Optics in Ireland 2011

Chris Dainty

Eight years after our last article on optics in Ireland, we’re pleased to report that the country is still growing its investments in science, building optics research, and promoting industrial collaborations.

 

imageIrish Minister of State for Science, Conor Lenihan (seated), is shown MacPI, an instrument for the measurement of the macular pigment on the retina.

In November 2003, OPN published an article titled: "Plenty to Smile About in Ireland." It described how the newly created funding agency called the Science Foundation Ireland (SFI) had made significant investments in optics and photonics. That took place during the so-called "Celtic Tiger" era, a period of marked growth in Ireland's high-tech sector. Although that period was coming to an end in 2003, the economic boom continued, fueled by the construction industry and banks, until finally Ireland had to accept a loan from the international banking community in late 2010.

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