UCD-Intel Strategic Partnership Scholarship Awards

Scholarship Awards UCD-Intel Strategic Partnership

UCD University Club, 22 January 2020

Good morning, I am delighted to be here at the fourth annual UCD-Intel Major Strategic Partnership Ceremony and would like to extend a very warm welcome to Eamonn Sinnott, Vice-President, Technology & Manufacturing Group and General Manager, Intel Ireland and his colleagues.  Over the last 4 years, UCD and Intel have worked together to develop an excellent partnership.  I have visited Intel’s advanced technology campus at Leixlip many times and it never fails to impress to see the scale and impact of the 15-billion-dollar investment which Intel has made in Ireland over the past 30 years.

Today is an important day. Shortly Eamonn and I will sign a new memorandum of understanding between Intel and UCD broadening and deepening our strategic partnership. We will also recognise the achievements of 15 outstanding UCD students in Science and Engineering who will be awarded a UCD-Intel Masters Student Scholarship.

I would like to take a moment to reflect on the significant achievements of our partnership over the past four years. 64 UCD postgraduate students in Engineering and Science have been supported by the UCD-Intel Masters Student Scholarship Programme. I am also delighted that UCD students have been the largest recipients of Intel Women in Technology Scholarship Programme awards.  Intel has supported a broad range of research at UCD including the SFI I-FORM Advanced Manufacturing Centre, together with significant research undertaken in conjunction with the labs of Professor John Sheridan and Professor Kenneth Dawson. We acknowledge and are grateful for their partnership with the UCD Festival, the UCD Alumni Awards, the UCD Kilty Outreach Lab and the UCD Institute for Discovery. UCD is also grateful to Intel for its support of the development of the UCD O’Brien Centre for Science.

Today Eamonn and I will start the next phase of our strategic partnership together. Over the next few years this partnership will support the education of a further 48 UCD students in Science and Engineering through an Intel Scholarship Programme, supporting economic and social development in Ireland and globally. It will see the appointment of an Intel Adjunct Professor at UCD and will provide substantial investment in the new UCD Centre for Creativity.

Of course, all partnerships are built on people. I would like to acknowledge and thank Eamonn and his team including Bernie Capraro and Carmel McLoughlin. At UCD I would like to thank Professor Barbara Dooley and the members of the Talent Development Team, together with Triona McCormack, Professor Orla Feely, Orla Gallagher and the team at the UCD Foundation.

At UCD we are justifiably proud of the excellence of our students and alumni. It is worth noting that CAO entry requirements for Engineering and Science degrees in UCD are amongst the highest nationally, with students in these disciplines being some of the brightest and best in the country.

In December, I announced a new strategy for UCD - Rising to the Future - the objectives, themes and enablers that we have put in place ensure that UCD is well placed to rise to the global challenges and avail of the unprecedented opportunities that exist all around us. Today’s announcement with Intel underpins our core objective to continue to build our engagement locally, nationally and internationally.

To conclude, I hope that all those working together at Intel and UCD continue to leverage this valuable partnership. I wish it every success now and in the future.