The Biomedical Diagnostics Institute (BDI), an academic–industrial partnership based at Dublin City University, has received a five-year, €19-million (US$25-million) grant that will allow it to recruit up to 40 postdocs and PhD students in surface chemistry, photonics and microfluidics. This is the BDI's second round of funding from Science Foundation Ireland (SFI), a government funding body hit hard by budget cuts this year, and it will support research and development of prototype diagnostic devices. BDI director Michael Berndt says that the institute is diversifying its projects and collaborations to secure outside funding because further SFI support is uncertain.