Future Cast opens €3.25m construction innovation centre in Co. Leitrim

Not-for-profit organisation Future Cast has officially opened a €3.25 million Innovation, Research, Development and Education Centre in Manorhamilton, Co. Leitrim, providing Ireland's construction, manufacturing and quarrying sectors with dedicated access to R&D infrastructure, prototyping facilities and green skills training, as reported by Business Plus. The centre was formally opened on 19 June by Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment Peter Burke, with Minister of State for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science Marian Harkin also in attendance.

The project has transformed the former St Clare's Hall, a derelict 200-year-old church in Manorhamilton, into a 10,000 sq ft state-of-the-art facility. It features a geological material science laboratory, prototype-building and machine-development spaces, facilities for green skills training and a 3D concrete printer. The centre is expected to create 15 new specialist roles over the coming years, adding to Future Cast's existing workforce of 22 across its facilities in Manorhamilton and Ballaghaderreen, Co. Roscommon.

The project was supported by the Department of Enterprise, Tourism and Employment through the Border Enterprise Development Fund, administered by Enterprise Ireland. It will provide companies, researchers and individual designers with access to space, technical expertise and equipment to develop ideas, build prototypes and progress R&D projects.

Shane Kerrigan, director of Future Cast and founder of the W8 Centre, said the development reinforces the potential of rural communities. "The opening of Future Cast's new Research, Innovation, Development and Education Centre represents the next step in our mission to demonstrate that rural communities can be places where innovation, enterprise and opportunity thrive," he said. "We see this investment helping to build long-term economic resilience, supporting our young people, enabling the development of future industries, and ensuring that the North West and Border Region can play a leading role in Ireland's future economy."

Future Cast CEO JJ O'Hara said the centre is designed to bring innovation and R&D into rural Ireland in a practical way. O'Hara added that the repurposing of the former church was central to the project's identity, noting the organisation's pride in returning the building to active use while retaining its historic character and connection to the town.

Training programmes at the facility will include skills in 3D concrete printing and the maintenance of offshore wind energy infrastructure, areas directly aligned with Ireland's expanding construction technology and renewable energy agendas.

Find the full details of the Future Cast Innovation Centre and its construction sector programmes.