboration of the best academic brains from all the country’s universities is unique in Ireland and rare worldwide.”
Funding for Lero comes from the Science Foundation of Ireland and EU Structural Funds (€32.6m). Industry is backing the initiative with contributions worth €13.8m.
The Lero expansion now incorporates software researchers from UCC and NUI Maynooth, which means that all Irish universities plus Dundalk IT are represented in the national centre, which is located on the University of Limerick campus.
Under the new programme, Lero has also broadened its research scope from purely software engineering to a wider range of software disciplines. Research areas will combine core research with targeted projects in hot sectors including cyber security, Internet of Things, cloud computing, medical devices and smart cities :
“This new investment in Lero is an important part of the national infrastructure that will help to attract and retain the world’s leading technology companies in Ireland as well as providing access to a world class software research centre for over 1,000 indigenous tech firms”, added Minister O’Sullivan.
Prof Mark Ferguson, director general of the Science Foundation of Ireland, said Lero represents the “largest ever State and industry co-funded research investment in this country”.
Lero which is headquartered in the 3,775 sq. metre Tierney Building at Plassey Technological Park, Limerick, includes Dublin City University, Dundalk Institute of Technology, NUI Galway, NUI Maynooth, Trinity College Dublin, University College Cork, University College Dublin and University of Limerick.
