Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment Micheál Martin announces renowned US Research Institute for Ireland

Industry focused research centre to be based in Athlone

Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment Micheál Martin TD today (Tuesday 14^th March 2006) announced that Georgia Tech Research Institute (GTRI), of Atlanta, Georgia, US, will establish an applied research institute, with support from IDA Ireland, to focus on industry R&D needs. It will be based at the IDA Business and Technology Park in Athlone, Co. Westmeath.

Minster Martin said “GTRI Ireland will be a significant addition to Ireland’s R&D capability and infrastructure and is especially important in that it will enhance the competitiveness of Ireland to attract cutting edge industry research particularly from multinational companies.”

“The decision by GTRI to base the Institute in Athlone is especially welcome” Minister Martin stated. “It is very much in line with the Government and IDA Ireland’s strategy to develop national infrastructure resources throughout the country outside of the major urban areas.”

GTRI is the applied research arm of Georgia Institute of Technology, home to the largest engineering college in the US, and third among all US universities for the volume of engineering research and development conducted. Georgia Tech Research Institute Ireland will be GTRI’s first research facility outside of the US. Over the next five years, the Irish operation plans to build up a portfolio of research programmes and collaborations with industry which will be valued in excess of €20 million and at full operation it will employ 50 highly qualified researchers.

Applied research institutes specialise in translational research - the integration of technologies to prove feasibility - where ideas can be proven to have commercial potential. GTRI Ireland will provide this capability and will work across multiple disciplines and in partnership with industry to bring new technological solutions to address the industry and market needs of companies in Ireland.

The Minister, who visited GTRI in the US in 2005, continued “This initiative is one of a series, which includes the development of Competence Centres and Industry-led Research Networks, aimed at bridging the gap between academic and corporate research and is part of the Strategy on Science, Technology and Innovation 2006-2013currently being finalised by Government.”

The primary focus of GTRI Ireland will be on applied research collaborations with industry and will involve the development of research strands based on technology priorities for Ireland and GTRI in the IT, biotechnology and energy sectors. It plans to work closely with educational and research institutions in Ireland in identified complementary research directions. These are expected to include a national test bed for Internet protocol television (IPTV), the development of radio frequency identification (RFID) and authentication technologies.

The Irish operation will enhance Ireland’s R&D value proposition and will work in partnership with IDA Ireland to secure additional research mandates from multinational companies. GTRI will utilise its relationships with its US corporate partners to encourage them to establish collaborative operations with GTRI Ireland.

Dr. Stephen E. Cross, Georgia Tech Vice-President and GTRI Director, speaking at the announcement said “GTRI Ireland is an integral part of GTRI’s plan to develop international operations and build long-term relationships with industrial partners by providing innovative solutions through customer-focused R&D. This initiative directly supports Georgia Tech’s vision to define the technological university of the 21^st Century. GTRI is also eager to collaborate with universities across Ireland to develop the breakthrough technologies of the future.”

GTRI Deputy Director Dr. David Parekh, who has been working with IDA Ireland for the past two years to bring this initiative to fruition, will have primary responsibility for developing GTRI Ireland strategy, establishing corporate alliances, and selecting the right talent to ensure this endeavor is successful.

Notes to Editor

Georgia Tech Research Institute (GTRI), established since 1934, has an international standing for its excellence in many areas of science and technology. It employs 1,300 people, including 600 full-time engineers and scientists, of which 73% hold advanced degrees. It conducts nearly $140 million in R&D each year for industry, government, and academic institutions across the world with programmes in areas such as aerodynamics, environment management, photonics and electro-optics.

Dr. Stephen E. Cross is a Vice President of the Georgia Institute of Technology and the Director of the Georgia Tech Research Institute.  He also holds faculty appointments as a Professor in Industrial and Systems Engineering and as a Professor in Computing.  Before joining Georgia Tech in 2003, he was the Director and CEO of the Software Engineering Institute (SEI) at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (US) where he also held a faculty appointment as a Principal Research Scientist in the Institute for Software Research International and the Robotics Institute.   While at the SEI, Dr. Cross served on a computer science advisory board at the University of Ulster, sponsored an annual software engineering conference in Europe, and established a non-profit entity in Frankfurt, Germany (SEI-Europe) to facilitate collaborative research and transition into the European Union community.  Prior to joining Carnegie Mellon University in 1994, Dr. Cross was a Program Manager at the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency in Washington, D.C.  Dr. Cross have published over 60 papers on information technology and technology transition, presented invited keynotes at numerous international conferences, and has provided expert testimony on several occasions to the US Congress.  He currently serves on four advisory boards for industry and US government organisations.  Dr. Cross is a Fellow of the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE), the Associate Editor for the Journal of Information, Knowledge, and Sysyems Management, and a former Editor-in-Chief of IEEE Intelligent Systems. 

Dr. David E. Parekh is Deputy Director of the Georgia Tech Research Institute and serves as an Associate Vice-Provost for Research for Georgia Tech. Dr. Parekh has primary responsibility for research operations, business development, commercialization, and strategic investment of GTRI’s internal research portfolio. He also holds a joint faculty appointment as a Professor in the Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering. In 2000, he founded Georgia Tech’s Fuel Cell and Battery Technology Center and is currently leading the development of a fuel-cell powered aircraft. Dr. Parekh’s endeavors have been characterised by the parallel pursuit of coordinated basic and applied research aimed at a rapid transition of scientific discoveries to major product advancements. His publications span a range of topics including active flow control, advanced aerodynamics and aeroacoustics, optical diagnostics, and innovative propulsion technologies. As a programme manager, he has directed numerous university-industry research teams in partnership with government sponsors. He currently serves on several corporations’ technical advisory boards. Prior to joining Georgia Tech in 1997, he served as a principal technical specialist and a technology IPT team leader in the Boeing Phantom Works organisation. He started his professional career with McDonnell Douglas Corporation in 1988 as a scientist in the McDonnell Douglas Research Laboratories. He received his PhD in mechanical engineering (1989), MS in electrical engineering (1985) and MS in mechanical engineering (1983) from Stanford University, and his BS in mechanical engineering (1982) from Virginia Tech. Dr. Parekh is an Associate Fellow of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics and a member of the Tau Beta Pi and Pi Tau Sigma engineering honor societies.

The Georgia Institute of Technology is one of the America's premiere research universities. Ranked ninth among US News & World Report's top public universities. Georgia Tech educates more than 17,000 students every year through its Colleges of Architecture, Computing, Engineering, Liberal Arts, Management and Sciences. It is No. 1 in the US in the number of engineering degrees awarded, and also graduates more women and African-American engineers than any other US university. It offers research opportunities to both undergraduate and graduate students and is home to more than 100 interdisciplinary units plus GTRI. During the 2004-2005 academic year, Georgia Tech reached $357 million in new research award funding. It maintains an international presence with campuses in France and Singapore and partnerships throughout the world.

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