Boost for University of Limerick in €52m Investment Creating 225 New Jobs
Resource type: News
Independent.ie | [ View Original Source (opens in new window) ]
Dr. Mary Shire, Vice President Research UL and Professor Kieran Hodnett, Dean, Faculty of Science and Engineering UL welcome An Taoiseach, Enda Kenny, TD to the University of Limerick. Photo: Alan Place
By Ailish O’Hora
The University of Limerick is to benefit from a €52m investment in a new research project that will create 225 jobs including 150 in construction.
The Bernal Project, which will support the country’s research priorities including pharma and engineering, also marks a first with 70pc of the project funded philanthropically and the rest through the State and the university.
This includes over €26m from Irish/American businessman Chuck Feeney, the founder of Atlantic Philanthropies, and a further €10m from other donations.
Mary Sutton, Ireland director with Atlantic said: “Atlantic Philanthropies has a long-standing relationship with the University of Limerick and is delighted to support this innovative investment in science and engineering.”
Some 150 new jobs are being created with the construction of a new science and engineering initiative at the University of Limerick which will create a further 75 long term research positions once the centre is finished in 2015.
It will also involve the recruitment of 10 professors, a start-up seed fund while five international researchers have been appointed as Bernal chairs.
The centre was officially opened by Taoiseach Enda Kenny today.
In the Media
> UL Project Aims to Attract World-Class Researchers, RTÉ News, 17 October 2013
> University of Limerick Reveals 52m EUR Science and Engineering Project, Creating 225 Jobs, Silicon Republic, 17 October 2013
> University of Limerick Project to Create More Than 200 Jobs, BreakingNews.ie, 17 October 2013
University of Limerick Foundation is an Atlantic grantee.