Dr Martin McGinnity with Economy Minister Nigel Dodds at the launch event

PODCAST: Minister Dodds' speech at the opening of the ISRC: click to listen or download

http://news.ulster.ac.uk/podcasts/Dodds.mp3

THE University’s new £20 million Intelligent Systems Research Centre – opened today at the Magee campus can play an important role in Northern Ireland’s global competitiveness, according to Economy Minister Nigel Dodds.

The Research Centre will make a major contribution to international research in the area of computational intelligence and bio-inspired computing, and will be led by Professor Martin McGinnity, an internationally recognised academic and research leader.

It’s the largest single research investment in the 150-year history of the campus, and will attract scientists of international calibre from across the world, positioning Northern Ireland as a world leader in intelligent systems research.

“This Centre has the potential to create economic regeneration and provide an essential hub for advanced research and innovation, highlighting Northern Ireland’s internationally focused knowledge infrastructure,” the Minister said.

“The research carried here could help attract further investment by globally recognised companies seeking to tap into our growing knowledge base. In addition, there is the potential for new spin out companies to be created and the ISRC can encourage local businesses to embrace the concept of innovation and how it can make them more competitive.

“Technological advancement occurs at a rapid pace and Northern Ireland must continue to develop the skills and the infrastructure to exploit knowledge and innovation for commercial gain. The Intelligent Systems Research Centre can help us in our drive to achieve that.”

The multi-million pound Centre is a major expansion of the existing Intelligent Systems research group on the campus in the School of Computing and Intelligent Systems.

The project will enable the research centre to contribute at the forefront of international research and development in the fields of intelligent systems, artificial intelligence and robotics.

Invest NI has offered the university £7.2 million of funding, £1.1m of which is from the Centres of Excellence programme, with a further £6.1 million from the Integrated Development Fund, coordinated by Ilex, the urban regeneration company for the city.

The project represents the culmination of a four-year development and appraisal process, and will lead to approximately 100 top researchers being located in the Centre when recruitment is complete. The University of Ulster has launched an international search to bring the world’s leading talent in the field to Northern Ireland.

Programme of work

Director of the new Centre, Professor Martin McGinnity, outlined the Centre’s programme of work:

Bio-inspired computational systems: “Computational neuroscience – exploring how the brain works, and transferring that knowledge into computational systems: more intelligent machines, based on our understanding of biology. This work will lead to systems that adapt, learn, self-organise, and self repair. The range of application areas is immense, ranging from machines in a manufacturing process (which might for example diagnose faults and repair themselves without needing human intervention) to medical and entertainment systems."

Cognitive robotics: “This field focuses on the creation of robotics systems that are more intelligent, in that they have a greater understanding of their surroundings and what’s happening around them. Sophisticated robots are currently available but lack the ability to adapt to changing circumstances or interact intelligently with humans. We will be focusing not simply on robot- human interaction, but robot-robot cooperation and collaboration as well. Increasingly, robotics assistants will have a role to play in all our lives, whether at work or at home.”

Ambient Intelligence: “We’re seeing cheap wireless sensors becoming increasingly common: the future task is to develop new and compelling ways to use the data those sensors collect – to extract the intelligence from an abundance of sensors, and to use that knowledge effectively. With an ageing population in western Europe, the use of intelligent systems in the care of the elderly is a major growth area which we are perfectly poised to develop.”

Brain/computer interfacing: “Here too, our work is targeted at the health care sector: working on ways to help people who are disabled. Work is already under way exploring how the EEG signals in the brain may be interpreted by computers and used to operate everyday objects creating a new communications channel that will transform the lives of people with disabilities”

Social and Economic Regeneration

In addition to a world-class academic research environment, the Intelligent Systems Research Centre offers vital economic and social regeneration opportunities, says Professor McGinnity:

“In research terms, the new centre will take our work on Intelligent Systems to the next level; with the additional funding we will be able to extend our work into areas we simply do not have the resources to investigate at present. We now have an opportunity to establish the critical mass of people and equipment that will take us to the very highest levels of international research esteem – and become a research unit that would create a powerful stream of economic benefits for the city, the region and indeed Northern Ireland as a whole”.

“Our ambition is to develop our research reputation such that when people anywhere in the world are thinking about or seeking the best researchers in intelligent systems, the University of Ulster will be at the forefront of their minds”

“To achieve that goal needs a certain size of group to spark the kind of cross fertilisation of ideas that characterise world-class research facilities – that’s why we aim to bring together 100 researchers into the Centre – we aim to find top class researchers and bring them to Magee.”

Professor McGinnity emphasises the relevance of the new Centre to the economy – through innovation and entrepreneurship, the commercialising of research, and consultancy.

“Our work sounds very theoretical – but there are many sectors of industry where our research work and findings are immediately applicable. Here at Magee we’ve always had a close relationship with industry - and that’s a link we intend to expand as the Centre grows in strength and international recognition.”

Welcoming the development, the University of Ulster’s Vice-Chancellor, Professor Richard Barnett, said: “This is a tremendous vote of confidence in the excellence of the research group established and led by Professor McGinnity at our Magee campus. I’m confident that this funding will allow Professor McGinnity and his team to establish at Magee a research group truly international standing, attracting the very best researchers to Magee and helping bring high-value-added firms and high-wage jobs to the north-west.”

The investment is seen as a crucial part of the regeneration strategy for the city and the north-west region as a whole, helping consolidate and enhance the area’s reputation as a growth pole for technology and software innovation.

Bill Kirk, Chief Executive of Ilex, the coordinating body for the Integrated Development Fund, said: "The promotion of innovation, R&D, the acquisition of knowledge and technology transfer in varying forms are central to the Ilex Regeneration Plan and seen as one of a number of key solutions to addressing Derry's economic problems. The Plan presents a vision of a competitive, confident city at the heart of an innovating region, a university city, a city of learning and applied science and technology. In the final analysis, this project will go a considerable way to making that vision a reality."

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