On their visit to the University of Limerick, a delegation of California state legislators and industry leaders were welcomed to the Bernal Institute by Confirm post-doc, Dr. Eoin Hinchy and Confirm PhD student, Damian MacCarthy along with Minister of State Patrick O’Donovan, Prof Luuk van der Wielen, Bernal Institute Director and UL Deputy President, Chief Operating Officer and Registrar Gerry O’Brien.
The visiting group came to the region to learn about recent economic successes, particularly in the area of research, that is being catalysed by the University and the 3 SFI funded research centres (Confirm, SSPC & LEro) which it hosts.
“Many of the group have a background in education so investment in the sector was of particular interest, as was UL’s close collaboration with industry and its actions as a knowledge broker within competitive industries.” (Bernal Institute website)
Among the delegation was California State Senator Susan Rubio, pictured below with Dr. Hinchy and Damian McCarthy getting a tour of the Confirm JAMIR (Joining of Advanced Materials using Industry 4.0) joining suite which is located in the Bernal Institute. JAMIR is one of several assets that are available for use by Confirm industry partners and researchers, aiding in effective collaboration between research and industry. (More info on Confirm research infrastructure can be found here: https://confirm.ie/infrastructure/)

Susan Rubio (California State Senator) pictured with Dr.Eoin Hinchy (Post-Doctoral Researcher, Confirm)