Calin calls for 240 Irish and Welsh SMEs

University College Dublin, National University of Ireland Galway, Tyndall National Institute, University College Cork, Bangor University, Cardiff University and Swansea University have partnered for a €12m ($13m) collaboration network.

Also supported by consumer goods conglomerate Unilever and healthcare company GE Healthcare, the Celtic Advanced Life Science Innovation Network (Calin) has been funded by the European Regional Development Fund through the Ireland Wales Cooperation program.

Led by Swansea University’s Medical School, Calin aims to support more than 240 small and medium-sized enterprises based in Ireland and Wales by providing strategic partnership with the six universities and the two corporates.

Calin is hoped to drive sustainable growth in the life science sector, attract investors and power a large amount of collaborative research and development projects by pairing companies up with both an Irish and a Welsh university for a period of one to three years.

Shareen Doak, professor at Swansea University and director of Calin, said: “This initiative will strengthen our combined research base and create strong commercial foundations for life sciences both regionally and globally.  

“A key focus will be to support partnerships that will last beyond the term of the program and create a legacy for the future wealth generation of network-linked SMEs.”