Minister for Research and Innovation, Seán Sherlock TD, has launched a new €30m Irish Photonic Integration Centre (IPIC).

The centre is led by Tyndall National Institute in collaboration with University College Cork (UCC), Cork Institute of Technology (CIT) and Dublin City University (DCU).

The new Science Foundation Ireland (SFI) Research Centre will bring together more than 100 researchers from the four institutes to develop new light-enabled technologies. The team will also work with 18 industry partners including multinationals, Irish SMEs and high-tech start-ups.

The Centre will receive €20m from the Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation through SFI's Research Centres Programme, with an additional €10m leveraged from industry. It will also act as a high-tech start-up base, with new high-tech company, X-Celeprint already committed to base its headquarters in Tyndall and to create up to 20 jobs in the next two years.

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Speaking at the IPIC launch, Minister Sherlock said: "This investment of €20 million of taxpayers' money, with an additional €10 million from industry, is further proof of the Government's commitment to Irish research. IPIC represents one of the strongest research teams in Europe.

"The Centre is in prime position to achieve further funding from the Horizon 2020 funding round and to attract new companies and talent to Ireland."

Targeting the ICT and medical devices sectors, IPIC will work with industry to develop the next generation of highly-compact and miniaturised photonic technologies. Over the next six years, the Centre has ambitious plans to catalyse the creation of 200 new jobs through 30 research projects and the commercialisation of new photonic technologies.

Its work will focus on revolutionising the speed of data transfer, creating more energy efficient devices and delivering new smart medical devices for improved diagnosis and treatment of disease.

(JP/MH)