22nd October 2021
The Government announced the funding boost, which is the second phase of a project supporting Ireland’s dairy industry researchers.
The Government has pledged to invest €14m in University of Limerick (UL) research to make the Irish dairy industry more sustainable and competitive.
The €14m funding boost marks the second part of a fund allocated to the Dairy Processing Technology Centre (DPTC) in UL. The centre was founded in 2014 as a centre of excellence for dairy processing research and innovation.
It cost €25m and was funded by the Government along with Enterprise Ireland. Its aim at the time was to double Ireland’s milk production capacity by 2020.
Tánaiste Leo Varadkar visited UL’s Bernal Institute to announce the second phase of funding for the DPTC today (22 October).
Varadkar claimed that Ireland was one of “the most ambitious countries in the world on climate” with its climate law. He added that agriculture and farming as one of the country’s “largest and most important indigenous industries” should continue to be prioritised.
“We make enough food to feed our population nine times over. That’s something we should be proud of and we want it to continue,” he said.
“This research is crucial as we move to a low carbon society, to ensure our food industry can thrive, modernise and continue to compete globally,” Varadkar concluded.
The Government’s investment is being delivered through Enterprise Ireland, whose CEO, Leo Clancy, commented that the DPTC has “proved how effective collaboration between industry leaders and [our] research community can be.”
The DPTC is one of eight technology centres operating across Ireland, focused on critical areas such as advanced manufacturing, AI, microelectronics, pharmaceuticals and food.
According to its director, Dr Anne Marie Henihan, “We, at the DPTC, are looking forward to delivering on the full potential of this investment and building on the successes and achievements of phase one of the centre.”
“We will be relentless in our drive to provide world class innovative research that provides game-changing advances for the future of Irish dairy processing,” she added.
Henihan attributed the centre’s success so far to the “great level of co-operation and collaboration” among its industry and academic partners.
Source: Silicon Republic