June 2008 Former NUI Galway President Honoured

Former President of NUI Galway, Professor Pat Fottrell, has been honoured by the National University of Ireland during a ceremony to confer honorary doctorates at University College Cork. Professor Fottrell was President of NUI Galway from 1996 to 2000, leading the University through a period of major change. Prior to becoming President he was Registrar and Deputy President of NUI Galway, having served as a Senior Lecturer, Associate Professor and Established Professor of Biochemistry with the University. Under his research leadership, NUI Galway developed a widely recognised expertise in rapid diagnostic technology, which in turn led to the creation of one of the first campus companies, Noctech, which later became Cambridge Diagnostics. Speaking at the Honorary Conferring Ceremony, Dr. James Browne, President of NUI Galway, commented, "Pat Fottrell has a tremendous record of achievement and innovation across a range of activities including teaching and research, the commercialization of research, university management and leadership and the development and implementation of public policy. Under his innovative and energetic direction, NUI Galway developed its first strategic plan, defined and agreed its research priorities, created major research institutes including the National Centre for Biomedical Engineering Science and the Irish Centre for Human Rights, and increased student intake by over 30%." Dr. Browne added, "It is entirely appropriate that the National University of Ireland, in this its centenary year, should honour Pat Fottrell. Nobody better embodies the spirit and the achievement of the National University of Ireland." Following his retirement from the Presidency of NUI Galway, Pat Fotrell was invited to Chair the Board of Science Foundation Ireland (SFI). Under his leadership SFI has allocated almost €1 billion in research funding and has created a series of innovative programmes to support the highest quality research in universities. Professor Fottrell also serves on the Board of Teagasc and chairs its Research Committee. He is a member of the Board of Curators and Guardians of the National Gallery of Ireland and of the Galway Hospice Foundation. -ends-