Funding of almost €1 million to attract world-class researchers to Ireland was today announced by Minister of State for Science, Technology and Innovation, Conor Lenihan.
Launching the 2008 Science Foundation Ireland (SFI) Annual Report, Mr Lenihan said the funding would be used to attract researchers through SFI’s Walton Visitor Programme.
By directly supporting 2,812 researchers and collaborating with over 300 companies, SFI is playing a key role in the Irish economy and in the Government's strategy to build a Smart Economy, Mr Lenihan said.
"With this funding of nearly €1m, 16 top-class researchers have chosen to come to Ireland to carry out research ...their collective efforts will benefit Irish industry and strengthen our connections with the international research community across the globe," he added.
Professor Frank Gannon, director of SFI, said: “Our host institutions around the country look forward to welcoming leading researchers from the UK, USA, Belgium, Germany, France, Singapore and Russia….such a wealth of research talent coming to Ireland is of immense benefit to our own pool of researchers, and significantly raises our international standing”.