Research partnership renewed in €2.3m deal

A Trinity College Dublin lab has expanded its research partnership with Nokia Bell Labs with a new four-year agreement worth €2.3 million.

Amber, the materials science institute at Trinity, is working on a number of technologies of importance to the company including new kinds of batteries and controlling the release of heat by minute circuits.

The deal sees Nokia Bell Labs contributing €1.1 million in cash and in-kind while Science Foundation Ireland adds €1.2 million. The foundation already funds Amber.

The company’s support includes several “researchers-in-residence” who are embedded in research groups at Amber.

The announcement came on Tuesday during a visit to Amber by Minister of State for Training and Skills John Halligan. The deal was a testament to the importance of continued investment in scientific research here, he said.

Company executive director Julie Byrne described the lab as its “strategic university partner”, with a number of projects under way.

These include research in the areas of energy storage, energy harvesting and energy efficiency, she said.

Thermal management was an area of concern, particularly as data transfer rates rise and greater dependence on the use of highly efficient lasers used in optical-based storage systems.

The deal has also opened up new opportunities for more young researchers, said Amber director Prof Michael Morris.