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CAPPA Launch – Oct 23rd 2008

Dr Jimmy Devins T.D., Minister for Science, Technology and Innovation, officially opened two new technology centres at Cork Institute of Technology. The CAPPA and MEDIC centres, located on CIT’s Bishopstown campus will further enhance the Institute’s status at the forefront of technological research in Ireland. CIT researchers in the Photonics Strategic Research Cluster were awarded €1.25m by Enterprise Ireland to establish the Institute’s second Industry-driven research centre (under the Applied Research Enhancement Programme).

Known as CAPPA (Centre for Advanced Photonics and Process Analysis), a key objective of the centre will be to analyse the real-time quality of industry’s manufacturing processes without the need for them to interrupt the process. The CAPPA Centre, managed by Dr Eamonn O’Neill, aims to develop as a centre for industry-led applied research in Optics and Photonics.

Speaking at the opening of the centres Minister Devins said: “The Applied Research Enhancement programme is an ideal example of the success that can be achieved when the research strengths of a college are matched with the needs of the companies based in their locality.  Centres such as CAPPA and MEDIC provide a centre of excellence with the resources and capability required to turn research in the science, engineering and technology arena into commercial benefits for the regional economy in particular, and as a consequence, Ireland’s national economy”.

Speaking at the launch, CIT’s Head of Development, Mr Michael Delaney, said that with the opening of the new Centres, CIT was cementing its position as a frontline provider of high quality research and collaboration with industry. “We, as the old Chinese proverb has it, are ‘living in interesting times’ and these times present huge challenges. We here at CIT are of the belief that with a firm commitment to research and development, Ireland can maintain its status at the technological cutting edge. This can only be done in collaboration with government, industry and agencies such as Enterprise Ireland.

The establishment of the CAPPA and MEDIC centres is testament to this and I must give particular thanks to Minister Devins and Enterprise Ireland for their support of our research efforts and our links with industry. The establishment of CAPPA and MEDIC meant that CIT became the first Institute of Technology to have three centres funded under the ARE programme, with the Technologies for Embedded Computing centre being established in 2006. We hope that our close working relationship with Enterprise Ireland will continue long into the future.”

CAPPA centre manager Dr. Eamonn O’Neill (left) and Minister Jimmy Devins (right) discussing an optical design project with Mr. Padraig Murphy, Logitech, at the CAPPA centre opening.