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Research Minister attends 3rd Annual IERC Conference in Cork

Minister for Research and Innovation, Seán Sherlock T.D., today (Thursday) opened the third annual conference of the International Energy Research Centre (IERC), welcoming the opportunities for improved energy efficiency and international collaboration that it is bringing to Ireland.

Addressing the audience of industry professionals and academics, Minister Sherlock praised the centre’s aim of bringing these two groups together to maximise the potential impact of energy research “The IERC is fast-becoming the go-to knowledge hub relating to energy demand side efficiency and systems integration,” he said.

The IERC is an excellent example of how the Irish government is encouraging businesses and research performing organisations to work together to bring lasting energy security, economic benefits, attract new FDI and create potential for significant jobs and exports.

Energy is of fundamental strategic importance to the economy and it is essential that investment continues in research to develop energy efficiency strategies which will underpin the Government’s energy efficiency objectives and support economic growth in the clean technology sector. The 3 pillars of the Government’s energy policy are to ensure that Ireland has energy that is secure, competitive and sustainable.

Highlighting some of the achievements of the IERC to date, including an innovative method for storing thermal energy in a more size-efficient way, Minister Sherlock was enthusiastic about the innovative nature of the work taking place “It is projects such as these that can help Ireland to address the global energy challenge through the development of sustainable, pre-commercial, system-level solutions.”

Concluding Minister Sherlock thanked the IERC’s Director Professor Tony Day, praising his work in accelerating the growth of the centre and creating a collaborative methodology by which the IERC identifies research opportunities. “The addition of four extra full time staff at the IERC in the last year demonstrates the next phase of the development of the organisation. I look forward to seeing the impacts delivered by the IERC not only over the course of this conference but for many years to come.”

The International Energy Research Centre (IERC) was established in 2010 and has been developed through a novel collaborative concept by means of a Joint Agency Project Team comprising representatives from Enterprise Ireland, IDA Ireland, the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland and Science Foundation Ireland working with multinational companies such as UTRC and Alcatel Lucent and indigenous Irish companies. This Technology Centre is funded jointly by the Department of Jobs, Enterprise & Innovation and the Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources and hosted by the Tyndall National Institute. The IERC has a budget of €20 million over 5 years.

Notes for the Editor

Technology Centres are public-private research centres of excellence that connect industry to the Higher Education sector to increase the generation and availability of new, industrially relevant knowledge. The research agenda is driven by the companies that are involved and leverages the strength of other previous academic research.

In 2010 the Government announced a €20 million investment in the establishment of the International Energy Research Centre (IERC). Funding is provided jointly by Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation and Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources and is delivered jointly by EI, IDA, SEAI and SFI as part of the EI Technology Centre Programme. The research focuses on the energy demand side and the development of integrated energy systems. The Centre aims to identify how technology can be most effectively deployed to make real improvements in efficiency and service delivery. The IERC will provide world leading and transformative energy research solutions that are directly relevant to business needs, and that will improve the security, affordability and environmental impact of energy services.

The research is industry led, and conducted collaboratively between member companies and world-class research teams. The IERC will develop an energy research ecosystem that combines business innovation with research excellence. The IERC will become the go-to knowledge hub relating to energy demand side efficiency and systems integration.