Centres

DkIT is one of the longest established Institutes within its sector and draws over 80% of its students from Counties Louth, Meath, Cavan, Monaghan and North County Dublin. It has a student population of 3,500 full-time and over 1,500 part-time pursuing third level programmes at Higher Certificate, Ordinary Degree, Honours Degree and Postgraduate levels in Engineering, Science, Nursing and Health Studies, Informatics, Music, Creative Media, Hospitality Studies, Business and Humanities. Since 2001 new Degree and Masters programmes in Internet Technologies, Applied Music, Creative and Digital Media, Music Technology, Nursing and Health Studies, Pharmaceutical Sciences, Applied Biosciences, Community Development and Social Care have been developed.

Since the 1990s it has become evident that research and scholarly activity of a high quality are also essential in an academic environment increasingly providing degree and higher degree level studies. These are also vital components in Ireland’s drive to move economic activity up the value chain and improve competitiveness. Knowledge based economies and regions are built upon a strong research infrastructure and the development of a sustainable research capability at the Institute directly supports the growth of the Regional economic, social and cultural hinterland. The special designation of Dundalk as a major regional gateway in the National Spatial Strategy, the importance of regionally based Research and Innovation activity in the National Development Plan, the Operational Programme for the Border Midlands and Western Region (2007–2013 – Shaping the Region) and most recently in the Government's Strategy on Science, Technology and Innovation, place upon the Institute a responsibility to become innovative and to act as a knowledge engine for the Region.

The overall aim is therefore is to enhance the Institute's reputation at international and national levels in a small number of clearly defined research areas, by the strategic targeting of Institute resources to these areas, whilst nurturing the development of a research culture in emergent areas. It also aims to integrate research fully into the teaching, learning and knowledge transfer mission of the Institute.

The Institute is focusing on four research and development themes:

• Ageing and Health (with Centres in Smooth Muscle Research and Assistive Living/Technologies (Netwell)).
• Entrepreneurship and Innovation (with Centres in Entrepreneurship Research and the Regional Development Centre which co-ordinates the Institute’s Industrial Innovation programmes).
• Informatics and Creative Media (with a Centre in Software Technology and emerging research in Humanities, Music/Music Technology & Creative Media).
• Sustainable Energy and Environment (with Centres in Renewable Energy and Freshwater Research).

It has six centres conducting research across these four thematic areas:

• Centre for Entrepreneurship Research (CER)
• The Software Technology Research Centre (SToRC) (www.storc.ie)
• Smooth Muscle Research Centre (www.smoothmusclegroup.org)
• Centre for Renewable Energy (www.credit.ie)
• National Centre for Freshwater Studies (www.dkit.ie/NCFS)
• The Netwell Centre (www.netwellcentre.ie)