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Key appointments announced for Construct Innovate Technology Centre
Paul Keogh has been selected, following an expressions of interest process managed by Enterprise Ireland, as the inaugural Chair of the centre’s steering committee.
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Keogh is a business leader with experience spanning a wide range of industries, including entertainment, hospitality, construction equipment, construction development, and healthcare.
He has considerable international experience in the US, the UK, Central Europe, and Australia. He runs his own management consultancy advising large family-owned businesses, many of whom are in the construction sector. He has worked for well-known bluechip brands such as Guinness, Budweiser, JCB and Ballymore.
Colm McHugh joins the Construct Innovate team as Centre Manager following a competitive recruitment process managed by the centre.
McHugh, a chartered mechanical engineer with over 17 years’ national and international experience as an engineering consultant, main contractor, and equipment supplier, has seen the industry from most sides and brings a deep understanding of the needs of stakeholders at all levels. His leadership and strategic and operational experience will be critical in ensuring Construct Innovate will be as impactful as possible in supporting the continued transition of the Irish construction industry into a modern, efficient, and sustainable sector.
Construct Innovate, Ireland’s national research centre for construction technology and innovation, is the newest addition to Enterprise Ireland’s industry-led Technology Centres programme. It was launched by the then Tánaiste Leo Varadkar T.D. in December 2022 with initial funding of €5M over five years. Hosted at the University of Galway, the centre leverages the capabilities, facilities and high levels of expertise available across the consortium partners of Trinity College Dublin, University College Dublin, University College Cork and the Irish Green Building Council.
To ensure that it delivers for housing, the centre will be focused on key industry challenges and innovation in residential construction in its first three years of operation. Construct Innovate will be at the forefront of initiatives to meet the demands of major building and investment programmes as part of Project Ireland 2040 and the National Development Plan 2021-2030; Housing for All; and the Climate Action Plan.
