Alcatel-Lucent and Irish Government renew collaboration in joint technology innovation

We are looking forward to expanding our research activities in Ireland and generating innovative technologies by taking advantage of the close relationships we have developed with the business and academic community - Jeong Kim, president of Bell Labs

Dublin, Ireland, February 3 2010 ---- Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment Mary Coughlan T.D., and Dr. Jeong Kim, President of Bell Labs, the research arm of Alcatel-Lucent(Euronext Paris and NYSE: ALU), today announced the expansion of Bell Labs in Ireland when they visited the Bell Labs Research Center in Blanchardstown, Dublin. The program is supported by the Irish Government through IDA Ireland and aims to enable the creation of more than 70 new high-calibre technology positions over the next five years.  

Since its establishment in 2005, Bell Labs in Ireland has collaborated closely with both academic and business communities through an Open Innovation program in strategic areas such as telecommunications, supply chain and the environment. The expansion will generate a greater number of opportunities for Irish academia and industry to benefit from Bell Labs Ireland’s unique facilities and technology insight and from exposure to Bell Labs’ expanding global network - a key ingredient for technology breakthroughs in the 21st century.

The extension of this relationship and the increase in the number of technology experts  will also enable Bell Labs in Ireland to support Bell Labs’ contribution to the recently announced Green Touch Initiative – an open consortium of academic and commercial research institutions from around the world who are creating the technologies needed to reinvent communications networks and make them 1000 times more energy efficient than they are today.

Making the announcement, Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment, Mary Coughlan T.D., said “Bell Labs plays a hugely significant part in the Irish research eco-system.  Its uniquely open approach to innovation and the sharing of ideas will advance technological development and accelerate growth amongst Irish companies, bolstering our long-term economic expansion.”
 
“We are looking forward to expanding our research activities in Ireland and generating innovative technologies by taking advantage of the close relationships we have developed with the business and academic community,” said Jeong Kim, president of Bell Labs  “Through  these efforts we believe  Bell Labs in Ireland will be able to contribute to the local knowledge economy and  have a beneficial  impact on the lives of people around the world”

Commenting on the announcement, Barry O’Leary CEO IDA Ireland said: “Bell Labs is one of Ireland's first large R&D collaborative investments and has been a tremendous success. The reputation of Bell Labs enhances Ireland’s credibility as the leading location to enable multi-party and multi-disciplinary investments. Ireland has the talent, enthusiasm and innovative capacity that encourages interconnectivity between all parties involved, which reflects the Irish Government’s Smart Economy Strategy.”

Through its open innovation model, Bell Labs Ireland is a key contributor to successful projects such as the Science Foundation Ireland supported CSET the Centre for Telecommunications Value-Chain Research (CTVR), a collaborative research centre involving seven Irish universities that has yielded a pool of highly skilled researchers and scientists who are poised to make significant contribution to the Irish knowledge economy.

In the five years of its existence Bell Labs Ireland has become a source of innovations that have had a direct and positive impact on the telecommunications industry and on society:

• Bell Labs Ireland’s focus on energy management has yielded a novel 3D heat sink design that reduces the energy required to cool communications systems by more than 25%, a significant impact given that up to 50% of a telecommunications equipment cabinet’s total power consumption is expended on cooling.
   
• Sam Samuel, Executive Director of Bell Labs Ireland was one of the pioneers of the femtocell, a key component for improving communications network coverage. Femtocells have already been deployed in Vodafone’s UK networks and Bell Labs in Ireland is continuing its exploration of the femtocell’s potential.
   
• The RF hardware research team created new low-cost, low-weight, high-efficiency hardware technology for active antenna arrays, putting power amplifiers and receivers behind each antenna element to increase capacity and reduce power consumption in cellular base stations.
   
• The supply chain analytics research team has developed novel mathematical models to support the redesign of Alcatel-Lucent’s supply chain. The advanced models and tools, as well as analytical insights provided by the team have resulted in significant cost savings to the company.
   
• Bell Labs Ireland was instrumental in defining the new IEEE 1687 (IJTAG) standard which simplifies the automatic on-site testing of telecom equipment thereby improving the reliability of systems.

Media contacts –

Alcatel Lucent
Jenny Cropper, Communications, UK & Ireland, Tel: +44 7747 768883

Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment –
Press Office, Tel: 01- 6312200 
Roisin McCann, Press Officer, Tel: 0872594144

IDA Ireland –
Gillian Lawless, Press & PR, Tel : 01-6034190 / 0879050699