Professor Mark Keane, Chair of Computer Science in the UCD School of Computer Science & Informatics and former Director of ICT in Science Foundation Ireland, has been appointed Chairman of the SFI-funded National Access Programme (NAP).
NAP, which has an annual budget of €2M, funds projects to use the fabrication facilities of the Tyndall National Institute (formerly the NMRC) in Cork. It has funded over 100 projects in the last two years - Professor Keane will chair the committee that evaluates these projects.
The National Access Programme is open on an all-island basis to research staff and postgraduate students in all Irish Universities, Institutes of Technology and Research Institutes, providing eligible researchers with access to Tyndall Institute’s state-of-the-art research facilities, equipment and expertise. Valued at €120M, these include a silicon CMOS processing laboratory; a compound semiconductor, photonics laboratory; and a Microsystems fabrication facility.
“I am very pleased to be asked to head this committee, as it is a unique all-Ireland programme run as a collaboration between all the third-level institutes on the island of Ireland”, said Prof Keane. “As such, it provides a model for future, large collaborative efforts supporting Ireland's science infrastructure.”
Proposals may cover various types of research work, from short projects of 1-day access for analysis to full CMOS process fabrication.
Potential users can contact NAP at nap@tyndall.ie to discuss facilities, laboratories and expertise or refer to www.tyndall.ie/
