Tánaiste Leo Varadkar has given the green light to a major investment at the LYIT research lab under the Enterprise Ireland Capital Equipment Call.
The WiSAR Technology Gateway has announced that the research lab has been successfully awarded €250,000 worth of funding under the Enterprise Ireland Capital Equipment Call.
The announcement will see a significant investment for the LYIT Department of Electronics and Mechanical Engineering research facility, further increasing the renowned R&D capacity in the North West region.
The funding is one of 29 successful projects from across the third level sector with over €6m secured in total, to assist in acquiring world-leading research equipment to serve the research and development needs of Irish industry.
The investment secured under the Capital Equipment Call will enable the WiSAR Technology Gateway to acquire a state of the art, 90GHz Anechoic Chamber.
Dr Nick Timmons, Principal Investigator at the WiSAR Lab, said this will facilitate experiments and measurements for antennas, electromagnetic compatibility (EMC), mmWave circuits and propagation characterisation, and anything requiring radio frequency (RF) isolation.
He added “This equipment will serve as an important resource not only for academic research projects, but also for commercial testing purposes, for businesses who are engaging in R&D activities, to improve a process or develop a prototype.
“In particular, with the ongoing nationwide broadband rollout and Internet of Things, together with the development of advanced manufacturing systems in industry, this chamber will provide a resource for researching and developing the emerging higher frequency 5G services and beyond.
“It is these higher frequency services which will provide the greater wireless bandwidth required in the future by smart factories, gaming, smart-agri, the blue economy, autonomous vehicles, and industry automation.”
“WiSAR, at LYIT, has a long and distinguished track record in delivering applied research, having assisted dozens of companies since our inception, and we are delighted to have received this vital funding injection for capital investment which will see us further build on our capacity to deliver world class wireless research here in the North West.”
“The region boasts a high calibre of enterprise and research activity, and we believe that this funding will significantly complement our existing ecosystem, developing stronger linkages between third level research and industry, enabling greater knowledge transfer and increasing our capacity to remain responsive to the dynamic and evolving needs of Irish enterprise.”
“Recent data indicates that companies who collaborate with third-level institutes on research, development and innovation, have double the turnover of those that do not, and these companies are also likely to have significantly greater sales and export revenues. To compete in the challenging global business environment, indigenous companies face an ever-increasing demand for advancement and innovation.”
“Exemplary research, innovation and the commercialisation ecosystem are at the core of our ethos here at LYIT and this funding will further underpin our responsiveness to proactively solve a wide spectrum of industry challenges.”
“As the establishment of a new university moves closer, under the Connaught-Ulster Alliance, this Capital Equipment funding will serve as an important enabler in driving research activity in the region, supporting productivity outputs and showcasing real world, cutting-edge technologies.”
About the WiSAR Lab and Technology Gateway
The WiSAR Technology Gateway is one of 16 specialised Enterprise Ireland Technology Gateways, who work in partnership with Institutes of Technology and Technological Universities across Ireland. The Gateway is an access point to the Wireless Sensor Applied Research Lab and the Department of Engineering and Computer Science at LYIT, providing industry with consultancy and applied research services in electronics and software, with a dedicated pool of experienced engineers, academics, and research staff.
