IBM makes a splash with water R&D centre

16-06-2008

by Emmet Ryan

A new water management centre developed by IBM will create 18 new jobs in Dublin.

The IBM Centre of Excellence for Water Management is a project in which the IT giant plans to invest EUR7 million over the next three years. The new positions at the Dublin centre are primarily in the area of research and development.

"We are focussed on the research and development of technology that will help to solve some of the problems around the world today relating to water," Dr Sharon Nunes, vice president for Big Green Innovations at IBM told ENN.

The first project of the new Dublin operation will be to create a sensor network in Galway Bay. This network will be used to generate data for analysis to help research on water management issues affecting fisheries and public health concerns, amongst others. This project is being run in collaboration with the Marine Institute.

"Our collaboration with IBM is a good example of increasingly sophisticated technology being applied to marine stewardship and management activities, the research and development of which offers a significant new opportunity for Irish industry", said Dr Peter Heffernan, chief executive of Marine Institute Ireland.

Nunes told ENN that the decision to set up the centre in Dublin was due to the expertise IBM had in-house at its Irish operation as well as the access the firm had to academic partners such as DCU, UCD, and UCC.

This recognition of the presence of skilled researchers in Ireland was welcomed by the Finance Minister Brian Lenihan, who spoke at the announcement of the facility on Monday. "Choosing Ireland as the preferred location for this global research centre is a significant strategic win for IBM Ireland and IDA Ireland. It enhances Ireland's reputation globally as a research and development location for emerging green technology investments and is in line with the IDA's strategy of winning high-value knowledge-based research and development investments from leading technology companies," he said.

"It also positions Ireland at the centre of IBM's emerging business strategy. This investment by IBM is extremely important for Ireland, ensuring further diversification of IBM'S Dublin Technology Campus Operations," said Lenihan.

Nunes said the move to research water management was part of IBM's ongoing plans to develop green technology. She said that in recent years the IT giant had invested a good deal of resources and technology into solving environmental problems.