The Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment Leo Varadkar officially launched Construct Innovate, the new Enterprise Ireland Technology Centre hosted at the University of Galway. Construct Innovate will be at the forefront of initiatives to meet the demands of major building and investment programmes as part of Project Ireland 2040 and the National Development Plan 2021-2030; Housing for All; and the Climate Action Plan.
The centre has been established with funding of €5m over five years to accelerate research and innovation in the construction sector and put the built environment industry at the cutting edge of developments by utilising the strengths of a network of government, industry and academia.
Construct Innovate to drive innovation
Speaking at the launch, Leo Varadkar said, “Construct Innovate is one of the actions we are taking under the government’s ‘Housing for All’ plan to drive innovation, productivity and structural change in the construction sector.
“The centre will help Irish construction companies to develop competitive advantage, using cutting-edge products and services that are better performing, more efficient, more environmentally sustainable, and more effective for their customers. It is a welcome addition to Enterprise Ireland’s existing industry-led Technology Centre Programme, which underpins Ireland’s Research, Development and Innovation capabilities.”
Construct Innovate consortium
The Construct Innovate consortium is the first of its kind in Ireland, and as well as the University of Galway includes Trinity College Dublin, University College Dublin, and University College Cork, working with the Irish Green Building Council, sectoral bodies and construction companies. It brings together a critical mass of experts and thought leaders, offering a single point of contact for industry to access the best combination of skills, equipment and know-how in the Irish research system.
The official launch of Construct Innovate coincides with the formal opening of a call for members among construction companies.
President of University of Galway, Professor Ciarán Ó hÓgartaigh, said: “University of Galway is dedicated to excellence and sustainability as core values, and it is a huge credit to our community that by embedding those values in our research endeavours that we have been selected to host Construct Innovate – a national technology centre supporting the quality of the work of one of our largest indigenous employers.”
To learn more about membership of Construct Innovate, visit www.constructinnovate.ie