TEN THIRD-LEVEL institutions are to pool their knowledge and resources in a new collaboration for the study of nanoscience, which was launched yesterday.
Some €31.6 million has been allocated by the Higher Education Authority to Inspire (Integrated nanoscience platform for Ireland) in order to improve Ireland’s capability in this field.
Ireland has been ranked world sixth in research of nanoscience – the study of objects measuring less than 100 nanometres (a nanometre is one million times smaller than a millimetre).
Its applications could include technology, such as helping to make computers lighter and faster. It can be used in the health sector by trying to target sick cells only in the treatment of cancer.
The 10 institutions involved are: Trinity College Dublin, University College Dublin, Dublin Institute of Technology, NUI Galway, Cork Institute of Technology, University of Limerick, University College Cork, Dublin City University, University of Ulster and Queen’s University Belfast.
The value of Irish exports enabled by nanotechnology is expected to exceed € 13 billion by 2010, Minister of State for science and innovation Dr Jimmy Devins said.
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