Pearson unveils plans for £38m Excellence Centre

NIO Enterprise Minister, Ian Pearson has announced a £38 million investment in a Queen’s University Centre of Excellence in the converging fields of computing, digital communications and electronics.

As revealed on 4NI news last week, the new Institute of Electronics, Communications and Information Technologies (ECIT) project, a collaboration between academia and industry, is the single most significant investment in research and development infrastructure in Northern Ireland in recent times.

The project will aim to build upon the expertise of the University’s internationally renowned School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering and the School of Computer Science at Queen’s University.

Commenting on the investment, Mr Pearson said: “This new centre will capitalise on the world class research already undertaken at Queen’s University and provide a channel for more rapid commercialisation in the fields of electronics, communications and information technology.

“ECIT will build on the very strong links already existing between academia and industry, and will stimulate the restructuring of the economy by strengthening the science base and developing and exploiting new technologies."

Professor Sir George Bain, Queen’s University Vice Chancellor, added: “Queen’s has had a history of excellence in research since its foundation and is currently at the forefront of developments in this advanced technological field. The establishment of ECIT will allow the translation of our research excellence into world-class marketable products and services.

“Vitally, ECIT will act as a catalyst for value added research projects and will be a major attraction to international companies.”

The overall aims of the ECIT project are to:

• stimulate world-class research and innovation;
• create opportunities for commercial exploitation of Intellectual Property Rights and know-how;
• incubate spin-out and spin-in start up companies;
• develop a new generation of high technology engineers and entrepreneurs.

The announcement of the new Centre of Excellence follows the announcement in January of 16 other leading edge Research Centres based in local companies and the two universities. Work is expected to begin immediately on construction of the new centre, which will be located in the Northern Ireland Science Park in Titanic Quarter, Belfast.

Invest NI is supporting the project with an £8.3 million investment, together with support of £3.1 million from the Department for Employment and Learning and £26.4 million from Queen’s University.

(MB)