School of Electronics, Electrical Engineering and Computer Science

The semiconductor and nanotechnology research cluster secured two of the four tri-partite US-Ireland R&D partnerships announced at a recent event hosted by the US Ambassador to Ireland in Dublin.  The event saw Minister for Employment and Learning Sir Reg Empey gather with Southern Minister for Labour Affairs Dara Calleary and Ambassador Dan Rooney to announce the partnerships on behalf of the US-Ireland R&D Partnership.

Pictured at the US-Ireland event hosted by the US ambassador in the Phoenix Park were (l-r): Dr David McNeill; Minister for Employment and Learning Sir Reg Empey; Dr Neil Mitchell; and Professor Chris Elliott.

US Ambassador Dan Rooney welcomed these partnerships, saying: "These successful projects have come through a US review process that is the international gold standard for research excellence. This clearly demonstrates the high quality of advanced research across the island of Ireland and adds greatly to its reputation as a centre of innovation that can compete on an international stage."

Sir Reg Empey welcomed the announcement, saying: "The US-Ireland R&D Partnership is a ground-breaking agreement that will help to stimulate higher levels of innovation in Northern Ireland and accelerate both economic development and leading edge medical research. By collaborating, we are pooling our respective research expertise and leveraging additional investment to support projects that will benefit each of our jurisdictions and make a significant contribution to the wellbeing of all our people."

Southern Minister for Labour Affairs, Dara Calleary said: "We see the US-Ireland R&D Partnership as an important mechanism for achieving high growth and helping bring about the economic regeneration of the island."

Dr Neil Mitchell will be collaborating with National University of Ireland, Galway and Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution USA on a project entitled "Development of a Greenhouse Gas Ocean–Atmosphere Flux Sensor with MEMS–based Photoacoustic Technology". The world renowned Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution already has an important link with Belfast through their role in the discovery of the wreck of the Titanic in 1985.

Dr David McNeill will collaborate with University of Texas at Dallas, Tyndall National Institute - Cork, and Dublin City University on a project entitled "Future Oxides and Channel Materials for Ultimate Scaling of Transistors in Integrated Circuits"