The Cleaner Production Promotion Unit is a multidisciplinary and transdisciplinary research group based in UCC’s School of Engineering and an affiliate centre of the university’s Environmental Research Institute. The group led by Dr Niall Dunphy conducts engaged research focused on the theme of society, sustainability and energy. The group has a successful track record in obtaining competitive research funding from EU (including H2020, EMFF, FP7, INTERREG) and national agencies (including EPA, SEAI, HEA, Enterprise Ireland). Its research portfolio includes projects linked to one or more of the following categories: 

• Energy citizenship and democracy, e.g., co-designing energy futures with communities, social mobilisation around energy infrastructure, etc.
• Consumption practices and behaviors, e.g, mitigating household energy poverty, understanding the lived experience of energy, etc.
• Public engagement and education (EPE) associated with: carbon capture and storage, marine renewable energy, etc.
• Sustainability of the built environment e.g., occupant involvement in renovation design, business model development for energy efficient buildings, etc.
• Energy transitions, e.g., climate action plans, environmental policy integration, enabling energy communities, etc.

 A list of current and selected recent research projects can be found here.