Ireland’s nanotech to get funding boost

A professor from Trinity College Dublin has been awarded a significant grant from the European Research Council to fund further research into nanotech wires.

Professor John Boland, director of the university’s largest research institute, CRANN, received the €2.5m Advanced Grant for investigating how nanotechnology could work with the human brain and computers. It is hoped the research could lead to advancements in facial recognition technology.

Commenting on his future research project, Boland said: “The human brain is neurologically advanced and exploits connectivity that is controlled by electrical and chemical signals. My research will create nanowire networks that have the potential to mimic aspects of the neurological functions of the human brain, which may revolutionise the performance of current day computers.”

Boland has found that exposing a random network of nanowires to stimuli like electricity, light and chemicals, generates chemical reaction at the junctions where the nanowires cross. By controlling the stimuli, it is possible to harness these reactions to manipulate the connectivity within the network.

Congratulating Boland, Professor Mark Ferguson, director of Science Foundation Ireland, remarked: “With researchers like Professor John Boland investigating some of the most exciting materials science breakthroughs, the future for nanoscience research in Ireland looks very bright. SFI is determined to improve Ireland’s overall performance in the ERC funding schemes; CRANN’s successes demonstrate that Irish-based researchers can compete successfully for ERC awards”.

Advanced Grants are awarded to established scientists undertaking high-risk, innovative research in their specialist field. This is only the second grant awarded to Physical Sciences in Ireland.