Evolve Ltd and the University of Malta, supported by the Ministry for Research, Innovation and the Co-ordination of Post Covid-19 Strategy, entered into a 3-year sponsorship agreement with one of its most prominent research groups: The Electromagnetic Research Group (EMRG). This agreement was made possible thanks to the Research, Innovation and Development Trust (RIDT) headed by Mr Wilfred Kenely.
EMRG is a highly interdisciplinary group involving more than 20 members, some with affiliations to international institutions of repute. By its very nature, EMRG involves members from the fields of physics, mathematics, geosciences, engineering and medicine and surgery. A commercial partner is crucial for them to secure further funding to boost their research prospects.
Minister for Research, Innovation and the Co-ordination of Post COVID-19 Strategy Owen Bonnici said that this is a proud moment for all stakeholders involved. “This 3-year sponsorship from Evolve Ltd is only the first of hopefully other similar sponsorships of the many UoM research groups that is aimed at open-ended research, and not tied directly to a specific project. It is hoped that through this initiative, other companies will follow suit to support other R&D activities which could lead to significant benefits for the research, but also for the growth of the company itself through the potential for commercialization of innovative discoveries”, Minister Bonnici said.
“Having a private company invest in a research group in this way while giving them the freedom to decide how to best make use of the research funds is very innovative for Malta,” Minister Bonnici said.
Malta Enterprise is backing Evolve Ltd’s move to encourage industrial-academic relations even more.
This agreement is being described as the first and most significant milestone to be reached in the local research and development community, where a private company is investing in the research and potential of a group of academics and research students.
The research group leader, Prof Charles Sammut, explained that investment from the private entities in this sector is still quite limited and thanked Evolve for being pioneers in placing their trust in EMRG.
University of Malta Rector, Prof. Alfred J. Vella said that, “I am very confident in the abilities of our researchers to apply their findings to the needs of society at large. What Evolve does within the healthcare industry and what the Electromagnetics Research Group achieves to innovate and advance in the same area makes this partnership a very congruous one. I augur them both a long and fruitful relationship and I sincerely hope that I will come across similar partnerships, as there are other promising groups of researchers who are doing valuable work that is waiting to be applied but lack the necessary funding.”
