Published on: Monday, 27 May 2013

On Monday, 27 May, Mr Seán Sherlock, Minister of State, Department of Enterprise, Jobs & Innovation and Department of Education & Skills with responsibility for Research & Innovation, officially launched the Halpin Centre for Research & Innovation at the National Maritime College of Ireland.

This exciting new development will further enhance the international reputation of the National Maritime College of Ireland as a centre of maritime excellence. The launch of the Halpin Centre completes the internal development of the NMCI which has three pillars of activity; Maritime Education and Training, Specialised and Bespoke courses for industry delivered through NMCI services, and now, Research and Innovation activity through the Halpin Centre for Research & Innovation.

The Centre is named for Captain Robert Charles Halpin of Wicklow (1836-1894). Robert Halpin is recognised as one of the most important mariners of the 19th Century for his work in successfully overcoming seemingly insurmountable technical, and seafaring challenges, to lay submarine telegraph cables to connect the continents thereby ushering in the communications age.

The Halpin Centre’s work is focussed in three key areas, Maritime Safety & Security, Maritime Education and Training, and Shipping, Transport and Logistics. These three key areas are supported by cross-cutting initiatives in IT and Communications, Maritime Operations, Human Factors, Policy and Engineering.

The Centre will be an important pillar of the rapidly developing iMERC Campus at Ringaskiddy and as such will facilitate the research inputs of both CIT and the Irish Naval Service to the overall research effort in Maritime and Sustainable energy. It has enjoyed early success in attracting significant European research funding with the Centre today involved in ten EU funded research projects. The Centre is also working with Irish SME’s and multinational companies to assist them in developing new products and services and has international collaborators in Canada and throughout the EU.

The Halpin Centre already employs 9 researchers, and a number of post graduate students, based in the National Maritime College and this number is expected to increase in the coming months.

Photographer Darragh Kane

(L - R)  Cormac Gebruers, Head of Halpin Centre for Research; Commodore Mark Mellett, Irish Naval Services; Dr Brendan J Murphy, President, CIT; Seán Sherlock, Minister of State, Department of Enterprise, Jobs & Innovation, and Department of Education & Skills;  and Michael Delaney, Vice President for Development (Acting Head of NMCI).

Dr Brendan J Murphy and Minister Seán Sherlock with a Cine Star 8 Small Unmanned Aerial System.

Minister Seán Sherlock with Cormac Gebruers.

(L – R)  Michael Delaney; Valerie Cummins, Director of IMERC;  Bob Savage, Chairman of the Governing Body of CIT; and Commodore Mark Mellett.