Trinity College Invests Further in Research and Development with Opening of New Bioengineering Facility

Posted on: 10 May 2005

TCD Responds to Strategic Needs of Irish Industry with Course in Engineering & Management The College continued its long term investment into the development of research facilities at the University with the opening of its new pioneering research centre, The Trinity Centre for Bioengineering on Tuesday 10th May. The Centre, which will search for solutions to emerging bio-mechanics problems in medical device technologies is part of a major investment by the College, in partnership with the Government, into the arena of research and development. Funded under the HEA’s Programme for Research in Third Level Institutions (PRTLI) Cycle 3, the Centre was officially opened by the Minister for Education and Science, Mary Hanafin, TD. Another significant development in Mechanical Engineering, funded by the HEA, is the degree programme in Manufacturing Engineering and Management Science (MEMS). This was funded under the Special Skills Initiative and will also be housed in the new extension opened by the Minister. The MEMS degree produces graduates with expertise in both technical and the management areas. It was established after consultation with industry groups on how the third level sector might meet the strategic needs for Irish industry and meets many of the requirements recently identified in the Enterprise Strategy Group report “Ahead of the Curve-Ireland’s Place in the Global Economy”. The Trinity Centre for Bioengineering is particularly important from a strategic perspective, as the highest concentration of the medical device industry is in Ireland, stated the Provost Dr. John Hegarty. Over 80 companies involved in the design, manufacture, and distribution of medical devices, including ten of the world’s top 15 medical devices companies are located here, exports worth €4 billion are exported annually. Employment in the bioengineering industry in Ireland has grown to the level where the industry now directly employs over 22,000 people in Ireland, of which up to 20% are graduate engineers and scientists. These developments will play a crucial role in important sectors of the Irish economy, will add significantly to the academic infrastructure in College and will have a strategic impact in Ireland in the medium to longer term according to the Provost. “Mechanical Engineering in Trinity has been pursuing an ambitious development plan, driven by a determination to consolidate and develop our international reputation for research, to maintain and strengthen our degree programmes at undergraduate and postgraduate level and to underpin the needs of Irish industry,” stated Prof. John Fitzpatrick, Head of the Department of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering.