UCD Professor Gerry Byrne first Irish person to receive Fraunhofer Thaler Award

Posted June 01, 2017

• Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft Europe’s largest research and technology organisation for applied research
• Professor Byrne received award for his support of development of organisation in the UK and Ireland

Gerry Byrne, Professor of Mechanical Engineering at University College Dublin, has been presented with the Fraunhofer Thaler Award in recognition of his “outstanding leadership and significant achievements in the field of applied research”.

President of the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft, Professor Reimund Neugebauer, presented Professor Byrne with the award. The (opens in a new window)Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft is Europe’s largest research and technology organisation for applied research. 

Professor Byrne, UCD School of Mechanical and Materials Engineering, is the first Irish person to receive the Fraunhofer Thaler Award.

Established in 1949, the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft's research activities are conducted by 69 institutes and research units at locations throughout Germany. It employs a staff of 24,500 and has an annual research budget of around €2.1bn.

Pictured: Professor Gerry Byrne, UCD School of Mechanical and Materials Engineering who was awarded with the Fraunhofer Thaler Award by the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft

Professor Neugebauer referred to the excellence of Professor Byrne’s long-term contribution to the society through activities such as his Presidency of the International Academy for Production Engineering (CIRP).

He noted Professor Byrne’s work in support of the development of the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft in the UK and Ireland. 

He also thanked him for his background work in facilitating the establishment of the Fraunhofer Project Centre for Embedded Bioanalytical Systems at (opens in a new window)Dublin City University.

This is the first centre of its kind in Ireland and is supported by (opens in a new window)Science Foundation Ireland (SFI) and the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft in Germany.

Congrats to Prof Gerry Byrne of (opens in a new window)@UCDEngArch, who was yesterday presented with the Fraunhofer-Taler by the President of the Fraunhofer Inst. (opens in a new window)pic.twitter.com/bLogFqaAeU

— Orla Feely (@OrlaFeely) (opens in a new window)May 11, 2017

Professor Byrne is a former President of the Institution of Engineers of Ireland, former President of the (opens in a new window)Irish Academy of Engineering and former President of the (opens in a new window)International Academy for Production Engineering (CIRP).

He is a Fellow of the (opens in a new window)Royal Academy of Engineering (UK), a Fellow of the (opens in a new window)Society of Manufacturing Engineers (USA) and a Fellow of the (opens in a new window)German National Academy for Science and Engineering (acatech).

He established his own company, (opens in a new window)GB Innovation Ltd in 2014. The firm provides a managed service to European Industries and organisations in the area of applied research, development and innovation.

By: Jamie Deasy, digital journalist, UCD University Relations