Georgia Tech Ireland: Bridging the gap to successful innovation

Georgia Tech Ireland (GTI) is the Georgia Tech Research Institute’s first applied research facility outside the United States. Established in December, 2006 as an Irish non-profit organisation, GTI partners and collaborates with Irish corporations, universities and research centres; the Georgia Tech research community; and U.S. companies.

Supported by Georgia Tech’s research capabilities, these partnerships and collaborations provide businesses on both sides of the Atlantic with industry-focused research and development that bridge the gap between academic discovery and commercial success. Through its core research and solution areas, GTI aspires to create markets and opportunities for other companies to be successful.

GTI will involve academic as well as industrial exchanges. Two Irish universities have signed memorandums of understanding with GTI for collaborative research and an exchange of faculty and students. In addition, GTI's director, Krishan Ahuja, has agreed to serve on the governing board of the Athlone Institute of Technology to enhance collaboration with Irish universities and better understand how they operate.

GTI's offices are located in a 115-acre industrial park in the strategically located city of Athlone on the Shannon River in the heart of Ireland. Athlone is centrally located to Galway, the Irish centre of biomedicine; Cork, the centre of the pharmaceutical industry; and Dublin, the center for information communication technology.

The Athlone staff is expected to grow to 50 researchers. GTI research and development is primarily funded by industry and the Irish government’s industrial development agency, IDA Ireland; however, contributions from interested donors have been critical in jump starting early stage research and funding student research experiences. Contributions will play an important role in the future.