RadioSpace, Ireland’s National 5G Test Centre, has opened at Maynooth University.
Funded by Science Foundation Ireland, the facility will be led by CONNECT Principal Investigator Prof. Ronan Farrell.
RadioSpace is the country’s first large-scale facility for the research and testing of radio and wireless technologies needed for 5G and the future Internet of Things. One of the first such facilities in Europe, RadioSpace will be open to large industry and SMEs and start-ups, and will provide a large-scale, interference-free facility for scientists and engineers from industry and universities in Ireland and abroad.
RadioSpace consists of a specially constructed anechoic chamber that provides perfect isolation for radio signals. This, with advanced test equipment and specialist engineers, allows for very sensitive measurements to be made, essential for the development of modern wireless devices.
The facility has received €638,000 funding from Science Foundation Ireland (SFI).
Prof Ronan Farrell, Dean of the Faculty of Science & Engineering and Director of RadioSpace, said: “This facility will provide industry in Ireland and across Europe, as well as academics, a rare and valuable capability to develop new technologies, and also to explore exciting questions in radio physics and engineering. We look forward to RadioSpace being a catalyst for increased collaboration between academia and industry, nationally and internationally.”
Dr Ciaran Seoighe, Deputy Director General, Science Foundation Ireland, added: “In Ireland we have a rich community of creative and talented experts developing cutting-edge technology that will help us prepare for an ever more data-rich digital future. SFI currently funds an array of research programmes using smart sensors and data dependent analytics that will be at the core of future jobs and addressing major societal and economic challenges. It’s crucial that we give our community the resources, infrastructure and testbeds to continue to explore, research and create. I’m confident that the new National 5G Test Centre will benefit Ireland’s research and innovation greatly.”
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.
