31 October, 2006 - Minister Hanafin opens new Food Processing Laboratory at Dublin Institute of Technology

Minister for Education and Science, Mary Hanafin, TD, today  officially opened new Food Processing Laboratory facilities for Dublin Institute of Technology at its Cathal Brugha Street campus.  Cathal Brugha Street has been synonymous with the hospitality and catering industry in Ireland since 1941 and during this period has established a national and international reputation for its courses, research and service to industry.  The Laboratory is dedicated to the memory of Ann Westby RIP, former Chief Executive of the Food Safety Authority of Ireland.
 
"The development of these facilities will allow students of food processing and food technology, whose education is to prepare them for working in the food industry, to experience working in an environment simulating the work place.  I am very confident that this experience will very significantly add to the overall value of the education that these students attain while in the Institute" said Minister Hanafin.
 
The Food Processing Hall is first and foremost a teaching facility where students are introduced to a full range of food product manufacture.  The facility is heavily used by under-graduate and post-graduate research students alike. 
 
Speaking about the future of DIT, Minister Hanafin said "There is an exciting future ahead for DIT with the proposed move to a single campus at Grangegorman.  The relocation of DIT, which is currently spread over 30 different sites in Dublin, to a 65-acre campus in Grangegorman is a major priority for this Government. The move will enable the institute to provide better academic and support services for all its students.  It will also allow for much greater academic and social interaction between students of many different disciplines, providing a dynamic environment for a broad level education in the heart of Dublin.
 
Ireland's future lies in developing world class capabilities in research and innovation, producing talented researchers in the numbers required and providing an environment in which research excellence can flourish."
 
The investment from the exchequer coupled with the resources generated from the disposal of existing DIT assets will represent the single biggest investment in third level infrastructure in the history of the State.  The Government has invested €82 million in DIT since 1997 in capital projects across the many locations at Dublin Institute of Technology to fund new buildings, refurbishment of existing buildings and to provide capital equipment.
 
Minister Hanafin congratulated everyone involved in bringing the project to finality and said "I extend my very best wishes to all concerned for the continuing success and development of the exciting teaching and research work that you are engaged in here."
 
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