An agreement to explore collaborative research and educational opportunities between Athlone Institute of Technology, Georgia Tech in Atlanta, Georgia, and Georgia Tech Ireland (GTI ) was signed in Athlone on Wednesday.
The memorandum of understanding (MoU ) envisages the possibility of joint research programmes, joint/dual undergraduate and postgraduate programmes, as well as collaboration on the ongoing development of a Midlands Gateway Research and Innovation Centre.
Over the course of the past year, AIT and GTI, which is located in Athlone, have collaborated on various initiatives in nanomedicine, biomedicine/biosciences, and food processing technologies.
Speaking at the signing, president of AIT, Professor Ciarán Ó Catháin, said that the strategic partnership would involve the sharing of expertise and resources that will be to the betterment of all parties. “An already strong relationship exists between our respective institutions and this agreement provides the necessary framework to progress in new and bold directions.
“In particular, our common interest in wireless systems and nanomedicine sets the platform from which we will further develop this trans-Atlantic partnership. We look forward to working with Georgia Tech in delivering ground-breaking research and providing innovative academic programmes,” he stated.
Dr Krishan Ahuja, director of GTI and a Regents Professor at Georgia Tech in Atlanta, said; “GTI is delighted to partner with AIT to promote science, education, research, and development in the Midlands. GTI’s parent, Georgia Institute of Technology, has ranked in the top 10 among public universities in the United States for 10 consecutive years and its applied research arm, Georgia Tech Research Institute, performs more than €100 million worth of applied research annually. These resources, along with GTI’s outstanding facilities and personnel in Athlone, will support the collaboration with AIT and provide countless benefits for the entire region.”
The agreement envisages a joint research programme in wireless systems, which will build upon GTI’s existing Radio Frequency Identification (RFID ) and Internet Protocol Television (IPTV ) research programmes, and will use existing GTI and AIT facilities.
For prospective undergraduate and postgraduate students, the possible implementation of joint/dual programmes in bioscience, nanomedicine, systems engineering and entrepreneurship is a very exciting development. The agreement envisages student and faculty exchanges between the US and Ireland.
The possibility of collaborating on continuing education and distance learning programmes is also outlined. According to the parties, AIT and GTI will explore approaches to leverage Georgia Tech facilities such as the Global Learning Center (GLC ) and Collaborative Visualization facility (CoVE ) in Athlone.
AIT will also explore establishing a visiting fellowship for a senior Georgia Tech representative, who will be actively involved in developing joint research project initiatives.
