Centre for Research in Engineering Surface Technology Gateway – CREST

The CREST Technology Gateway is the only dedicated surface coatings laboratory on the island of Ireland. Its precursor was the Institute for Industrial Research Standards (IIRS), established in 1946. CREST operates within a certified ISO 9001 Quality Management System and provides a range of consultancy services to over 100 companies per year, from Irish SMEs to multinationals. Based in the FOCAS Research Institute, TU Dublin (Camden Row), CREST is a nationally approved laboratory that has been retained by many Irish government bodies (Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine; NSAI; OPW; NRA; city and county council bodies) to give advice on public and private funded projects.

CREST Technology Gateway is addressing the needs of the Irish engineering, aerospace, automotive, architectural, electronics, biomedical and healthcare sectors in the area of surface coatings. The centre has over sixty years of commercial surface coating experience to provide an outstanding level of service. CREST recruits and develops industrial development scientists with a product development background to guarantee consistent and reliable project delivery. Product development needs to be sustained, as secret know-how and craft can quickly become obsolete – therefore robust intellectual property (IP) development that has sustained market value requires long-term focused strategic investment in fundamental research.