Members and staff of the Southern Regional Assembly at Connect Centre headquarters in Trinity College Dublin.
The CONNECT Centre for Future Networks and Communications at Trinity College Dublin has hosted a study visit by members and staff of the Southern Regional Assembly (SRA). The group included almost two dozen city and county councillors from local authorities across the region.
Professor Linda Doyle, Director of CONNECT, gave an overview of the Centre’s research activities during the visit.
“Connect’s telecommunications research work has multiple applications which are particularly relevant to local authorities,” according to Professor Doyle. “The Internet-of-Things, for instance, has tremendous potential for improved flood defences and some of our projects are focused specifically on this.”
“Dialogue between researchers and public representatives is vitally important and mutually beneficial. I think we all learned a lot from today’s meeting.”
Cllr Damien Geoghegan, Cathaoirleach of the Southern Regional Assembly, led the delegation and commended the work of the Connect Centre saying: “The calibre of researchers working with Connect across the Southern and Eastern programme area is a testament to the region and Ireland’s standing in the international research community. The funding awards attracted by the Centre, and the industry partnerships they have forged, are evidence that Connect – and Ireland – is emerging as a world class location for future networks and communications”.
The Southern Regional Assembly is the managing authority for the Southern and Eastern Regional Programme 2014-2020. Science Foundation Ireland’s Research Centres Programme, which supports Connect, is co-funded by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) under this regional programme.
Ms Derville Brennan, Research and Communications Officer at the Southern Regional Assembly, said the visit provided “a valuable opportunity to see how the work of Connect contributes to the aims of the ERDF co-funded regional programme managed by the Regional Assembly.”
“A core objective of the regional programme is to support world-leading research and to support the commercialisation of that work,” she said. “Connect, one of the four ERDF co-funded centres delivered by Science Foundation Ireland (SFI) under the Southern and Eastern Regional Programme, is pivotal in achieving this objective for the programme.”
CONNECT is the world leading Science Foundation Ireland Research Centre for Future Networks and Communications. CONNECT is funded under the Science Foundation Ireland Research Centres Programme and is co-funded under the European Regional Development Fund. We engage with over 35 companies including large multinationals, SMEs and start-ups. CONNECT brings together world-class expertise from ten Irish academic institutes to create a one-stop-shop for telecommunications research, development and innovation.
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