Minister Micheál Martin announces funding of €11.7million for the Irish Software Engineering Research Centre
Mr. Micheál Martin TD, Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment, has today announced Science Foundation Ireland (SFI) funding of €11.7m to the Irish Software Engineering Research Centre (ISERC) - a national centre for software engineering research, whose work will deliver a sustained competitive advantage for the entire Irish software sector.
The Centre, which will be located primarily at the University of Limerick, will directly involve top research scientists from University College Dublin, Trinity College Dublin and Dublin City University. It will provide the focal point for a community of software engineering researchers based in Ireland looking at better ways to build, maintain and evaluate software.
Prof Paddy Nixon, Dr Aaron J Quigley, Dr Simon Dobson, Dr Joe Kiniry and Dr Mel Ó Cinnéide from UCD School of Computer Science and Informatics will be involved in six of the twenty research projects planned.
Dr Quigley said this represents a remarkable opportunity for UCD to advance its research expertise in autonomic computing, software visualisation, software tools, pervasive computing, and software ratification in the automotive software engineering domain.
‘With re-engineering and the evolution of automotive software systems, we create visual representations of what the inside of software looks like to help software engineers understand how it evolves. This improves maintenance and makes it easier to build the next generation’ he said.
Announcing the funding, Minister Martin said, “This SFI award to ISERC will further our credentials as a major software engineering player, providing the world class infrastructure needed to excel in this area, enabling Ireland to punch above its weight in this significant field.”
The centre has teamed with companies who want to cooperate on “pre-competitive” approaches to improving their software development methods. These companies - aimware, Analog Devices, Ashling Microsystems, IBM Ireland, Iona Technologies, Intel Ireland, Beaumount Hospital, Robert Bosch, Evolve Technologies, Kugler Maag, Motorola, Piercom, QAD Ireland Ltd, and Silicon & Software Systems, have committed personnel who will work with the academic researchers in solving problems and providing test cases for their work.
The researchers will initially focus on Automotive Systems, as this sector exemplifies many of the problems that will be faced, sooner or later, by all software developers, big or small.
Prof Kevin Ryan, Centre Director of ISERC said: “We now can provide a showcase of advanced Software Engineering research and a strong attraction for R&D to move to or stay in Ireland. Above all, the centre will supply the advanced innovations and ideas, the skilled personnel and leading-edge technology that are required to secure Ireland's comparative advantage and ensure the long-term viability of our software-dependent enterprises.”
Prof Mark Keane, Director of ICT, SFI, said industrial partners would also take part in technology transfer and educational efforts organised by ISERC. “In this way, ISERC will help connect the expanding research community to the industrial base and, through co-operative projects, technology trials, education and outreach, will maximise the impact of all SE research funding in Ireland,” he added.
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