Shannon Applied Biotechnology Centre (ABC), an Enterprise Ireland funded Technology Gateway, has been awarded in excess of €800,000 for new equipment to help support Irish companies. the Centre for Applied Bioscience Research is a collaboration between the Institute of Technology, Tralee and Limerick Institute of Technology and works with companies across the Life Sciences, Food and Biotech sectors.

Vice President for Research, Development and External Engagement, Ms Brid McElligott commented that ‘IT Tralee are delighted that the Centre for Applied Bioscience Research have secured this funding for new equipment. Together with our IMaR Technology Gateway, our ITT researchers have been successful in securing €1.2 million in capital funding over the last two years. As we move towards the establishment of the Munster Technological University in 2021, this equipment will be fundamental to our continued industry engagement.”

Head of Research and Technology Transfer at LIT, Dr Paudie Murray said “these research equipment grant awards will be transformative for Shannon Applied Biotechnology Centre, acting as an open access point to these state of the art resources delivering technology solutions for our Irish industry partners close to their market needs.”

Vice President of Research, Development & Innovation at LIT, Dr Liam Brown congratulated all involved with the funding call and added: “These vital pieces of equipment will allow us to deliver for our industry partners, our postgraduate and postdoctoral research communities. Our sector has been starved of Capital Equipment funding for a long time but with the Centre for Applied Bioscience Research researchers having secured in excess of €1.8m in funding in the last two Enterprise Ireland Capital calls, the tide has now turned and I have no doubt but that this will result in significant economic, environmental and societal benefit.”

Minister for Business, Enterprise and Innovation, Heather Humphreys TD announced the successful applicants of the Capital Equipment Fund administered by Enterprise Ireland. 37 successful applicants from the Technology Gateway Network and Technology Centres have secured over €6million in funding.
The 6 successful applicants from the Centre for Applied Bioscience Research secured equipment that will assist in its expansion of R&D support for a range of sectors including food, cosmetic, nutraceutical, marine, biotechnology, biopharmaceutical, environmental and healthcare.

Dr Tim Yeomans, Centre Manager for the Centre for Applied Bioscience Research said that ‘We have now secured just short of €2 million in the last 2 years for new equipment; this will sustain and transform the support that we can provide for Irish industry – we are excited for the opportunity to put this equipment to work for Irish companies’.

The equipment awarded includes:

• Cosmetic Suite – Dr Niall Burke, Dr Aoife Curran, Ms Najla Jouini
• High Throughput Enzyme-linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA) suite – Dr Aleksandra Augustyniak and Dr Joanna Tierney
• An advanced liquid chromatography mass spectrometer – Dr Lena Madden
• Gas Chromatography Infrared Interface- Dr Lena Madden
• Microalgae Cultivation Suite – Dr Sushanta Saha
• Plate Reader – Dr Tim Yeomans

The new State of the Art Equipment will facilitate:

• More companies engaging in collaborative R&D with IoT researchers
• Enhanced technology validation and testing capabilities
• Test bed generation
• Enhanced training potential for key industry staff on emerging technologies

the Centre for Applied Bioscience Research is funded under the Enterprise Ireland Technology Gateway Programme. For more information, please contact tim.yeomans@staff.ittralee.ie