A €47m research centre at the University of Limerick has opened. CONFIRM  is a Science Foundation Ireland funded project involving 42 companies, UL and numerous other third level institutions.

The centre is funded by SFI and industry to a value of €47 million, making it one of the largest new R&D centres in the country.

Business minister Heather Humphreys commented:  “Confirm will benefit Ireland by enabling us to compete internationally, generating employment, enhancing student skills, and attracting new investment. Confirm is one of five new Research Centres to receive funding from the government through SFI.”

Confirm director Professor Conor McCarthy described the research centre as a game changer. “It will act as a beacon for international talent in the areas of advanced manufacturing from robotics to artificial intelligence,” he said. “Ireland enjoys a highly-skilled and highly-motivated workforce in the manufacturing sector. Confirm builds upon this reputation and seeks to establish a world-leading centre for smart manufacturing.”

Smart manufacturing seeks to add intelligence to production systems, creating factories where products can be fully customised and adaptable, decisions made in real-time, supply-chains shortened and innovations realised.

In Association with

McCarthy described the aim as “to enable consumer-driven mass customisation, where future Irish products will be tailored to individual needs and delivered directly to customers just hours after placing orders”.

The roles associated with Confirm, in UL and around the country, span project or centre managers, two administrators, and post-doctoral researchers. The centre also plans to recruit 87 PhD students both at UL and in higher education institutes elsewhere.

Photo: Conor McCarthy (left) and minister Heather Humphreys with Brian Cooney of KUKA. (Pic: Sean Curtin True Media)