UB, Dublin City University Sign Memorandum of Understanding

BUFFALO, N.Y. -- The University at Buffalo and Dublin City University (DCU) in Ireland have signed a memorandum of understanding that will provide opportunities for strategic research collaborations, joint funding proposals, exchange of researchers and access to specialized research infrastructure.

The memorandum was signed in Dublin on Friday by Bruce A. Holm, UB senior vice provost, and Professor Dermot Diamond, DCU vice president for research. UB President John B. Simpson joined the president of DCU, Professor Ferdinand von Prondzynski, for the signing by satellite link.

The link between the two universities resulted from a visit to New York State by a delegation from DCU last summer in response to a visit by Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton to DCU in 2002. Since that time, Clinton has been very supportive of DCU and has facilitated a number of linkages between academic and industrial organizations in New York State and Ireland.

The presidents of the two universities discussed their progress in collaboration in a conference call on Friday.

Noting her commitment to promote the international recognition of UB, Clinton said: "I was pleased to learn that Dublin City University and the University at Buffalo continue to make progress, more than 18 months after our initial trip to Ireland, on significant collaborative links between the two schools. This is further positive proof of the close links between Ireland and New York State. I am confident that these links will only continue to strengthen, fostering further economic cooperation and more jobs on both sides of the Atlantic."

In the MOU, the universities pledged to develop a strong research partnership program in a number of targeted areas, building on existing complementary strengths at both universities. The areas include sensor research; cell biology; communications and networking technologies; cardiovascular health; supercomputing; bioinformatics; primary and preventive health care, and science education.

The universities agree to purse joint funding initiatives from agencies in Ireland, Europe and the U.S., as well as joint development of commercialization opportunities to benefit the two institutions, Ireland and the Western New York region.

Dublin City University, founded in 1980, has an enrolment of 7,815 undergraduates and 2,291 postgraduate and research students. In the area of research, it has a number of national centers of excellence, including the National Institute for Cellular Biotechnology, the National Centre for Sensor Research, the Research Institute for Networks and Communications Engineering, the National Centre for Plasma Science and Technology and the Vascular Health Research Centre. DCU also is home to Ireland's finest multi-venue performance space, The Helix, which houses a concert hall, theater and studio theater.