University of Limerick

Minister Sherlock announces €22.4 million for Lero over the next 5 years. Minister for Research and Innovation, Seán Sherlock T.D., recently announced Government funding through Science Foundation Ireland (SFI) of €16 million for Lero, the Irish Software Engineering Research Centre based at the University of Limerick (UL). The SFI funding is second-term funding provided through its Centre for Science, Engineering and Technology Programme and is also complemented with a very significant industry contribution of €6.4million. SFI is an agency of the Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation.

Comprising a team of 170 top-class researchers and PhD students, Lero’s research outputs have numerous applications for industry and society globally, in areas such as urban traffic control, corporate compliance systems, medical devices, financial services, ICT, mobile communications and space missions.

Making the announcement at the University of Limerick, Minister Sherlock said “This renewal SFI funding to Lero is in recognition of their research excellence and considerable impacts already delivered.”
“Crucially, it will also enable the Lero team to further deepen the level of collaboration with industry and provide for increased commercialisation opportunities for Ireland.”

Minister Sherlock also commended Lero on its inclusivity, with the Centre drawing upon the software expertise of UL, UCD, Trinity College Dublin, DCU, NUI Galway and Dundalk Institute of Technology.
Minister Sherlock added “The progressive approach already demonstrated by Lero is just what the country needs. This SFI award, allied to the very significant industry involvement and contribution, now affords Lero the opportunity to further our economic rehabilitation – both regionally and nationally.”

The industry contribution will be provided by numerous companies collaborating with the research centre, including IBM Ireland, Intel, Information Mosaic, JBA Consulting, QAD Ireland, Kugler Maag CIE, Almir Business, Movidius, Lumension Security Ireland, Vitalograph, Storm Technology and Fineos. Since its foundation in 2005, LERO has established strategic research partnerships with over 70 multinational and indigenous companies, with research contracts having been signed with partners such as the European Space Agency and United Technologies Research Centre in Cork.

Minister Sherlock also acknowledged Lero’s commitment to education and career development, as exemplified by their establishment of a national graduate school for software engineering and the designing of a national software engineering education programme for secondary school students.

Welcoming Minister Sherlock’s funding announcement, Director of Lero, Professor Mike Hinchey, said “Lero has ambitious plans to break new ground, intensify its collaboration with industry and generate an increase in commercial potential over the next five years. Today’s investment by Government and industry will serve to strategically support the realisation of those plans.”

Commenting on the announcement, Professor Fionn Murtagh, Director of Information, Communications and Emergent Technologies at SFI, said “Evolving Critical Systems – systems that change over time and where failure to operate correctly has serious negative consequences – are at the heart of Lero’s mission. The Centre’s work in a diverse range of sectors has helped to place Irish software engineering research on the world map.”

Bill Kearney, Director of IBM’s Software Lab Ireland, said: “We have a long-term relationship with Lero. We envisage future collaborative research with Lero in the areas of security, model-driven software development, cloud computing and large-scale software development. IBM has a long-running tradition of research collaboration with our colleagues in academia in Ireland. The goal of our collaborative initiative is to continue strong partnerships with the university ecosystem and ensure open innovation as a means to respond to our changing world.”

For further information about Lero - Irish Software Engineering Research Centre go to www.lero.ie