Enterprise Ireland is to invest €4.5m in 11 projects in the biotechnology sector.
The funding, part of the agency's commercialisation fund, will focus on turning research into technologies of potential interest to industry. The technologies which emerge will form the basis for new companies or will be licensed into existing companies.
The research projects funded range from the development of nanosensors for diagnosing cardiovascular disease to treatment of tumours in cancer patients and to the development of vaccines for fish diseases. Three of the 11 projects are collaborations between research institutes.
'We have invested €8.8m for industry-relevant biotechnology research to date this year. Enterprise Ireland's portfolio in this area now represents an investment of over €30m,' said Dr Paul Roben of Enterprise Ireland.
