Bell Labs, the research arm of US firm Lucent Technologies, is setting up a research centre in Dublin, Ireland.

Bell Labs, the research arm of US firm Lucent Technologies, is setting up a research centre in Dublin, Ireland, to focus on telecommunications and supply chain technologies. The centre will be located at Lucent’s facility in Blanchardstown and is at the core of a € 69m (?46m) investment programme by Bell Labs, IDA Ireland and Science Foundation Ireland.

As part of the investment, Bell Labs is also setting up a Centre for Telecommunications Value-Chain-Driven Research (CTVR) at Trinity College, Dublin. This will involve eight other Irish universities and institutes of technology.

The two centres will house up to 120 researchers. Jeff Jaffe, president, Research and Advanced Technologies at Bell Labs, said: ’Establishing a Bell Labs centre in Ireland signifies Lucent’s commitment to creating a long-term presence in this country, and indeed in Europe. Europe is a critical market for us, so it is appropriate that we create a research centre here dedicated to exploring ways that we can bring better, even more innovative products to market faster’.

Emma Davies