CACSSS based researchers have been awarded more than €80,000 from the IRC’s New Foundations Programme to pursue projects involving civil sector and community organisations in impactful research on important social issues.

The IRC New Foundations Programme comprises a key part of the IRC’s funding streams that are designed to invest in partnerships between the academic and civic sector and community groups. Since 2015 a total of 362 partnerships between civic society organisations and researchers have been supported, with investment exceeding €9.9 million.

On the announcement of these awards to UCC researchers the Vice President for Research and Innovation at UCC Prof John Cryan commented

 “These awards further recognise and support the importance of research as part of the wider community. The UCC projects awarded this funding impact across many societal issues from environment, health and humanities. Community and volunteer groups play such an important role in society now more than ever and these partnerships with UCC researchers will support and strengthen their impact across society”.

Among the CACSSS researchers who have received funding are:

• Prof Cathal O’Connell (School of Applied Social Studies & ISS21) for SCANHOPE which will examine ways of responding to the social care needs of persons who are engaging with homeless services.  The research will be informed by a Housing First approach and will be undertaken in collaboration with community partner Galtan Housing Association. This is Prof O'Connell's sixth IRC New Foundations award.
• Dr Eileen Hogan and Becci Jeffers (School of Applied Social Studies & ISS21) for Socio-Cycle: Exploring the Socio-Cultural Significance of Cycling in an Irish Regional City. In partnership with Cork Environmental Forum and the Cork Cycling Campaign, this study investigates the socio-cultural meanings of cycling with a view to informing effective pro-cycling policy in Irish regional cities.
• Dr Fiona Dukelow (School of Applied Social Studies & ISS21) for 'In Transit? Documenting the lived experiences of welfare, working and caring for one parent families claiming Jobseeker's Transitional Payment'.  Working in partnership with One Family and collaborating with Dr Joe Whelan TCD, this project aims to understand the impact of recent welfare reform for one parent families in a way that will benefit new claimants of this payment. 
• Dr Gill Harold (School of Applied Social Studies & ISS21) for the ISL HEALTH This is being carried out in partnership with Cork Deaf Assocation and Kerry Deaf Resource Centre, in collaboration with the HSE's National Office for Human Rights and Equality Policy. The researchaims to improve understanding of the persistent gap between best practice standards and inconsistent access provision for Irish Sign Language users in public health services, towards identifying strategies to eliminate the discrimination experienced by members of the Deaf community. 
• Dr Katharina Swirak (School of Society, Politics and Ethics & ISS21) for CLEAN SLATE a participatory action research study that engages men with past criminal convictions as peer-to-peer researchers to document and analyse their challenges of navigating social reintegration with a criminal record. CLEAN SLATE works in partnership with Cork Alliance Centre, a voluntary sector organisation based in Cork City who support people to make a fresh start after prison. 
• Dr Mark Prendergast (School of Education) for the design, implementation, and evaluation of a series of Numeracy-Meets to support the professional development needs of adult numeracy practitioners in Ireland. This research will be carried out in collaboration with the National Adults Literacy Agency (NALA).
• Prof Maggie O’Neil, Prof Jools Gilson and Dr Jacqui O’Riordan and Mike Fitzgibbon, Dr Amin Sharifi Isaloo and Fionn Woodhouse (Schools of Society Politics and Ethics, Film Theatre and Music,  Applied Social Studies and Cor University Business School) will combine theatre and walking methods as a creative research in practice, The project will work with the young people in Direct Provision and the Cork migrant centre as co-producers of knowledge. The project will generate new knowledge  and understanding in the area of migration and refugee studies while also addressing social inclusion within Irish society through innovative participatory and interdisciplinary methods. Project partners include the Cork Migrant Centre, UCD and MTU.

The full list of UCC researchers and all IRC New Foundations recipients are available here.

Commenting on these awards The Vice Head for Research and Innovation in CACSSS Dr Helena Buffery said:

We are immensely proud of the continuing leadership in socially engaged research within our College. By addressing the impact of societal challenges with/in the wider community, our researchers maintain a radical commitment to enhancing all our lives.