The Rince Institute
Research Information
The Research Institute for Networks and Communications Engineering (RINCE) is a national centre for excellence in Information and Communications Technology (ICT) within the Faculty of Engineering and Computing at Dublin City University. RINCE was established in 1999 through competitive funding obtained from cycle I of the Programme for Research in Third Level Institutes (PRTLI). RINCE researchers are affiliated with two schools in DCU, the School of Electronic Engineering and the School of Computing. The institute currently has 20 academic staff members, 16 research fellows, and approximately 40 research postgraduate students collaborating on a wide variety of research projects.
Since its foundation in 1999, RINCE has been successful in attracting both national and international funding. In addition to funding from private industry, RINCE has obtained funding from Enterprise Ireland, Science Foundation Ireland, Irish Research Council for Science, Engineering and Technology (IRCSET), EU Framework Programmes, Higher Education Authority PRTLI, and Health Research Board. Over the last five years RINCE members have earned an average of €2.4 million in external funding per year, and a measure of the success of RINCE members in achieving funding for its research programmes is that five SFI Investigator Grants have been awarded to RINCE members over the past five years. This large amount of research funding has driven the expansion of Ph.D. supervision within the institute, with 2006 seeing the largest number of Ph.D. completions (18) in a single year for the institute. The increased level of research activity within RINCE has also resulted in a major increase in the number of research papers published by RINCE members in international peer reviewed conferences and journals, with over 100 such publications in 2006.
RINCE has recently been reorganised to build upon the successes it has achieved since its establishment by supporting and developing a number of key strongly focused research areas, intent on making a significant and recognised contribution on the research landscape, while also providing an environment where new and less mature research groups can reach their full potential. The key areas of focus identified by RINCE for development over the next five year cycle are:
- Centre for Image Processing and Analysis (CIPA): The Centre for Image Processing and Analysis (CIPA) is comprised of researchers in DCU (primarily the Vision Systems Group (VSG), a key university recognised research group) along with a wide range of Industrial and Biomedical partners. CIPA acts as the focus for Image Processing and Quantitative Image Analysis research in DCU. The core expertise provided by the CIPA is in its ability to develop and design novel computer based solutions that will allow the automatic extraction of key image features [specifically from 2D, video, 3D and 4D data sources] with a view to a robust and reliable quantitative analysis, classification or tracking of key information/data within the scene.
- High Speed Devices and Systems (HSDS): This has grown from the existing strengths in photonics and nanomaterials and will in particular develop the work of the Radio and Optical Communications Group and the Nanomaterials Processing Laboratory. The key expertise within this group comprises the ability to model, design, and test high speed electronic and photonic devices that will be vital for the development of next generation Terabit/s optical communications systems.
- Network Innovations Centre: This has grown from the existing strengths in Performance Engineering, Switching and Systems,RF modelling and simulation and network processor design. The key competencies in this group involve the development of heterogeneous network environments in which wireless, wired and optical networks will coexist. The research spans network modelling from the physical level through to the Application layer.
The Institute occupies a recently constructed, state of the art building, containing all the laboratories and facilities required to carry out leading edge research projects. It also has accommodation and facilities for up to 10 visiting researchers. Visit www.rince.ie for additional details.
Contact Details
Ger Lardner
Administrator
RINCE
Dublin City University
Glasnevin, Dublin 9
Tel: +353 (0) 1 700 5604
Fax: +353 (0) 1 700 7767
Email: Ger.Lardner@rince.ie
