Lotus Development Ireland has been awarded EU software research and development (R&D) grants worth $1.2 million (£830,000).

The funding, set up by the IDA, will enable the Lotus software development team to develop Java applets covering multinational calendaring, and a new localisation approach to improve the productivity of Java developers. The value of these two R&D grants is $500,000.

In another EU-funded project, Lotus will develop software which automates natural language translation of computer applications. The grant on this three-year contract is worth $725,000.

"The fact that Ireland has been selected by the EU for these significant R&D projects emphasises the calibre of software development work being carried out in this country," said Dr Alan Barrett, director of technology at Lotus Ireland. The company employs more than 500 people at its Dublin plant.