Posted on: 25 September 2019
A new report launched on 24 September by Minister for Business, Enterprise and Innovation, Heather Humphreys TD, has found that Artificial Intelligence (AI) research produced by the Trinity-led ADAPT SFI Research Centre for Digital Media Technology is having a significant impact on Ireland’s economy.
The report highlights that 593 full-time jobs were created in Ireland last year alone as a result of research produced by ADAPT. According to the study by DCU Business School and Maynooth University, for every €1 invested by the State, the ADAPT Centre generated €5.30 for the Irish economy, equating to more than €300 million in just four years.
Speaking at the launch of the report, Minister for Business, Enterprise and Innovation, Heather Humphreys TD said:
The work of the ADAPT SFI Research Centre aligns with major Government initiatives such as Future Jobs Ireland and is helping to create a more advanced digital Ireland. ADAPT’s research and outputs are helping to future-proof our economy by creating jobs, wealth and businesses. In an uncertain landscape caused by Brexit, ADAPT is helping us secure our future.
Artificial intelligence is set to transform global productivity, working patterns and lifestyles, and create enormous wealth. The ADAPT SFI Research Centre is helping to ensure Ireland is at the forefront of this transformation.
Trinity Professor Vinny Wade, Director of the ADAPT Centre, said: “ADAPT’s research outputs in 2018 represents 8% of all licences generated by Research Performing Organisations in Ireland. These innovations are helping to create a Digital Ireland, directly addressing the Government’s aim to position Ireland as a digital hub for Europe. This impact report shows that Ireland is well equipped to meet this challenge and through ADAPT’s research, its scientific outputs, and its industry collaborations, it is actively creating a Digital Ireland.”
The report highlights that ADAPT is re-imagining new ways to connect people, processes and data and is preparing the next generation of research and industry leaders. Between 2015 and 2018, ADAPT has overseen the completion of 64 PhD and Masters and helped to up-skill over 6,700 industry professionals.
Deputy Director General of Science Foundation Ireland, Dr Ciarán Seoighe welcomed the report’s findings, saying:
SFI Research Centres attract and retain foreign direct investment in Ireland, encouraging the very best global companies to develop R&D activities here. They are a huge draw for high quality sustainable jobs, both directly and indirectly and also act as agents of change. They cultivate new ways of thinking and offer cutting-edge solutions to issues and challenges that we face in many sectors. SFI Research Centres such as ADAPT have had an incredible impact on Ireland’s global reputation. They have increased academic and industrial collaboration, trained top talent for industry and academia, and produced excellent scientific results.
Professor Wade added: “At the heart of this new Digital Ireland is a recognition that people must be put first and that users must be empowered to be able to transform information at ever-increasing speeds across language barriers and different media modalities. This in turn, will reshape how people communicate, socialise and work. The new technologies will empower people and will enable businesses and individuals to design bespoke solutions to communicate globally and more effectively. ADAPT is driving this digital revolution and it is a model for how Government research funding is having an impact in terms of scientific excellence, economic gain, and also social impact.”
The ADAPT SFI Research Centre for Digital Media Technology provides a partnership between academia and industry. Funded by Science Foundation Ireland, the Centre is led out of Trinity College Dublin and combines the world-class expertise of researchers at Dublin City University, University College Dublin, Technological University Dublin, Maynooth University, Athlone IT and Cork IT.
Key highlights of the report include:
Economic Impact:
– Over €300 million was generated for the Irish economy from an initial SFI investment of €17 million between 2015 and 2018.
– ADAPT research generated 8% of all licences stemming from Research Performing Organisations in Ireland consistently from 2015 through to 2017.
Foreign Direct Investment:
– The expertise within ADAPT has attracted significant foreign direct investment to Ireland with €370 million of investment and over 1700 jobs being created as a result of engagements with 28 multinational companies.
– ADAPT has attracted international conferences to Ireland delivering over €2.2 million to the local economy.
Human Capital:
– 1,476 jobs were created between 2015 – 2018 as a result of ADAPT research in Artificial Intelligence and digital media technologies.
Scientific Excellence:
– Since it was launched in 2015, the ADAPT SFI Research Centre has published an average of 1 scientific publication per day in top-tier journals and international conference totaling over 1000 publications in total.
Societal and Public Policy:
– ADAPT is preventing the digital extinction of the Irish language with Machine Translation technology that has translated 1.5 million words into Irish for public use.
– ADAPT is driving responsible AI and its Ethics and Privacy lecture series has attracted over 1,500 attendees.
