August 2007 NUI Galway President welcomes €23m research funding announcement

NUI Galway has secured over €23 million in research funding under PRTLI Cycle 4 - the Programme for Third Level Research in Third Level Institutions, announced today (Friday, 3 August), by Minister for Education and Science Mary Hanafin T.D.

Research areas to benefit from this funding include the Humanities; Social Sciences and Innovation; High End Computing; Biophotonics; Biomedical Sciences and an Environment Graduate Programme. The funding brings to €91 million the total sum awarded to the University under the PRTLI initiative.

Welcoming the announcement, Dr Iognáid Ó Muircheartaigh said: "I am delighted to welcome this very substantial support for NUI Galway s research activities. It is particularly gratifying to note the broad spread of the funding across projects in the Sciences and in the Humanities and Social Sciences. This support will enable NUI Galway to continue to develop the infrastructure and graduate education programmes which will support the Government s policies on national competitiveness."

Professor Nicholas Canny, Vice President for Research at NUI Galway, described the funding award as "extraordinary" and highlighted the collaborative nature of each of the proposals with other Universities within the State.

NUI Galway's research policy prioritises an interdisciplinary focus on specific areas of excellence towards the development of world-class research institutes and centres.

ENDS