A research centre at Trinity College Dublin is to create 350 new positions by 2025.

AMBER looks at advanced materials and bio-engineering research.

This is the second phase of the centre, and is part of a Government investment of €40m in the Science Foundation Ireland (SFI)-funded facility.

This will also be coupled with €77m in cash and in-kind contributions, which will be raised in investment from industry and non-exchequer sources.

With a total employment of 1,116 staff, during the first phase of the centre AMBER created 14,279 jobs nationwide in sectors such as biomedicine, pharmaceutical, energy and ICT.

"Incredible progress"

AMBER currently partners with 40 companies across ICT, medical technologies and devices - as well as those in sustainability and manufacturing.

It also hopes to attract new foreign direct investment to Ireland, and investment from foreign-owned businesses within Ireland, strengthen SME investment in research and development and create new spin out businesses.

Researchers hope to focus on health, including the development of new therapies for the treatment of bone defects and heart attacks, peripheral nerve repair, joint repair and wound healing.

Professor Mark Ferguson, director-general of Science Foundation Ireland, says: "The SFI Research Centre AMBER has contributed hugely to fundamental and applied materials science research.

"In only a short period AMBER has made incredible progress, in terms of increased academic and industrial collaboration, training PhD students for industry, winning competitive funding from the EU, producing excellent scientific results and public engagement.

"Science Foundation Ireland looks forward to continuing to support this world class centre, increasing our ability to positively impact both society and the economy through excellent scientific research."