[29.02.2008 first posted on silicon republic]
Some two Tyndall Institute spin-out companies have recently set world scientific records, it has emerged.

Photonic Systems Group and SensL were today acknowledged for their technological breakthroughs by Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment, Micheál Martin TD, as he laid the foundation stone of a new laboratory building at the Tyndall Institute.
Photonic Systems Group researchers successfully demonstrated the transmission of 280Gbps of data, error free, over 1,200km of optical fibre, a record capacity over this type of link for a single optical transmitter unit..
“This record is a great step forward in answering the ever-increasing demand for greater bandwidth with high reliability and at low cost,” said Martin.
“The second record was achieved in co-operation with SensL, a Tyndall spin-out company. Tyndall researchers have developed a silicon fabrication process that makes a revolutionary low-light detector. These efforts have enabled SensL to grow its business in the point-of-care medical diagnostics markets and is a strong demonstration of how research and industry can work together to achieve innovation,” he said.
The new laboratory is part of the €50m expansion of the Tyndall Institute in Cork. The expansion will ensure Tyndall will be one of Europe’s most advanced information and technology research centres in Europe. 170 new research jobs will be created by the expansion and the institute will employ over 500 researchers by 2011.
The institute unites researchers from University College Cork, the Cork Institute of Technology and the National Microelectronics Research Centre, as well as carrying out collaborative research with multinational ICT companies like Intel, Hewlett Packard and Analog Devices.
“The development programme for Tyndall is a key part of Government’s and Science Foundation Ireland’s strategy to create a small number of centres of excellence of which Tyndall will be the largest and most significant,” Martin said.
“The mission of the Tyndall National Institute is to be a focal point for ICT hardware and networking research in Ireland,” commented Professor Roger W Whatmore, Tyndall Institute. “Current activities include photonic and electronic materials, device modelling, design, processing, fabrication, testing and packaging, optical, electronic and biological subsystems and photonic networks.
“The Institute’s National Access Programme provides fully-funded access to its facilities and expertise to all Irish universities and Institutes of Technology,” he added.
Funding for the expansion project is primarily provided by Science Foundation Ireland, following a partnership agreement between the Department of Enterprise Trade and Employment and University College Cork. Additional funding comes from the Higher Education Authority’s Programme for Research in Third Level Institutions (PRTLI).
By Niall Byrne