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Government-supported research to build on 15,000-job, €680million-a-year localisation sector - Bruton
SFI research centre created technology used at 2010 FIFA World Cup to automatically translate tweets into global languages
The Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, Richard Bruton TD today attended a showcase of work by the Science Foundation Ireland-funded Centre for Next Generation Localisation (CNGL) at Croke Park Convention Centre, Dublin to see at first hand the economic benefits being generated by the Government's investment in third level research.
Technologies created by the centre include the software used at the 2010 FIFA World Cup to translate tweets into global languages, and the centre is continuing to develop ground-breaking technologies in voice recognition and language translation for use in software and social media across the world. Localisation is a sector within the technology industry, whereby digital products and services are adapted to the needs of customers in countries around the world. Approximately 15,000 people are employed in the sector in Ireland, which is worth an estimated €680million to the economy per year.
Addressing the representatives of industry and research attending the showcase, Minister Bruton said: "Over recent years Ireland has built up a very impressive record in scientific research. If we are to get out of our present difficulties, we must now use this base to commercialise more ideas, create more Irish businesses, and attract and embed more multinational investment. Turning good ideas into good jobs: that is what SFI's research centres and funded teams are about, and that is what I am determined to achieve."
"I am delighted to see that five start-up companies have been created from this research, as well as an impressive number of invention disclosures, licensing agreements and patent applications. We must now build on that record and be highly ambitious about the number of jobs our research can create". The CNGL is one of 28 top-class research centres funded by Science Foundation Ireland, and brings 150 researchers together with 10 partner companies in order to commercialise research, foster the development of new and existing Irish companies, and attract new multinational investment. The CNGL Localisation Innovation Showcase demonstrated the scientific and economic impact of work at the €40m academia-industry consortium, while also presenting a selection of technologies that are ripe for commercial exploitation.
CNGL is a dynamic consortium comprising more than 150 researchers at Dublin City University, Trinity College Dublin, University College Dublin and University of Limerick, along with ten industry partner companies. In addition to on-going collaboration with its industry partners, CNGL has engaged with more than 100 companies across Ireland over the last year under the Enterprise Ireland Commercial Development Manager programme. CNGL partner Symantec and new start-up Digital Linguistics today shared their experiences of engaging in university research, shaping the commercial opportunity, and then building products and services to capitalise on the innovation.
Summarising the benefits of attendance at today's Localisation Innovation Showcase, CNGL's Commercial Development Manager, Steve Gotz, said: "Our showcases have become particularly fertile grounds for companies looking to solve specific problems or find new product offerings. Today attendees had the opportunity to not only view fundamental scientific advances that will be impacting their businesses in the not-too-distant future, but also a chance to discuss industry challenges and opportunities with some of the leading academic minds in these fields."
Through strong industry engagement, CNGL is helping to ensure that Ireland remains at the forefront of the multi-billion euro content management and localisation sectors. The impact of research in localisation and global content intelligence is particularly significant in an export-led economy such as Ireland, as localisation enables companies to introduce products to otherwise inaccessible markets.
CNGL's Localisation Innovation Showcase was presented as part of the Innovation Dublin Festival 2011. For further information on collaboration opportunities with CNGL, see www.cngl.ie