L-R: Killian Donnelly, graduate and senior product design engineer at Intel, software developer student Tzirath Perez, Eamonn Sinnott, General Manager of Intel Ireland, Maynooth University President, Professor Philip Nolan and Dr Alison Hood, Dean of Teaching and Learning
Maynooth University and Intel Ireland have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to establish a strategic partnership for research and innovation, and to nurture future talent. Building on already strong relationships between Intel and Maynooth, the MoU will establish a more comprehensive and structured format for creative collaborations in key areas of research.
The agreement was signed today by Maynooth University President, Professor Philip Nolan and Eamonn Sinnott, General Manager of Intel Ireland and Vice President Technology Manufacturing Group, marking a new chapter in the relationship between Ireland’s fastest growing university and the global leader in manufacturing and technology.
Eamonn Sinnott, General Manager of Intel Ireland and Maynooth University President, Professor Philip Nolan
As a commitment to developing the relationship between two major employers and contributors to enterprise, research and education policy, the MoU offers the potential for Intel and Maynooth to enhance their strategic presence in the fastest growing demographic region of Ireland by working in a more comprehensive and structured format.
The two organisations will co-operate to identify, optimise and nurture research and innovation in areas of growth potential, such as Maynooth’s U-Flyte project on Unmanned Aircraft Systems (co-funded by SFI and industry partners), artificial intelligence, design and innovation.
The partnership will also seek to explore ways to work together on topics such as emerging skills and talent needs, and extending diversity in education, including the representation of women in STEM- related education programmes and STEM careers.
Welcoming the MoU, the President of Maynooth University, Prof. Philip Nolan said;
“As neighbouring institutions in the fastest growing region within the fastest growing economy in Europe, it is fitting to put in place a framework for how Maynooth University and Intel can grow our partnership into the future. Whether it be matching regional skills needs to our expanding set of course offerings at both undergraduate and postgraduate level, or bringing together industry and academics to work on the latest in drone technology—partnering simply makes sense. I’m delighted that today’s announcement will enable our long partnership to grow in a formal way, and I’m excited to see where it leads.”
Remarking on the potential of this new partnership, Eamonn Sinnott, General Manager of Intel Ireland and Vice President of Intel’s Technology Manufacturing Group said;
“Since officially becoming the modern University that we know today in 1997, Maynooth has adopted a strong focus on research, innovation and on creating learning environments that are considerate of a dynamic and ever changing society.
The university’s multi-disciplinary approach to how it conduct’s research and its emphasis on preparing student’s to be future ready are just some of the reasons that we at Intel were so keen to formalise our relationship with the University and to look for further ways for our two organisations to work together.
This year as Intel celebrates 30 years of operations in Ireland we are delighted to sign this MoU to ensure that the long and rich partnership which we have enjoyed over many years with Maynooth University is put onto a sustainable and structured footing into what we hope will be a very exciting future”.
Maynooth University is Ireland’s fastest growing university, and is recognised among the top 400 universities in the world, the top 200 European Universities, and as one of the top 200 universities for international connections and outlook.
L-R: Intel’s Eamonn Sinnott together with Professor Philip Nolan and Dr Alison Hood from Maynooth University
MU alumni who are employed by Intel have studied across a wide range of disciplines, including Geography, Business, Electronic Engineering, Maths, Computer Science, Experimental Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Design Innovation and Psychology.
One such alumnus, Robert O’Connor, who is an engineer on the Manufacturing Information Technology team at Intel, earned his MSc in Design Innovation at Maynooth University. He noted a key experience from his studies was to cultivate an innovation mind-set for analysing and developing user-centred solutions.
“I now see problems differently and have an increased toolset to analyse, understand and develop user-centred solutions. I ran a project to apply this mind-set to the everyday tasks my team performs. We were able to analyse the work we do and automate solutions to free up our time for more important work,” he said.
About Maynooth University
Maynooth University and Intel Ireland have a long history of collaboration, including in the hiring of Maynooth University graduates, internship provision, sponsorship of student prizes and scholarships, and innovative projects related to both research and teaching. One past endeavour was an innovative European doctorate industrial Program, led by CERN open lab and involving Maynooth University, Intel and DCU, and co-funded by the European Commission. A second was collaboration in establishing the Innovation Value Institute, an open innovation consortium focussed on the business value of IT.
Major joint projects currently underway include U-Flyte research and development activities in drone robotics, U-Space architecture and unmanned Traffic Management Systems (UTM) and smart vision systems. U-Flyte is a strategic partnership coordinated by Maynooth University and funded by Science Foundation Ireland together with industry collaborators including, Airbus, Irelandia Aviation and Intel.
See also Maynooth Universities Research Centres and Institutes.
Photos: Conor McCabe Photography