EADS and Enterprise Ireland have signed a strategic partnership agreement for aerospace research, technology development and procurement. The Memorandum of Understanding between the two parties forms the basis for co-operation until 2012 by which time the aim is to increase annual sales by Irish companies to EADS to a value of €35 M.
The primary aim of the agreement is to increase the level of procurement by EADS from Enterprise Ireland's client companies. Furthermore, the agreement aims to optimise opportunities for co-operation in technology research and development between EADS, Enterprise Ireland client companies and Science Foundation Ireland. It will also help maximise the benefits of the involvement of EADS, Enterprise Ireland and Science Foundations Ireland in the European Framework Program 7, a European Union programme for funding scientific research.
A significant part of the agreement is research and technology collaboration between EADS and The Centre for Telecommunications Value-Chain Research at Trinity College Dublin (TCD) and NUI Maynooth. The company will also fund a number of PhD programmes in key research areas of aerospace and security, with the first programme commencing at TCD.